Rhythm Paradise Groove Guide: How to Perfect all 30 base Solo mini-games

When it comes to Nintendo's Rhythm Paradise Groove, there are a ton of mini-games to master and overcome. The mode in question will determine which mini-games you will be facing, as things do somewhat change when you switch between the different core modes on offer. For the sake of the 'story mode', framed here as "Solo", there are a grand total of 30 mini-games to take a stab at, but they are spread over two 'tracks' regarded as "Frontside" and "Flipside", and each comes with a slightly more demanding evolved edition, which you'll have to overcome before experiencing the true credits.

Likewise, each 'chapter' of the Solo mode is split into four mini-games and a "Remix", with this effectively being a mash-up of the mini-games you've experienced up to this point. There are actually 20 Remix levels, but the majority are found near the end of the Flipside, where six Remix levels happen back-to-back.

Completing a level is also rather straightforward as you simply need to time your actions to the beat without making enough mistakes to ultimately get a "Good" rating. For Rhythm Paradise Groove, Good is the equivalent of a passing grade, meaning you will unlock the next level and be able to continue progressing onwards. If you don't hit that grade, and you will slip up on occasion because some of the mini-games are tough to master, you will need to replay until you do succeed. Similarly, you can overperform beyond Good, getting "Pretty Good" and even "Amazing" grades, with the latter earning you a medal and making the mini-game you achieved such a feat upon eligible for earning a "Perfect" grade. This can be a bit finicky for two reasons; for starters, you will need to actually be perfect to complete this task, but secondly you will need a Perfect opportunity to pop up for a mini-game, which happens randomly while you're otherwise chipping away at the action. If you succeed and get a Perfect grade, you'll even unlock a new extra mini-game.

So anyway, for a game that is rather rudimentary in a control sense, there's a lot to understand in Rhythm Paradise Groove, hence why we've cooked up this handy guide to help you master each and every mini-game.

Frontside

Hoop Trundling

The trick here is to ignore the visuals and what the other circular characters are up to. Focus on your character and listen to the sound cues of "pa pi pu pe po", noting that you always jump on the latter, with this aligning within the core underlying beat of the mini-game, meaning tapping your feet and nodding your head to the rhythm will help to stay in time.

Brolly Good Show

Again, don't get distracted by the soundtrack or the visuals being used. Simply stay in rhythm with the underlying beat, displayed by the bobbing of the four characters' heads and then time your inputs to this beat while keeping in mind the sounds to determine whether you need to open or close your umbrella.

Disc Dog

This is a mini-game you will undoubtedly grow to truly despise simply because it puts the greatest strain on your ability to stay in rhythm. The bobbing of your dog, the nearby puppy, and the owner will help you stay in beat, but none of this changes how you will need to be on point and precise with jumping seven beats after a frisbee is thrown. Practice truly makes perfect with Disc Dog.

Feeding the Beast

While many of these mini-games are about staying in rhythm, those with good reaction times will be able to take full advantage of Feeding the Beast, as you can simply pay attention to the shape of the plant, keep in mind the projectile it fires, and then react when you know it's on its way back down to earth. The main challenge with mastering this mini-game will be preventing slip-ups, as there are a lot of projectiles in play with Feeding the Beast.

Ribbit Rocket

Another mini-game that is rather easy to master. Ribbit Rocket is about paying attention to the beat and then launching frogs each time one lands on your lily pad. Again, keep an eye on the bobbing background elements and time your launches with these bobs to have the best chance at success.

Stop N Go N Stop

The beauty about this mini-game is you can almost ignore the background and beat and just listen out for sound cues. The 'beep beep' implies stopping one beep later, while the 'dink, dink, 3, 2, 1' countdown refers to speeding up as soon as the timer hits '1' to succeed. Listen to the sounds, press the right buttons, and you will ace this activity.

Hop N Slide

Similar to Stop N Go N Stop above, Hop N Slide is about listening for the right audio cue predominantly. While the beat will help with staying in time and lining correct inputs up, relying too heavily on the beat will also trip you up later in the activity when the 'glitch' happens and everything speeds up an excessive amount. The trick is to ignore the chaos and just listen to the audio cues, hitting your inputs at the right time.

Pop, Don't Drop

The visuals are actually truly helpful here, as seeing how the orbs are lined up will help you know how to expect to pop them. Likewise, when the orbs are inflated above the bunsen burner, the noises they make determine the same rhythm you should pop them - i.e. pop, pop, wait, pop, long pop.

