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We have some interesting news for fans of Japanese role-playing games. Nippon Ichi Software's PlayStation RPG Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 this week, as part of Console Archives.
Released in Japan in 1998 and in North America two years later (courtesy of Atlas USA), Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure was a game designed by Disgaea creator Sohei Niikawa, who was reportedly working in the company's sales & marketing department at the time.
As Niikawa previously outlined in a 2018 interview with The Metro, when work on the game's design began, Nippon Ichi Software was a very small company primarily focused on mahjong and jigsaw puzzle games. As a result, he feared the company might potentially go "belly up" and decided to pitch the type of game he wanted to make. Initially fearful about the company's ability to pull off an RPG of this nature given its size (as revealed in a Dengeki Online interview), Niikawa was emboldened by the success of the small developer Gust, which had recently achieved success with the 1997 title Atelier Marie.
The idea behind the project was to create a game that would leave people feeling happy, with the team injecting a lot of comedy into the script. In addition, Niikawa recruited Tenpei Sato, who had experience in video game soundtracks and musicals, to compose various musical-style numbers for the game, telling Dengeki Online that this move was inspired by Disney films, where the music is often intertwined with the story to enhance the experience.
The story of Rhapsody focuses on a girl named Cornet, who embarks on a quest to save a kidnapped prince who has been turned to stone by a witch. Players will explore simple dungeons (emphasis on the word "simple"), encountering random enemies and using a bunch of magic puppets they befriend to fight their battles.
Back when it was released, the reception to the game in the States was generally mixed. IGN's Adam Cleveland, awarding it a 7.3 out of 10, described it as "fun," "quirky," and "above all, original", but criticised its battles for being too "easy" and the game's short length. Gamespot's Miguel Lopez, meanwhile, labelled it "heavy with gimmick, strangely endearing, and ultimately absorbing," praising "its nonconventional production" but stating that "its practical aspects are either too derivative or not particularly robust."
Following its original launch, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure later received two sequels (Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess and Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom), a remake for the Nintendo DS, and has been reissued across several platforms, including Steam.
The Console Archives version launches tomorrow (Thursday, July 9th) and will cost $14.99 across both Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5. As with other Console Archives releases, it is expected to come with customisable button layouts, save states, and screen filters.