First off, let me mention that I haven’t played D-Pad Hero 2 yet, so anything stated here might be improved on in the sequel.

From the get-go, the game drops you into a song without so much as an intro or tutorial. Which is great, considering how simple the game is to learn. You tap A and B in time with the music along with a directional pad and…that’s pretty much it. It sounds simple, but it’s quite challenging. Even me, a rhythm game veteran, wasn’t able to pass any of the songs on the first try. But the game lets you keep playing no matter how awful you are like in Rhythm Heaven. The game never feels like it’s punishing you for being bad, which is very important in a rhythm game.

Quality-wise, the game holds up. But sadly, this game’s only drawback would be it’s quantity. There are only four songs to choose from! And while they’re all good remixes and quite long, that’s not enough. 8 songs would have been better, with an unlockable 9th song after passing all of the others. And space wouldn’t likely be an issue, as the ROM could be expanded from 256kb to 512kb.

But regardless, D-Pad Hero is 256kb of pure awesomeness. If you’re a big fan of rhythm games then give it a shot! …But don’t expect any more than an hour or so of gameplay.