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Dance Dance Revolution (1998 video game)

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Dance Dance Revolution logo
Dance Dance Revolution logo

Dance Dance Revolution is the first game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It is typically referred to as "Dance Dance Revolution 1stMIX", or "DDR 1st Mix", to avoid confusion with the series itself. The arcade game was initially tested by Konami in September 1998. The final version, sometimes called "Dance Dance Revolution Internet Ranking" or "DDR 1.5", was released on November 21st, 1998. The game features eleven songs.

Gameplay

The general premise of DDR is to move your feet to a set pattern. One player can play using one dance pad (Single mode), two players can play using one dance pad each (Versus mode), or one player can play using both dance pads (Double mode).

A player must step to the beat, matching the beat to the arrows presented to them on screen by stepping on arrows on a metal-and-plexiglass dance stage. A judgment is displayed for each step, depending on the player's timing: "PERFECT!!", "GREAT!", "GOOD", "BOO" or "MISS..". An on-screen life meter, known as the Dance Gauge, begins halfway full at the start of each song. Perfect and Great steps slowly fill the Gauge, while Boo and Miss steps quickly deplete it. Good steps have no effect either way. If a player accumulates too many Boos or Misses, and the Dance Gauge becomes empty, the player fails the song and the game ends.

A player may play anywhere from one to five songs (not including extra stages), depending on how many the arcade operator sets the machine to play each game. At the end of each song, the player sees their accumulated points, bonus points, and how many of each kind of step they stepped. They also get a letter grade that is dependent on the judgments received during play, ranging from "SS" (all steps Perfect) to "E" (failure, only seen in Versus mode when the other player passes). If the player manages to pass his or her songs, a cumulative results screen is given, totaling the stats from all played stages.

Interface and graphics

The song-selection interface of DDR 1st Mix is a jukebox-like menu of CDs that represent the available songs. On this screen, various "step codes" can be performed on the dance platform to modify the arrangement and appearance of arrows during gameplay. Such codes must also be used to increase the difficulty from Basic to Another or Maniac.

During gameplay, 3D-rendered dancing characters appear in the background of each song. Different characters can be selected at the main title screen by standing on either the Left or Right arrow panels while pressing the green start button.

The arrows in DDR 1st Mix do not have different color-cycles based on their time signature. The "Vivid" arrow colors familiar to players of later mixes were not introduced until Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMIX with beatmaniaIIDX CLUB VERSiON.

Releases

The test version of Dance Dance Revolution has three songs that are not included in the final release. These songs are "MONEY" by Ragga Twins, "JUMP" by Bus*Stop, and "BOYS" by Smile.DK. "BOYS" was later included on DDR 2nd Mix. The final version (typically referred to as DDR 1.5) adds the Internet Ranking feature, which allows players to compare their scores online. It also hides the songs "TRIP MACHINE" and "PARANOiA" during normal song selection, making them playable only as an Extra Stage. Extra Stage is earned by receiving "A" grades on each of player's previous songs.

Home version

The home version of Dance Dance Revolution was released in Japan on April 10th, 1999, for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It features fifteen songs: ten from the arcade version, and five from the arcade version of DDR 2nd Mix. Only Basic difficulty is available on this version. The game has a unique "Arrange Mode" which penalizes players for hitting extra steps not on the screen. The player receives an "OUCH!" judgment, draining even more from the Dance Gauge than a Miss.

DDR US 1st Mix

The North American arcade version of Dance Dance Revolution was released in 1999 by Konami of America. It is commonly referred to as "DDR US 1st Mix". It has 13 songs from DDR 1st Mix and DDR 2nd Mix, and uses the interface from 2nd Mix.

Soundtrack

The original Dance Dance Revolution arcade game does not have its own soundtrack. Instead, the songs are included on the soundtrack to DDR 2nd Mix.

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