The Nintendo DS is a wonderful console for exploring new ideas. Games can be made cheaper than their console counterparts and with a touch screen it gives developers more opportunity to implement wacky ideas, Elite Beat Agents is one of these games. It is a rhythm game similar to Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero only controlled with the DS touch screen by tapping instead of a pad on the ground or a plastic guitar.
The series originated in Japan with Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, which featured the same gameplay. This game was never released outside of Japan however, due to the music being nothing but Japanese tracks. Elite Beat Agents, however, features all English songs most of which you probably know. There are roughly 20 tracks spanning many genres and artists. Most of the songs simply fit into the scenario you play them in, such as Deep Purple's “Highway Star” playing as you help a dog travel 500 miles back to his owner. The track list may be a bit of a turn off for some people, but there are some gems in the game such as YMCA and Jumpin' Jack Flash.
The whole concept behind Elite Beat Agents is humorous. You play as an “Agent” who helps people in need, only instead of you actually helping them through normal methods, say as picking the dog mentioned earlier up and taking him home, you dance for them. This dance (accompanied by song of course) depending on how well you do gives the victim motivation to complete their goal. It sounds pretty basic but when you actually get into the game and see grown men in business suits dancing under the sea or in a casino being taken over by crooks you are bound to at least crack a smile at some point.
This is true especially when considering the cheery artwork in the game. Each scenario is set up by a short comic book style introduction in which the victim of the song who is near the end of their sanity snaps, screaming for help. From there the agents are sent out to dance for them to raise their spirits. The action takes place on the bottom screen while the top screen features small cutscenes during non-vocal parts of songs based on how well you are performing. The top screen is also filled with artwork and dialogue during gameplay parts of songs too, meaning it is impossible to catch everything going on while you play. Fortunately, the game features a replay mode that lets you save a performance to the cartridge which can then be watched anytime you want. There is one slot for each level so you can view any level you have done anytime you want.
All that aside like any other rhythm game the most important part is how well the gameplay is mixed in with the music, and Elite Beat Agents does a good job at that. As mentioned before all the gameplay takes place on the bottom screen. Here tiny circles appear which you have to tap as another circle closes in on it. The closer the shrinking circle is compared to the main circle when you tap it determines how many points you receive for that note. Longer notes feature a path that requires you to slide the stylus across the screen along with tapping the first note. On harder difficulties the path can take on some crazy zig zag and curved shapes that can take up half of the screen. There is one more type of note that appears in odd spots that simply requires you to spin a wheel around the screen as it adds to the combo meter.
The developers also made some wise choices so you will always know which note to hit. Every note has a corresponding color and number. Whatever color comes up first is the current color scheme you need to hit counting up – 1, 2, 3, etc. Along with this a smart choice was made in note placement. You will almost always be able to see the next note you need to tap as it usually appears somewhere your hand is not covering. If you are tapping a note on the top right side of the screen for example, the next note is most likely to be on the top or bottom left. Overall the system works really well, but there is one major problem holding it back. Like other rhythm games there is meter on the top of the screen to indicate how well you are doing. However, unlike other games it is based more on how well you hit a note rather than actually hitting the note. If you miss a note the meter lowers drastically, however, if you do not hit a note perfectly on some songs it lowers anyway. There are many times I was going through a song without missing a beat only to be greeted by the game over screen because I was not getting perfect scores on the notes.
Otherwise Elite Beat Agents is a huge success at what it is attempting to do. The artwork is charming and the whole concept is hilarious with solid gameplay. The small track list may be a bummer for some people especially considering all the songs are covers – but it really is a fun game that should be experienced by every Nintendo DS owner.