Slice N Dice Kitchen

Like most mini-games, the same tricks apply here. Firstly, stick with the rhythm visualised in the chef's bobbing and then match this up secondly by listening out for the audio cues that refer to which vegetable is being thrown your way. For the most part, these are all the same, regardless of it being a tomato or a pepper, but the broccoli trios do have a different cue as you need to react in a unique manner to catch all three as they come in quickly.

Sneezy Moon

Personally, this could be my least favourite mini-game, as it constantly looks to trip you up with somewhat unexpected quick sneezes. It's a matter of practice makes perfect here, as the best way to achieve top marks is to play and keep playing until you recognise the sneezing sounds and patterns and can react on a fly when knowing which one is coming. If you manage an Amazing or Perfect grade on this one, you have my respect.

Crab Snacks

One of the best tricks here is to simply always use double claws unless you are thrown a java bean in the evolved version of the activity. Pay attention to how an item is being bounced, listen to the audio cue of how the other crabs bounce it, and then reflect that in time, on beat, and you'll ace Crab Snacks.

Hop, Stop N Roll

Expect a similar method of success here as with Sweeper Star below, as the best method of success is to simply assume you will constantly be jumping forward unless the audio beat plays to signify a break in the performance. Otherwise, constantly press A to leap forward to each beat, only switching a leap out for a forward roll (lasting one beat too) when the relevant sound is played.

Fruit Flex

To stay in rhythm, simply pay attention to the seagull in the background or to the bobbing of the weightlifter's shoulders, as this bouncing effect directly aligns with how and when you should be timing the flexing/bouncing mechanics.

Alien Alphabet

This one is a bit unusual as while sticking with the beat will help, you'll only really succeed with this mini-game when you recognise the different alien calls and how to respond to them. It may seem strange at first, but soon the calls will make sense and stand out, and when they are second nature to you, all you'll need to do is focus and make sure to reply on time and correctly.

Can Do

Noting the beat can be helpful here, but in my experience, the best thing you can do to master Can Do is to learn the different timing between the two different types of can. The red cans usually operate on time with the beat, meaning you hear the 'beep, beep" and then begin the strike on a hypothetical third beep, with the action taking a second longer but being on time. The blue cans operate on a every-other-beat basis, meaning it somewhat occurs like 'beep, wait, beep, wait' timeline, so you'll need to hold until that second waiting gap ends before holding A and beginning the can crushing movement. Because of the delay, it will feel weird and wrong, but once you get the timing, this one will be a breeze.

Backup Spotlight

When you first start Backup Spotlight, it will seem incredibly complex, almost unnecessarily so. In fact, following up to Can Do and Alien Alphabet, you might be starting to wonder if all the following mini-games will be this unexpectedly complicated. They aren't. The same logic as the prior activities apply, i.e. simply recognise the core movement technique of tapping A along to the beat and then changing things up when the relevant audio cue sounds, namely adding in the change in direction and the shoulder pump that follows. This is a practice makes perfect activity.

Flutter Speed

The simplest way to conquer this activity is to recognise the creature coming your way and then swinging the net at the relevant time. For the pink butterflies, you'll want to swing the net on the third 'meep' noise (or when the butterfly begins nearing the peak of its third flutter movement). The grasshoppers on the other hand are similar but on the fourth beat instead, with your swing aligning to when the grasshopper attempts to leap over your head. Then there are the dragonflies on the evolved version, with these catchable on the fourth beat after they stop in front of you. So wait for them to zoom in and stop, then count four beats and swing as the fourth occurs. Simple!

Lightning Bolting

For the most part, this activity is just about pressing in time with the beat to avoid lightning strikes. You'll know when a strike is coming thanks to the sound cue and the visual feedback, and then it's about pressing A each beat after a strike is signalled. The main challenge will be doing so every half-beat for the evolved edition, and this can be tough as it will throw your entire sense of timing out the window.

Yum-Bot Simulator

Similar to many activities above, conquering Yum-Bot Simulator is as straightforward as mastering the timing for the two inputs. When the relevant cue plays to signal a jiggly cake is being dropped, wait for the two beeps and then get ready to catch the cake around two beats later, when the cake is midway through its fall. Likewise, when the sound plays to signal a nasty cake, wait for the two beeps and then get ready to initiate laser eyes one beat later, as the nasty cake is almost right at the start of its fall.

Wiper Bosses

This is a simple matter of repetition for this mini-game. There will be a lot of visual tricks being thrown your way in regards to changing backgrounds and also crazy audio playing in the background, but none of that matters. Focus on the sounds the indicators play and the time between the sounds, as if you reflect that perfectly a couple of beats later when the wipers begin to sweep, you'll successfully leap over them and smash this challenge.

