Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

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Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
North American cover art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Yukihiro Yamazaki
Producer(s)Hitoshi Yamagami
Hirotaka Ishikawa
Composer(s)U1-Asami
SeriesMario
Dance Dance Revolution
Platform(s)GameCube
Release
  • JP: July 14, 2005
  • NA: October 24, 2005
  • EU: October 28, 2005
  • AU: November 24, 2005
Genre(s)Music, exergaming
Mode(s)Single-player

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, known in Europe as Dancing Stage Mario Mix,[a] is a 2005 music video game developed by Konami and Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the first Dance Dance Revolution game to be released on a Nintendo video game console outside Japan.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix predominantly features characters, music, and locations from the Mario franchise. The game was bundled with the dance pad controller.

Gameplay[edit]

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix runs on a modified version of the Mario Party 6 engine, and follows the gameplay formula established in all prior Dance Dance Revolution games. The game features several gameplay modes: Story Mode takes the player through a linear progression of tracks, framed as a story of Mario and Luigi traveling the Mushroom Kingdom to retrieve the missing Music Keys. Once a track has been cleared in Story Mode, it becomes available for play in Free Mode, which allows up to two players to dance simultaneously. The player can purchase items at Lakitu's shop during Story Mode that can be used to assist them if they are struggling. Some stages feature "Mush Mode" rules, which replace the traditional arrows with Mario enemies that feature unique mechanics. Special minigames will also appear during Story Mode, providing alternate gameplay styles such as jumping up on a flagpole or hitting Goombas that emerge from pipes with a hammer. Like the tracks, these mini-games will be unlocked for free play in Mini-Game Mode once they have been cleared in Story Mode. Once the player completes Story Mode for the first time, they will unlock Story Mode EX, which features a slightly altered selection of songs. Additional difficulty levels can also be unlocked.

Plot[edit]

The game opens with Waluigi stealing the four Music Keys, which can grant wishes, from Truffle Towers. However, when he tries to open the door to the room containing the Music Keys, three of them scatter across the Mushroom Kingdom, leaving him with only one key. From a distance, Toad watches these events unfold and rushes to tell Mario or Luigi, depending on which character the player chose, who then rushes off to retrieve the missing Music Keys.

After collecting the four Music Keys, Toad and the player's character then return the Music Keys to Truffle Towers. Soon after, Bowser steals the keys, but is followed by Toad and the player's chosen character. They infiltrate Bowser's Castle to recapture the Music Keys and are challenged by Bowser. After defeating him in a dance-off, Bowser tells Toad and the player's character that he planned to use the Music Keys to fix his tone deafness. This prompts the player's character to use the Music Keys to turn the area around Bowser's Castle into a green field and induces a feeling to dance in everyone, with Toad realizing that this was how the Music Keys were supposed to be used as the game's ending sequence plays.

Music[edit]

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix features 29 music tracks, including remixes of both tracks from previous Mario titles and public domain classical music. Only one track is initially available, while the remainder are unlocked by clearing them in Story Mode and Story Mode EX, or by purchasing them from Lakitu's shop. The following table lists the tracks in the order they appear in Free Play.

