Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Guitar Hero: On Tour brings the familiar fret-matching mechanics of its console predecessors to the Nintendo DS with impressive fidelity. Players insert the proprietary “Guitar Grip” attachment into the GBA slot, creating a mini neck with four color-coded fret buttons. Held sideways like a real guitar, the system’s top screen displays the incoming note highway while the bottom touch screen acts as the strum bar and whammy bar. This arrangement replicates the tactile interplay between fretting and strumming that made the series famous, all in a handheld format.

The game retains all the staple modes—Career, Freeplay, and Practice—allowing newcomers and veterans alike to jump straight into single tracks or embark on a full tour. Career mode tasks you with earning stars on each song to unlock new venues and cosmetic items for your band. Freeplay lets you choose any unlocked track to jam at will, perfect for warming up before tackling the next challenge, while Practice mode isolates difficult sections so you can master them at your own pace.

Star Power returns as a strategic boost, filling when you hit sequences of glowing notes and activating via a quick upward flick on the touch screen. Multiplayer is supported locally between two DS systems, letting you face off or cooperate with friends on dual cartridges. Although the four-button layout is one fewer than console guitars, clever charting ensures the experience remains challenging, especially on higher difficulty levels where streams of notes demand nimble fingerwork and precise timing.

Graphics

Given the DS’s hardware constraints, Guitar Hero: On Tour delivers surprisingly smooth visuals. The dual screens are utilized effectively: the top screen presents a clear, high-contrast note highway while the bottom screen depicts your virtual fretboard and strum area. Character models and stage backdrops are rendered in simple but recognizable detail, with each venue sporting its own distinct color palette and crowd animations.

Note shaders and lighting effects are scaled back compared to console versions, but bursts of color on successful chords and crowd reactions help maintain the series’ signature rock-concert atmosphere. Animations run at a steady clip, though very fast sections can occasionally introduce minor slowdown. Still, the overall frame rate is solid enough that timing cues rarely feel compromised.

The user interface is clean and intuitive, with fret indicators, score tallies, and Star Power meters all clearly visible without cluttering the screens. Menu transitions and on-screen prompts pop with a slight animation, reinforcing the game’s energetic vibe even during song selection or difficulty changes. In handheld form, the graphics may lack high-definition polish, but they capture the essence of Guitar Hero’s flashy presentation.

Story

As with most rhythm games, Guitar Hero: On Tour doesn’t follow a traditional narrative arc—but Career mode provides a loose progression that simulates the rise of a rock star. You start in intimate club settings and gradually work your way up to larger, more elaborate stages, each location introducing a new set of challenges and stylistic backdrops. The sense of advancement is driven by star ratings rather than cutscenes, focusing on your growing skill level.

Character customization is limited but effective: you can choose your guitarist’s appearance and select outfits unlocked by completing song objectives. While these cosmetic rewards don’t alter gameplay, they offer a personal touch and a feeling of ownership over your on-screen persona. The minimal storytelling approach keeps the focus firmly on the music and mechanics, catering to players who prefer to carve their own path rather than follow a scripted plot.

Between songs, brief voiceovers from your virtual manager set the stage for each gig, dropping humorous one-liners and band lore tidbits. These bite-sized exchanges add charm without interrupting the flow of the game. Overall, the “story” in On Tour is more of a thematic scaffold than a deep narrative, but it succeeds at making each performance feel like a milestone in your band’s journey.

Overall Experience

Guitar Hero: On Tour stands out as a bold experiment in translating a console phenomenon to a portable format—and it largely succeeds. The innovative Guitar Grip attachment, combined with the DS’s dual-screen capabilities, produces an authentic rhythm-game experience on the go. Portability means you can practice in short bursts or host impromptu jam sessions with friends, making it a strong choice for commuters and casual gamers alike.

That said, the unconventional control scheme has a learning curve. Initial finger cramps and fumbling for the whammy bar are common, but most players adapt after an hour or two of play. Battery life can also be a concern when using the Grip extensively, so having fresh AA batteries or a charged Nintendo DS battery pack is advisable for longer sessions.

For fans of Guitar Hero and newcomers searching for a pick-up-and-play rhythm title on the DS, On Tour offers a compelling package. Its diverse 25-song setlist spans decades of pop and rock, delivering memorable hooks and challenging riffs. While it doesn’t match the spectacle of its console siblings, it captures the core thrill of “playing guitar” wherever you are—making it a worthy addition to any DS library.

Retro Replay Score

7.2/10