Football Dreams

This is similar to many of the tasks above, where you will need to keep in mind the underlying beat, as this will determine when you need to strike the football. However, how you strike is determined by the audio cue that plays prior, with most noises applying to regular volleys, some noises applying to a chest touch into a volley, and in the evolved edition, a third cue attributing to a header, a bicycle kick movement, and then actually striking the ball in three consecutive beat movements. For Football Dreams, the colour of the ball can also help, as a regular black and white football is the base volley, a pink and black ball are for chest touches first, and the yellow and black balls are for headers initially.

Sweeper Star

We teased Sweeper Star earlier in Hop, Stop N Roll, and the reason is because much of the same logic applies. For the majority of this activity, you will simply be sweeping forward to the beat, with the odd cue signalling a stop of motion, before you continue sweeping a beat later. The one catch will be to keep an ear out for the noise that triggers to suggest a spin into a pose, with the regular sweeping action picking right back up a beat later, so don't ever lose focus on this activity else you will be punished.

A for Effort

There are a few tricks to mastering this one, but it will require a fair bit of practice too. Essentially, just pay attention to the word being spelt and then tap the A button to correspond with the relevant A in the respective word depending on how the letters are zooming by. "TEA" is slow, "SODA" is medium pace, and "COCOA" is rapidly paced, so learn the timings and then simply hit the button at the relevant time.

Spirit Slasher

In my experience with Spirit Slasher, there's a huge amount of reaction play involved with this activity. The beat can help, without question, but if you can remember the audio cues and how your strikes will need to change depending on whether regular pink spirits are attacking or a duo of a pink and a blue, you will be able to smash this task as it's simply about hearing the noise and then slashing as and how the situation requires.

Flipside

Quick Hands

This is another activity where reaction-time matched up with identifying sound cues goes a long way. Often, the cues can occur a little off-beat, so being ready for a thrown stick, reacting depending on the cue that plays so you know whether one stick or several are being thrown, this understanding of this mini-game goes a long way.

Soda Hop

This is one of the simplest mini-games in the entirety of Rhythm Paradise Groove, but it may also be one of the hardest to master. The simple reason is how frequently you need to be accurate to succeed. All you need to do is jump in-line with the beat. That's it. But the skipping rope circulates incredibly often and there's next to no reprieve, so stay focussed on the beat, ignore any distractions, and continue to tap away, double-pressing when the relevant cue plays. This one might stress you out a tad, and if you are simply looking to get a passing grade, the good news is that you can miss quite a few jumps and succeed. So if you trip up, don't panic, simply take a beat or two and get back on form. Then repeat, time and again, until you master the activity.

Space Sentry

Ignore everything in this mini-game except for the sound cues that signify an incoming asteroid. A handy solution to timing your boomerang throws is to learn the cues and audibly reply to them. When you hear the "oy, oy" chant, actually reply to them with the "ay, yah" out loud, sending a boomerang in-line with the "ay" part. And do this for the various different chants, even included in the evolved edition of the activity. You'll feel like part of a cult shouting these cries back into empty space, but you should easily secure top marks if you employ this strategy.

High-Five Fever

This is Hop, Stop N Roll, Backup Spotlight, and Sweeper Star all over again. Just stick to the beat and assume every beat aligns with a high-fiving with both hands unless a sound cue plays and you're told differently. If you need to stop, stop on the next beat. If you need to do a trio of high-fives, do so in the space of a beat and then get back to regular one-beat high-fives directly afterwards. Stay focussed and you should eventually succeed.

Germ Aerobics

And this is similar to High-Five Fever above too, albeit with a little less mechanical depth. Both this and High-Five Fever are designed to be quite straightforward from a gameplay perspective but to trip you up with flashy backgrounds and chaotic visual presentations. Ignore. It. All. None of that matters. Just focus on the audio and the beat, stay in tune and consistent, and when you need to switch things up in-line with an audio cue, do so without overcomplicating the task.

Synchro Wings

Remember Wiper Bosses? The same logic applies here. Essentially, ignore everything except for the lead duck and how they swing their wings, noting the flap speed, the breaks, the start and end times, and positions. Memorise this for each command and then simply perform it action-by-action from the next beat when it arrives and you'll zoom through this task with flying colours.

And these are all 30 of the base mini-games for the Solo mode. Again, each mode has an evolved "2" version, plus there are 20 Remixes, making for 80 mini-games to earn a medal for and then master in just the base iteration of the mode. There are then extra bonuses to earn beyond this for those who chase the Perfect title for the challenges, leading to even more rhythm-based mania to master.