Music tracks in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Title (English) Stage Game Original song Original composer Japanese title
Here We Go! 1-1 Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme Koji Kondo ヒア・ウィ・ゴー (Hia Wi Gō)
Underground Mozart 1-2 Mario Bros. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 土管の中のモーツァルト (Dokan no Naka no Mōtsaruto)
Pipe Pop[b] 1-2EX Turkish March Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart パペットダンス (Papetto Dansu)
Garden Boogie 1-3 Carmen Georges Bizet パラパラカルメン (Parapara Karumen)
Destruction Dance 1-4 Wrecking Crew Bonus Stage Hirokazu Tanaka 月夜にぶちこわせ (Tsukiyo ni Buchikowase)
Jump! Jump! Jump! 2-1 Super Mario Bros. 3 Athletic Theme Koji Kondo ジャンプ!ジャンプ!ジャンプ! (Janpu! Janpu! Janpu!)
Fishing Frenzy 2-2 Yoshi's Cookie Csikos Post Hermann Necke みんなでパーティタイム (Minna de Pāti Taimu)
Pirate Dance[b] 2-2EX Super Mario World Athletic Theme Koji Kondo 転がるコインのように (Korogaru Koin no Yō ni)
In the Whirlpool 2-3 Pomp and Circumstance Edward Elgar 風のかなたに (Kaze no Kanata ni)
Step by Step[b] 2-3EX Super Mario World Bonus/Switch Palace Level Theme Koji Kondo ステップ・バイ・ステップ (Suteppu Bai Suteppu)
Blooper Bop 2-4 Super Mario Bros. Underwater Koji Kondo 泳げ四分音符 (Oyoge Shibun Onpu)
Hammer Dance 3-1 Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld Theme Koji Kondo クエ・テ・バヤ・マリオ (Kue Te Baya Mario)
Rollercoasting 3-2 Mario Kart: Double Dash Mario/Luigi/Yoshi Circuit Theme Shinobu Tanaka スーパーマシーン (Sūpā Mashīn)
Boo Boogie 3-3 Super Mario Bros. 2 Main Theme Koji Kondo ほっぴンちょっぴン (Hoppin Choppin)
Moustache, Barrel, and Gorilla[b] 3-3EX Donkey Kong Various Yukio Kaneoka ヒゲとタルとゴリラ (Hige to Taru to Gorira)
Starring Wario! 3-4 Wario World Greenhorn Forest Minako Hamano オレ様がスターだ! (Ore-sama ga Sutā da!)
Frozen Pipes 4-1 Old Folks at Home Stephen Collins Foster 気分はハイ・ホー (Kibun wa Hai Hō)
Cabin Fever 4-2 Mario Party 5 Toy Dream Theme Aya Tanaka マリオのカーニバル (Mario no Kānibaru)
Ms. Mowz's Song[b] 4-2EX Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Theme of Ms. Mowz; X-Naut Fortress Yuka Tsujiyoko チューチューテクノ (Chū Chū Tekuno)
Deep Freeze 4-3 Dr. Mario Fever Hirokazu Tanaka ハッピーハッピーダンス (Happī Happī Dansu)
Rendezvous on Ice 4-4 Antarctic Adventure Les Pâtineurs Emile Waldteufel 氷の上でランデブー (Kōri no Ue de Randebū)
Midnight Drive[b] 4-4EX Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart 64 Theme Kenta Nagata 真夜中のドライブ (Mayonaka no Doraibu)
Always Smiling 5-1 Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka Johann Strauss II きっと笑顔がイチバンさ (Kitto Egao ga Ichiban sa)
Bowser's Castle 5-2 Mario Kart: Double Dash Bowser's Castle Shinobu Tanaka/Kenta Nagata ワガハイはボスである! (Wagahai wa Bosu de Aru!)
Up, Down, Left, Right Mario Paint Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Anonymous ゼン・ゴ・サ・ユウ (Zen Go Sa Yū)
Choir on the Green Ah, Lovely Meadow Anonymous 緑の上の大合唱 (Midori no Ue no Daigasshō)
Hop, Mario! Super Mario World Opening Koji Kondo ホップステップマリオ (Hoppu Suteppu Mario)
Where's the Exit? Super Mario Bros. Underground Koji Kondo 出口はどこだ!? (Deguchi wa Doko da!?)
Piroli Famicom Disk System BIOS Hirokazu Tanaka ピ・ロ・リ (Pi Ro Ri)

Reception[edit]

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[2] It gained a aggregate critical score of 71.70% on GameRankings.[1]

GameSpot gave the game a 7 out of 10 and wrote "With a short story mode that serves as a fun, linear introduction to sequential stomping, Mario Mix is suitable for a child, or for an uncoordinated friend."[3] IGN gave the game an 8 out of 10, saying, "Mario and friends bust some moves in Konami's updated take on an old dance formula."[5] Phil Theobald of Game Spy, gave the game three out of five stars, saying "Mario and Luigi get out on the dance floor to save the Mushroom Kingdom. Come on, it's time to go do the Mario!"[4]

During the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, DDR: Mario Mix received a nomination for "Family Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to Guitar Hero.[9]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Known in Japan as Dance Dance Revolution with Mario (Japanese: ダンスダンスレボリューション ウィズ マリオ, Hepburn: Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon Uizu Mario)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Replaces the previous song in Story Mode EX.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Score, Avery (October 26, 2005). "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Theobald, Phil (October 31, 2005). "GameSpy: Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Casamassina, Matt (October 26, 2005). "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Bloodworth, Daniel (November 7, 2005). "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  7. ^ "Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix Game Informer Review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2006-05-20.
  8. ^ "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix NGC Review". September 2005.
  9. ^ "2006 Awards Category Details Family Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 6 November 2023.

External links[edit]