Rhythm Doctor
Save lives with your spacebar!
Rhythm Doctor is a rhythm game in a world where defibrillating patients’ hearts in sync with their heartbeats has healing properties. Slam your spacebar in perfect time on the 7th beat, and they might just come out okay. But beware – every patient has unique illnesses based on complex music theory: polyrhythms, hemiolas, irregular time signatures…if you don’t know what they mean, don’t worry. Rhythm Doctor is designed to make you learn music and rhythm theory without even realising it!
- 20+ handmade levels, each with their own story.
- Every level introduces a different concept of rhythm theory in an accessible way
- A large cast of doctors and patients feature in an overarching, character-centric storyline
- Play the story solo or grab a friend for drop-in drop-out local multiplayer throughout the whole campaign!
- Robust level editor to make, share, and play community levels! Use your own music, place notes snapped to the beat, and use 50+ different visual effects and backgrounds
- Challenging “Night Shift” versions of each level for the brave
(Note: 2P mode only works locally. Online 2P via Remote Play is enabled for this game, but it does not work that well right now due to varying latency)
Rhythm Doctor features flashing lights and colors. Please use caution if you have experience with epilepsy or any of its symptoms.
Steam User 107
In 2023 I got fibromyalgia. a 23 yo with an inability to use her hands to do anything. This game was one of the few things I could still do. It was challenging, it was fun!
I'm taking meds now and even so this game doesn't tire my own fingers out with how it only requires one button.
Thank you for making a game I can play that doesnt make me cry myself to sleep at night :)
Steam User 97
The more insular a hobbyist community grows, the more obscure its jargon becomes. For instance, a film critic might comment on a movie's use of "cross-cutting," "Dutch angles," or "mise-en-scene". An avid tabletop gamer might describe a board game as "worker placement," "tableau building," or "multiplayer solitaire". Those acquainted with Harajuku fashion might be familiar with its many substyles, such as "decora," "visual kei," and "gothic lolita".
Of course, to the average person, none of these words mean anything - the vernacular is completely impenetrable. Masquerading knowhow by throwing around technical terminology is easy, because it gives simple concepts the veneer of complexity. It takes a true artist to go the other way - to take a complex concept and render it accessible to a general audience.
And this is where Rhythm Doctor truly shines. It first introduces you to its main premise: tapping to the fourth down beat of a 4/4 time signature, which the game cutely describes as "Press the Spacebar on the 7th Beat!" From there, it incrementally weaves attributes of music theory into its levels, such as polyrhythms, syncopation, and countermelodies. By the end of the game, you will have an intuitive understanding of what all these words are, even though the game never tells you what they mean!
Part of Rhythm Doctor's promise towards accessibility also lies with its simple, one-button control scheme. Most modern rhythm games aren't "just" rhythm games - they're rhythm games with a dexterity component. Dance pad rhythm games like DDR require lightning feet and triathlete stamina. Cursor-based rhythm games like osu! test your reflexes and aim just as much as your rhythm. I myself play a lot of Cytus II, a game where many of its maps require nothing short of jackhammer fingers, woodpecker levels of speed and precision.
In stark contrast with its contemporaries, Rhythm Doctor only relies on the spacebar, which sets the focus squarely on rhythm. As a result, there's almost no physical barrier between the player and the fun they're trying to have. I've watched total non-gamers play Rhythm Doctor with stars in their eyes - likewise, I've seen Rhythm Doctor challenge and enamor even my most seasoned rhythm-game friends with its eclectic set of B-side levels. Rhythm Doctor is so accessible, in fact, that many of its levels could be conceivably played by a blind person. Fancy that for a rhythm game!
All in all, Rhythm Doctor is an absolute triumph. For a premise that relies so heavily on Rhythm Heaven as its progenitor, Rhythm Doctor excels at forging its own identity. It is a game accessible to players of all backgrounds and all skill levels. It retains the player's interest through a series of meta tricks and audiovisual gimmicks that will leave even the most cynical gamer grinning from ear to ear. And it has the heart and soul of a passionate music professor, inviting even the layman to think deeply about music. All of these constituent elements combine to cement Rhythm Doctor in history as one of the most memorable and empowering rhythm games of all time.
Steam User 104
Hey! Why'd the game go into windowed mode?
...
Oh
OHHHH
Steam User 43
I think just maybe, I can finally count to 7.
Steam User 44
blaseball
Steam User 35
please put this fire soundtrack on spotify
Steam User 34
I'm biased as I did the vocals for the Act 5 boss, but this game slaps and you should play it.