DDR AC General Info

DanceDanceRevolution
History - Gameplay (Scoring - GROOVE RADAR) - Trivia - Glossary
AC releases (Info - All region) - CS releases (JP - NA - EU - Other)
List of DDR characters - List of DDR artists - List of DDR songs (CS exclusives)

General Arcade Gameplay

Unlike beatmania IIDX and pop'n music, DanceDanceRevolution's menu layout tends to change a lot based on what version the player is playing. Also unlike beatmania IIDX and pop'n music, DanceDanceRevolution has dedicated menu buttons.

All DanceDanceRevolution cabinets have at least left, right, and start menu buttons. Widescreen cabinets, like those sold with DanceDanceRevolution X or DanceDanceRevolution (2013) and later, also have up and down menu buttons. The directional menu buttons are used to navigate menus, and the Start button to make selections.

Once the game is started, the first order of business is inserting/tapping the player's eAMUSEMENT card if the machine supports eAMUSEMENT. After that, or otherwise, (s)he will be taken to the Select Style screen. After that, (s)he will be taken to the Select Difficulty or Select Mode, and from there to Select Music or Select Course. In DDRMAX or later, (s)he can hold Start when (s)he selects a song to enter modifiers. In earlier versions, (s)he must use codes. After play, his/her score will be evaluated, and (s)he will be returned to Select Music if not playing a course. When the game is done, a final evaluation is performed, and under certain circumstances (s)he can enter his/her name.

Entry

The first screen that appears when starting a game with an eAMUSEMENT card is the Entry Screen. If the player doesn't have an eAMUSEMENT card, the next screen will be the Play Style selection screen instead.

eAMUSEMENT

eAMUSEMENT is KONAMI's online service used to keep all the players play data such as the scores, rivals and unlock achievements between all of their games. It was introduced in DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA and is now found in every title since. In DanceDanceRevolution, eAMUSEMENT has the following features in game:

• Dancer Profile
  • My GROOVE RADAR (マイグルーヴレーダー): From DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 to DanceDanceRevolution (2014), keeps track of the player stats for Single and Double Play using a GROOVE RADAR. Removed in DanceDanceRevolution A.
  • ENJOY LEVEL: From DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA to DanceDanceRevolution (2014), level system used for unlocking more modifier options, songs, character accessories, and CHALLENGE charts. Removed in DanceDanceRevolution A.
  • Result Star: Since DanceDanceRevolution X3 VS 2ndMIX, Result Stars can be obtained when playing in order to access the EXTRA STAGE. The Result Stars earned by the player are transferred between each game.
  • Drill Level: Used to keep track of the Drill Courses level. It was removed in DanceDanceRevolution X3 VS 2ndMIX.
• Rivals: The player can have up to three rivals by entering their DDR-CODE. Allows the player to target their Rivals' scores during gameplay and play their EDIT DATA.
• Workout Function: Keeps track of the calories spent while playing. Requires the weight (in kilograms) of the player.
• Character: Pick a character from the available roster to be shown on screen dancing during gameplay, provided the song doesn't have a full-screen background video.
• Play Area Browser: Player's play history across the various prefectures in Japan or other countries.

On the official website of DanceDanceRevolution, eAMUSEMEMT members can access a more detailed view of their play data, view their Rivals and change their settings.

Selecting a Style

Single Play (シングルプレー)

One side of the dance floor (4 foot panels), one player. Always requires only one credit.

Versus Play (バーサスプレー)

Two players, each with one side of the dance floor. This requires two credits unless Joint Premium is set.

Double Play (ダブルプレー)

One player uses both sides of the dance floor (8 foot panels). The BEGINNER difficulty and the LEFT, RIGHT, and SHUFFLE options are not available in this style. This requires two credits unless Double Premium or Joint Premium is set.

Couple Play (カップルプレー)

Only available in 3rdMIX and earlier. Two players each have one side of the dance floor, but each has different steps for the same difficulty. This requires two credits. This style is still available to use in EDIT DATA songs only as of DanceDanceRevolution (2014).

Mode of Payment

Once selecting a Play Style, the game will require a valid mode of payment. For Normal Play (ノーマルプレー), credits or coins can be used while Premium Play (プレミアムプレー) is exclusive to PASELI members in Japan or can be selected for players outside Japan by adding more credits.

PASELI

For more details on PASELI, please see this page.

