Someone has a problem. A truly serious problem. And the only ones who can help are a team of three sharply dressed agents who, instead of weapons, wield rhythm and dance. Welcome to Elite Beat Agents, one of the craziest and at the same time most addictive rhythm games ever released on the Nintendo DS. You tap the stylus against the screen in time with the music and literally save the world through groove.
The mechanics are brilliantly simple yet deep. Numbered targets appear on the touch screen, and you have to tap them at the exact moment a shrinking ring lines up over them. Some sequences require dragging the stylus along a path, others tracing a spiral. Everything is tied to popular songs and comic-book-style vignettes in which your accuracy decides whether the character in the story succeeds or fails.
The game was created by iNiS and published by Nintendo in 2006 in North America. It was a Western adaptation of the Japanese hit Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, where instead of agents, a squad of male cheerleaders rallied people in distress. For the Western market the concept was reworked into secret agents, and the playlist features cover versions of well-known pop and rock hits, from Avril Lavigne to Deep Purple.
Culturally, Elite Beat Agents became a critical darling and proof that the DS touch screen could be a full-fledged musical instrument. The stories of the individual songs range from comical to surprisingly touching, earning the game a reputation as a title that will make you laugh and move you to tears alike. The mechanics of this series later strongly influenced community rhythm games such as Osu!, which draw directly from it.
What makes Elite Beat Agents so unforgettable is the sheer shamelessness with which it combines absurd humor, energetic music and a surprisingly deep emotional charge. It is a game that makes you tap the screen with a smile on your face while, during some of the more dramatic songs, it may even bring a lump to your throat. It belongs in the essential collection of every DS owner who loves rhythm.
Why play: A wild, addictive rhythm game that makes full use of the DS touch screen, packed with humor, emotion and catchy music.
Game 26 of 150 for Nintendo DS
