Melatonin

released on Dec 15, 2022

Melatonin is a rhythm game about dreams and reality merging together. It uses animations and sound cues to keep you on beat without any intimidating overlays or interfaces. Harmonize through a variety of dreamy levels containing surprising challenges, hand-drawn art, and vibrant music.


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want to play rhythm heaven now

For me, no other rhythm series can top Rhythm Heaven, and I can't get enough of its sweet, sweet rhythmic goodness. Melatonin is a clear spiritual successor to RH, but with its own unique visuals, music, and gameplay particulars. While I prefer the greater variety of music in RH, the lo-fi theme of Melatonin's is consistent and effective. It fits the dreamy atmosphere, and most importantly, supports the games they connect to. Sound effects and percussion overall are punchy and very satisfying to land. Any mistake made feels like my fault, not that of the tight, rhythm-accurate gameplay. The games feature very clever ideas related to dreams, scenarios based on something real going through a filter of silliness. The artwork is wonderfully charming, and though it can feel a bit samey, the pastel pallette is distinct and contributes to its dreamy theme. Even given the natural absurdity of the dream-based rhythm games, the look and feel makes it surprisingly relaxing.

As an aside, though I appreciate them wanting to keep things light, I strangely found myself wishing for more thematic depth. Having later stages (or "deeper dreams") called "Stress" or "The Future" could be very poignant, addressing those subconscious worries we all share. For example, in "The Past", you play by burning select photos or "memories", presumably unpleasant ones. It's a great idea for a rhythm game and it's one of the most satisfying to play, but the photos being blank feels like a missed opportunity. What if we had to determine which ones to burn partly based on whether the picture is of a good or bad memory? Lacking visual depth isn't a fault of the game per se, I just see more potential there.

All in all, I definitely recommend this, particularly if you're a Rhythm Heaven fan. Despite that inspiration, it does a great job being it's own, dreamy thing.

Was pretty fun despite being a tad frustrating at times with some of the levels

That burning pictures level is awesome