PASELI (Pay Smart Enjoy Life) is a digital currency service that can be linked with an eAMUSEMENT account. Depending on the titles, the exclusive features vary from game to game. Currently as of DanceDanceRevolution A, by selecting PREMIUM MODE, you obtain:

• All STAGE's are guaranteed. Even if the DANCE GAUGE is depleted, the song will continue until the end.
• Additional modifier options (such as more SPEED mods and the LIFE4 gauge modifier).
• Unlocking songs in EXTRA STAGE.

Number of stages

This only applies from 1st STAGE to FINAL STAGE and does not include EXTRA STAGE and ENCORE EXTRA STAGE. A minimum of one stage and a maximum of five stages are allowed.

Selecting a Mode

Modes that appeared only in a single mix are not included.

NORMAL MODE

This is the default mode available in every mix. It allows the user to select the individual songs to play and to select the difficulty levels (after 2ndMIX only) one at a time. Depending on how the operator set the machine, the user can play 1 to 5 songs per game, plus an EXTRA STAGE if earned. In DanceDanceRevolution, 2ndMIX, 5thMIX, DDRMAX, and from DanceDanceRevolution (2013) onwards, this is the only mode available.

COURSE MODE

Instead of picking individual songs, the player can select a course. A course is a group of at least four songs with each course having 2 difficulty levels. There are two lifebar types: the Normal lifebar, which similar to the standard lifebar; and the Challenge lifebar, where the player is given 4 or 8 lives (depending on the difficulty level chosen) that deplete on each Good, Boo, Miss, or N.G. When the player runs out of lives, they fail the course. Successfully clearing each song will regenerate a life or two. Before DanceDanceRevolution X, the COURSE MODE was split into two parts: NONSTOP MODE and CHALLENGE MODE.

NONSTOP MODE

First appeared in 3rdMIX and was removed in 5thMIX, and CHALLENGE MODE first appeared in DDRMAX2. EXTREME was the first mix to have both. NONSTOP MODE included courses with a selectable difficulty level and the standard lifebar.

CHALLENGE MODE

Features only songs available at the CHALLENGE difficulty level, a lifebar set to LIFE4 and no choice of modifiers to select.

COURSE MODE has been removed altogether since DanceDanceRevolution (2013).

Selecting Options

As of DanceDanceRevolution A, 14 modifiers are available in the game (during the Select Options screen) with a few choice options being exclusive to Premium Play (PASELI only in Japan, in yellow in the table). When using Versus Play, each user can have their own settings which have to be set before playing a song. During special events such as an EXTRA STAGE, the number of modifiers available is limited and some are set to ON to increase the difficulty.

Prior to DDRMAX, the modifiers had codes that had to be entered one by one. It was replaced in DDRMAX with an options menu. From DDRMAX until SuperNOVA, an option category named "OTHER" included ARROW, CUT, and DARK together. Selecting them would turn them ON. They were divided each into a category in SuperNOVA. For the first time in DanceDanceRevolution (2014), the modifiers' names were translated into Japanese instead of English. From DDRMAX to DanceDanceRevolution X3 VS 2ndMIX, a category titled STEP was available to change the song difficulty for each player. It was renamed in DanceDanceRevolution (2013) to DIFFICULTY, and in DanceDanceRevolution (2014), it was removed from the list due to the introduction of a Difficulty Select screen.

Introduced in SuperNOVA2 during gameplay, a maximum of 11 modifier square icons can be shown on the screen on top of the score box for each player. The modifiers icons are shown only when they are set to a value different than the defaults. The only exception is for SPEED which even "x1" is shown, and for SPECIAL ARROW, SCREEN FILTER, and GUIDELINE, they simply don't have any icon.

Note: ARROW MOVE, APPEARANCE, TURN, STEP ZONE, ARROW COLOR, SPECIAL ARROW, SCREEN FILTER, and LIFE GAUGE require an eAMUSEMENT account since DanceDanceRevolution (2014). Also, the SPECIAL ARROW, SCREEN FILTER, and GUIDELINE options can be changed in the eAMUSEMENT website instead.

SPEED

Allows to change the speed of the arrow flow from 0.25 to 8 times faster than normal (x1) with matching spacing of arrows. During DanceDanceRevolution X2 to DanceDanceRevolution (2013), the x0.25 and the x0.5 speeds were removed. In DanceDanceRevolution (2014), x0.25 and x0.5 were added back. A total of 24 speed modifiers currently exist with 9 of them being Premium Play exclusives.

