Rhythm Tengoku/Development: Difference between revisions

Towards the end of development at the beginning of 2006, the [[niwanetwork:Nintendo DS|Nintendo DS]] became a huge hit, so the staff revisited the idea of a DS version of the game. However it would've taken a long time to port the work they had already made for the GBA version, and as the game contained previously [[Koi no Honey Sweet Angel|unreleased]] [[WISH Kimi o Matenakute|songs]], they decided not to delay the game and so it was released only on the Game Boy Advance on August 3, 2006<ref>"そういうわけでニンテンドーＤＳ版での発売はなくなったかに思えたんですが、『リズム天国』の開発が終盤となったころ、つまり今年のはじめのころに、ニンテンドーＤＳがご存じのように社会現象になるほど大ヒットしまして、「いま一番勢いのあるゲーム機で発売するべきでは？」という話が持ち上がり、再度検討することになったんです。とはいえ、ゲームボーイアドバンス版でほぼ完成しているものを移植するにしても時間が掛かりますし、一方で、ゲームの中には、時東ぁみさんや、久礼聡史さんが歌う、未発表曲が含まれていて、あまり発売がのびるのもどうか？・・・ということで、最終的にゲームボーイアドバンスでの発売となりました。え？　あらためてニンテンドーＤＳで『リズム天国』の続編を？まあ、そういう声が高まれば‥‥いやいや、軽はずみなことは言えませんね。" (However, toward the end of the development of "Rhythm Tengoku", or at the beginning of this year, the Nintendo DS, as you know, became such a huge hit that it became a social phenomenon, and we thought, "Why not release the game on the console that is currently the most popular?" We decided to reexamine the idea. However, it would take a long time to port the Game Boy Advance version, which was almost completed, and on the other hand, the game included previously unreleased songs sung by Ami Tokito-san and Soshi Kurei-san, so we wondered if we should delay the release too much. So, the game was finally released on the Game Boy Advance. Huh? A sequel to "Rhythm Tengoku" for the Nintendo DS? Well, if people start talking about it...well, I can't say anything rash.) ~ [[niwanetwork:Katsuya Yamano|Katsuya Yamano]], [https://www.1101.com/nintendo/rythm_heaven2/18.html ほぼ日刊イトイ新聞 - 樹の上の秘密基地。] (Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun - A secret base on a tree.)</ref>, and was received well by players despite the trepidation of the developers<ref>Iwata: "To tell the truth, even though it didn't attract much attention before its release, it was received very well by many people. Osawa-san, as this series' chief mastermind, what did you think at the time of release?"<br>Osawa: "I wondered if everyone would enjoy it. I was extremely unsure about it. Since nothing like a music score appears on the screen, it was a new type of rhythm game, and I thought only certain people would be able to get it. Of course, we did everything we could while making the game to prevent that from happening, but I wouldn't know until release… I was incredibly nervous…" ~ [https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/rhythm-heaven/0/0/ Iwata Asks - Rhythm Heaven - Page 1]</ref>.

Presumably in 2007, [[niwanetwork:Sega|Sega]] approached [[niwanetwork:Nintendo|Nintendo]] with an offer for an [[Rhythm Tengoku/Arcade|arcade version of the game]], as it was popular among their development staff. The staff at [[niwanetwork:Nintendo|Nintendo]], who initially thought it was a joke, were impressed, as they never thought ''[[Rhythm Tengoku]]'' was able to gain a following<ref>Iwata: "After Rhythm Tengoku became a hit, Sega approached us with a surprise offer, and an arcade version was released. Osawa-san, what did you think when the idea first came up?"<br>Osawa: "…I thought it must be a joke."<br>Iwata: (laughs)<br> Osawa: "But when I met with Sega and talked to them, they appeared to really like the game."<br>Iwata: "Apparently it was popular among their development staff."<br>Osawa: "Yes. I was happy that they liked it so much, but…an arcade game? It wasn't something I could make the call on." ~ [https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/rhythm-heaven/0/1/ Iwata Asks - Rhythm Heaven - Page 2]</ref>. The original staff naturally oversaw the development of the new modes featured in this version<ref>Iwata: "Yone-san, did you work on the arcade game?"<br>Yone: "Yes. The sound data was to be the same, but since the mechanics of arcade games are different, I had to make some adjustments in order to recreate the same sounds. Also, the arcade game had some modes that didn't exist in the Game Boy Advance version, so I supervised the sound for those as well." ~ [https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/rhythm-heaven/0/1/ Iwata Asks - Rhythm Heaven - Page 2]</ref>. This port was released on September 20, 2007.