Jung Rhythm

"A music game on the Saturn, and it's good too!"

Under game data, this web site claims that this is an “action” game, but it is not an action game at all. This is a music/rhythm game that is very similar to Parappa The Rapper on Playstation. In Jung Rhythm, you play as a 3d super deformed girl as she sings her way through 6 stages of various types of music. The game play is pretty simple. The other person sings a line, then you must press the corresponding buttons to copy what she has just sang. Again, this game plays very much like Parappa The Rapper and UmJammer Lammy. I was very surprised that there even was a music game on the Sega Saturn because it is a relatively new concept, and the majority of them are on the PlayStation. On the first stage, the girl is in he kitchen at home with her singing mother who sings about scrambled eggs and banana pudding. The first stage is very easy, and doesn’t require very precise timing; it is just to get you used to the game play. The next stage is a bit harder and requires better timing. A difference between this game and Parappa is that on certain parts of the song, you are required to do 1 of 3 button combinations (listed in the instructions) in order to succeed in the song and move on. The game contains cut scenes between each level (just like Parappa/UmJammer Lammy) that try to explain (in Japanese) the game better to you. These scenes are somewhat comical and feature the girl overreacting and freaking out to different situations throughout the game. For a Sega Saturn game, the cut scenes are great! These scenes are not the least bit grainy and all of them are full screen. The game has a 2-player mode in which you try to see who the better singer is. There is also a practice and option mode. Once you beat a level, you can go back and play that level as much as you like. Another good thing about this game is the fact that it only takes up 2 bytes of the Saturn’s Memory.

Game play: This is best described as a Parappa The Rapper type game. You mimic the buttons that the other singer sings. It plays a little like that old tabletop game Simon. The game plays quite well as long as you enjoy music/rhythm type games. The game is easy to pick up and play.

Story: The little cut scenes between the levels do a good job of explaining the story. Even if the scenes are in Japanese, you can still tell what is happening by observing. It really is a decent story; I just wish it had English sub titles.

Sound: The music is completely is Japanese. There is the occasional English word such as when the Mom is singing in the kitchen she sings “Omelet and Scrambled Egg”. There is one song in English and it sounds horrible! For the most part, the music is good. You will get the melody of a song stuck in your head (even if you don’t know what it is saying.) The music has a perky cheerful touch to it. The last song has you singing with your “dreamy” rock star idle on stage, and that song sounds quite good. The only bad song is that one in English, all the rest sound nice. The mom rapping is funny, and the song in which the mean girl teaches you karate is good too. There is even an old man who sings karaoke with you on one stage. The music is the main part of a music game, thankfully here, it sounds nice.

Graphics: All the characters are 3d stubby super deformed Anime style. The game looks very bright and colorful. It is a 3d game on the Saturn, and there is no clipping at all! The characters even open their mouths in sync with the lyrics. The cut scenes between levels are not grainy at all. The FMV is all very smooth and very funny too.

Replay: You can go back to any song after you have beaten it and you can replay it as much as you like. The 2-player feature adds to the games replay value. It is always fun to play as the singing Nanny or the Picasso artist. I beat the game in 5 days, so it is not the most difficult game in the world. Of course, Parappa was beaten in a week too and I still like that game. Even if you do finish the game quickly, you will go back and play the songs over for fun. Music games typically have high replay value because you will want to play some songs over and over.

As of 10/20/00 you can still buy this game at ncsx.com and gexpress.com. The game is bargan basement price now, and if you liked Parappa or Lammy and you own a Saturn, you owe it to yourself to get this game. The game play is there, the good music is there, and the humor is definitely there. Give it a whirl, you may be surprised.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/00, Updated 10/21/00