The latest in the Iwata Asks series of interviews is with the team behind Rhythm Heaven (known as Rhythm Tengoku in Japan, and Rhythm Paradise in PAL territories).

The interview has been available for some time on the Nintendo of Japan website, but to commemorate the release of the game in North America it has now been fully translated.

The interview covers many of the unusual aspects of the development for this game. Iwata notes that for the first time, dance lessons were provided for all development staff as the fastest way to become aware of rhythm.

The original Rhythm Tengoku was a GameBoy Advance title that was never released outside of Japan, but was popular as an import title due to its recognisable music and rhythm game mechanics.

Rhythm Heaven is based on the Japanese Nintendo DS sequel known as Rhythm Tengoku Gold. It has undergone a massive translation process, with all the music tracks containing Japanese vocals dubbed into English.

Rhythm Heaven will be released on April 5th in North America, and Rhythm Paradise will follow on May 1st in Europe.