Bratz: Rhythm & Style Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

Bratz aren’t the type of glamour tweens to gradually age with grace and lovingly embrace death like an old friend. No, they’re the kind of clique that you would typically find roller skating in a mall plaza, flipping their mobile phones and using outdated phrases like “COOLNESS” and “PASSION FOR FASHION” in an attempt to rejoice with their teen demographic. Little to their knowledge, time hasmoved on from the age of frosted tips and “groovy” fodder. But for Rhythm & Style, at least in the eyes of Chloe, Yasmin, Jade, and Sasha, it’s still 2001, and ski boots are still the holy grail of fashion.

The brand, despite being swallowed whole by TikTok trends and Labubu plushies, is still vying for a place in the spotlight—an opportunity to remain as static as possible in a world that has so clearly moved away from the unnecessary buzz surrounding added z’s in video game titles and MSN usernames. But maybe that’s a good thing. Perhaps it shows that, although time has advanced a little too swiftly, old habits continue to die hard, and that, win or lose, there is still a small pocket of fans who will happily part ways with their cash to rekindle old memories.

In my case, I must have been approaching a decade old when Bratz: Rock Angelz released on PlayStation 2. From what I remember, it wasn’t all that bad. To tell you the truth, I vaguely recall the soundtrack—“Blah Blah Blah”—and the collect-a-thon mini-games that often involved skating through plazas and finding materials to create band merch and what have you. I figured, if Rhythm & Stylewould be of a similar design, then I would essentially waltz into it with a heavy heart for childhood nostalgia. But it wasn’t of a similar taste; it was Guitar Hero with an OMG sticker plastered over it. It was still Bratz, but not the Bratz that I wanted.

Of course, I wouldn’t refer to myself as a die-hard fan of the brand or anything even remotely close to one. To say that it’s alien to me just wouldn’t be true, for I know the demographic, and I fully understand what it stands for. Does that make me an ambassador for the latest iteration in the series? Absolutely not. Yet, we digress.

Partying Like It’s 2001

Rhythm & Style is the exact kind of pulp-riddled game that you think it is, complete with the usual trappings of a barebones mini-game that features the textbook bubblegum fret boards, and a flamboyant aesthetic that almost bleeds pre-pubescent nostalgia. As I said, it’s a bit like Guitar Hero, only you don’t finger frets to appease the masses, but burst prompts to flaunt your fashionable expertise and appeal to a specific clique. For instance, you might just find yourself in London, where the “trend” is punk—plaid shirts, chains, and chunky boots, naturally—in which case you would purchase fitting items from one of several stores, and then showcase your look on a runway. And that, really, is where the core gameplay experience steps into the spotlight.

It goes like this: the world and its vast cities each have a trend—an ideology of the kind of attire that appeals to the masses. It’s your job, in short, to explore small boroughs, converse with local townsfolk, and discover which items are trending before attending a runway event to participate in a series of rhythm mini-games. And by mini-games, I mean fret-busting activities that pay homage to the likes of PaRappa the Rapper and other one-note button-tapping rompers. The goal, true to the spirit of the brand, is to bring flawless fashion to the main stage, and earn stars, coins, and other treasures to eventually splash out on makeup, clothes, and accessories. And yes, it really is that simple.

There’s more: in addition to being solely responsible for sourcing and flaunting the earth-shattering trends across the globe, you also have the option to find rare items, snag photo opportunities and, weirdly, attend the gym, with the latter being yet another mini-game of a rhythmic sort. But, honestly, there isn’t too much to talk about in regards to all of that, unless you’re an avid achievement hunter, in which case you’ll have more than enough to write home about.

A Passion for Fashion

All in all, what you have here is a pretty textbook gig—a beginner-friendly chic adventure that minces brief mini-games with close-quarter exploration, collecting and “accessorizing.” With all of that being about as on-brand as you would expect, there isn’t much for you to anticipate here. It’s a simple, clean-cut journey that leans into the usual trappings of a Bratz video game, complete with the cringe dialogue, half-baked activities, and open-ended canvas that allows you to tailor and showcase your trendiest creations. In other words, it’s Bratz: Flaunt Your Fashion with Guitar Hero vibes.

The bad news here is that, despite the game having a trove of simple features, there are a few loose screws that ultimately sully the experience. For example, the audio quality and voiceover work has a rather nasty habit of fading in and out, as well as being drowned out by a candy-popping soundtrack that adds little to no value to the game whatsoever. To add, several of the mini-games require you to hit a prompt on the “fourth beat”—a task that isn’t always possible due to the prompts frequently disappearing from the screen and leaving you with no choice but to miss and accept the slap on the wrist. And it’s because of this rather tedious detail that, sadly, it isn’t always possible to achieve the highest star rating. Not that there’s much for you to earn, anyway, other than a trophy for your homestead loft. But, that’s another story altogether.

With all of the above said, Bratz: Rhythm & Style is a fairly decent alternative for your bog-standard child-friendly fashion expedition. It’s short, and it doesn’t do much to impress you. Even still, for where it fails to ignite your passion for fashion, it does find various ways to keep you moving forward through its cities, whether it’s with a new trend to pursue or a fashion-centric side quest to complete. Granted, it isn’t for everyone, but it’ll appeal to the target demographic, at least.

Verdict

While there’s certainly nothing special about Bratz: Rhythm & Style, fans have every reason to appreciate its on-brand aesthetic and nostalgic charm, as well as its pulpy mini-games and signature score. It isn’t the best beginner-friendly game in the world I’ll admit, as it does harbor some rather tedious bugs and audio problems. But, for what it’s worth, I will say that it’s a lot better than some of the shameless cash grabs that dominate the virtual fashion circuit. This isn’t to say that I like it; it’s merely acknowledging the fact that it captures the essence of its brand without sacrificing its core values.

To put it bluntly — no, Bratz: Rhythm & Style isn’t worth the $30 price tag. If anything, it’s a bargain bin find that you might just find yourself venturing out to to scratch that post-teenage itch of yours. If you’re a fan of the brand, then sure, you’ll probably get a kick out of storming the runway for a couple of hours, give or take. For everyone else, though, I’d suggest giving it a wide berth, unless you’re actively looking to earn a quick platinum, in which case you’ll probably enjoy romping around London and snagging photo opps.