The Nintendo Switch is already home to quite a number of rhythm games, and I’m always happy to see more rhythm games come to the platform. I would say though that my main gripe with the Switch’s library of rhythm games is that the majority of them were already made available on another platform. Not necessarily a bad thing, but as someone who plays lots of rhythm games, I already knew what to expect from most of these titles because I’ve already played them. So I was quite excited to check out Old School Musical. Not only did it look quite neat with its retro style and music, but it was also something new that I haven’t already played.

THE GOOD: One of the big things for me is that this is an actual new rhythm game for Switch. That’s not all there is to this game though. It also has a rare take on rhythm games. Not exactly an entirely new one, but a concept we don’t see much of nowadays. That concept being that the rhythm gameplay is implemented into a storyline. Games like Gitaroo Man and Space Channel 5 are titles that use this concept, where you see the game quickly shifting from story bits to rhythm gameplay in order to further the story. So to see Old School Musical have this was a nice breath of fresh air. It also adds on to the “old school” aspect of the name, since I was reminded of some retro rhythm games.

Of course, the concept wouldn’t be that great if it didn’t play that well, and Old School Musical is certainly a well-made rhythm title. The gameplay style has arrows flying in from four directions, which represents what buttons need pressing. It’s simple in design, so it’s easy to pick up. The difficulty is also catered to any type of player with various difficulties being immediately available. You also begin the game by setting up your timing parameters by testing your audio and input lag, so there’s little room for error once you jump in. Though I would say that it would have been nice to be able to manually set up these timings if needed, instead of having to redo the synchronization test over and over again.

The other factor to a good rhythm game is with the music and Old School Musical once again takes inspiration from the retro days with a soundtrack full of chiptune music. Some tracks even sounding familiar to old titles, like a Tetris-inspired track, and even one inspired from the battle music of Pokemon. So I was always looking forward to checking out the next track in order to see if it reminded me of anything. Even the ones that I couldn’t make an old connection with, I still found catchy and well-suited for rhythm play.

The last remaining item that wraps up all these nostalgia-driven elements is the story of the game. Mainly with its presentation. It’s a story about jumping to different universes, and the game uses this idea to have its characters appear in worlds inspired by retro titles. It doesn’t take long for this to occur too, since the first world you’ll come across is inspired by Mega Man and not long after you’ll see the characters running around in sewers like in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. For the most part they’re all retro-inspired designs, but if you look close enough, you’ll find references to more modern games and even things outside of video games. I don’t wanna spoil too much, but it was a nice nostalgia blast whenever I saw something I was familiar with. The story itself was also a good read-through with its share of twists and laughs.

Doesn’t take long to complete the story of the game, but there is quite a good amount of material here. The story took me under three hours to finish, and there are 20 levels to be played in it. That’s not the end though, and you’ll find out quickly that there are even more tracks to discover and play through. You can replay the portions of the story if you’d like, or you can play them in Arcade Mode which just focuses on the gameplay without the story interruptions. There’s even a multiplayer mode where you can play the game with others. For the amount of tracks you’re getting at only the price of $12.99, Old School Musical is a good value.

THE BAD: As with any rhythm game, if the music doesn’t please you, the game will be difficult to get into. This is clearly a game that takes huge inspiration from the old days. So if you’re looking for music that’s more modern, you may want to look elsewhere. I’ll even admit that not every track was a winner for me, since I was kind of one and done with a few of them. The retro game visuals moving in the background helped me at least enjoy them in that moment.

Not much modes are available in the game, but that’s not surprising for a rhythm title. So I thought it was interesting that a local multiplayer mode was included. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of how it works. Up to four players can join in, but it’s still set up as if you’re playing with one player. The thing that disappoints me is that you won’t get a counted input, unless all players hit it. If one of the players miss the note, it will count as a miss and you’ll lose overall life. So your success is mainly dependent on how well the worst player is playing. Even if you’re playing well, if there’s a player who is playing awful, there’s a chance you may fail the song. If the group does manage to complete the song, you’ll then be ranked from best to worst. So the game is definitely keeping track on who is hitting notes, which confuses me more. Since the mode is set up as a co-op style that needs everyone to play well in order to pass, but then puts you all against each other in the end. It sounds alright if everyone who is playing is decent at rhythm games. If you’re like a parent who has a child that wants to play along with you or just someone who wants to check the game out but is not good at rhythm, you’ll have a difficult time getting through songs if they’re not doing well.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Old School Musical lives up to its name. It’s a very musical journey that takes heavy inspirations from the games of old. So if nostalgia is your thing, you’ll get plenty of it here. Not just with the music either, it’s all over the worlds you’ll encounter in the story. Playing the game and discovering what came next and just experiencing the places this game takes you, made this a fun and memorable time all around. I will even say that because of the story, this game may offer some enjoyment to those who aren’t necessarily into rhythm games. Plus the fact that the Switch is one of the first platforms for this game to be on, you’ll be investing in a fresh experience and not something you may have already played elsewhere. I enjoyed my time with Old School Musical and it gets an easy recommendation from me.

*A digital copy of the game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.