SPEED (矢印の速度, Speed of the Arrows)
Options	First added
×0.25	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2
×0.5	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2
×0.75	DanceDanceRevolution A
x1	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
×1.25	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
×1.5	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
×1.75	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
×2	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
×2.25	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
×2.5	DanceDanceRevolution X
×2.75	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
×3	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
×3.25	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
×3.5	DanceDanceRevolution X
×3.75	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
×4	DanceDanceRevolution X
×4.5	DanceDanceRevolution X
×5	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
×5.5	DanceDanceRevolution X
×6	DanceDanceRevolution X
×6.5	DanceDanceRevolution X
×7	DanceDanceRevolution X
×7.5	DanceDanceRevolution X
×8	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-

ARROW MOVE

ARROW MOVE was known as BOOST when it was introduced in DDRMAX until DanceDanceRevolution (2013). Also in 2013, NORMAL was simply known as OFF while BOOST was titled ON. BRAKE and WAVE were introduced as a fixed option in a DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME course. They were later made as selectable options in DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2.

ARROW MOVE (矢印の動き方, Movement of the arrows)
Options	Description	First added
NORMAL	Arrows flow (scroll) at a constant speed.	DanceDanceRevolution
BOOST	Arrows accelerate as they reach the Step Zone.	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
BRAKE	Arrows decelerate as they reach the Step Zone.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2
WAVE	Arrows slow down and speed up at fixed points on their way up the screen.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2

APPEARANCE

As of DDR A, HIDDEN+/SUDDEN+ replace the old HIDDEN/SUDDEN options, even on upgraded legacy cabinets.

APPEARANCE (見え方)
Options	Description	First added
VISIBLE	Arrows are always visible.	DanceDanceRevolution
HIDDEN	Arrows will disappear when they reach the middle of the screen.	DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX
SUDDEN	Arrows will appear after they reached the middle of the screen.	DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX
STEALTH	Arrows are invisible.	DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX
HIDDEN+	Similar to beatmania IIDX, a lane cover is placed at the top (or bottom if using REVERSE) of the player's side. This can be adjusted by using the Up and Down navigational buttons.	DanceDanceRevolution X2
SUDDEN+	A lane cover is placed at the bottom (or top if using REVERSE) of the player's side. Like HIDDEN+, this can be adjusted by using the Up and Down navigational buttons.	DanceDanceRevolution X2
HIDDEN＋＆SUDDEN＋	Both lane covers are displayed. The shutter window can be adjusted in the same fashion as the individual HIDDEN+/SUDDEN+ modifiers.	DanceDanceRevolution X2

TURN

TURN (回転)
Options	Description	First added
OFF	The step chart is in a normal position.	DanceDanceRevolution
MIRROR	Steps are flipped by 180 degrees.	DanceDanceRevolution
LEFT※	Steps are rotated 90 degrees to the left.	DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX
RIGHT※	Steps are rotated 90 degrees to the right.	DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX
SHUFFLE※	The steps' orientation is shuffled throughout.	DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX

※Not available if the play style is DOUBLE.

STEP ZONE

The Step Zone refers to the set of stationary arrows near the top of the screen. It was known as DARK when it was introduced in DDRMAX2 until DanceDanceRevolution (2014).

STEP ZONE (ステップゾーン)
Options	Description	First added
ON	The Step Zone is visible at all times.	DanceDanceRevolution
OFF	The Step Zone is not visible at all times.	DDRMAX2 -DanceDanceRevolution 7thMIX-

SCROLL

SCROLL (矢印スクロール, Arrow Scroll)
Options	Description	First added
NORMAL	Arrows scroll up from the bottom.	DanceDanceRevolution
REVERSE	Arrows scroll down from the top.	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-

ARROW COLOR

By default in DanceDanceRevolution to 2ndMIX, the arrow color was set to FLAT. The default was changed to VIVID in DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX with FLAT being an option activated using a code, and to RAINBOW in DanceDanceRevolution (2014). In DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA, ARROW became a new option category with VIVID, NOTE, FLAT and RAINBOW as options. Also in SuperNOVA, the color scheme SOLO was renamed RAINBOW. The category name changed in DanceDanceRevolution (2013) to ARROW COLOR.

ARROW COLOR (矢印の色)
Options	Description	First added
VIVID	The default arrow color until DDR (2013). The arrows emit a rainbow gradient cycle which varies in starting colors depending on how on-beat the arrows are.	DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX
NOTE	Arrows are color-coded according to note value. Unlike RAINBOW, this uses simple color schemes.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA
FLAT	Arrows follow the VIVID color cycle but all have the same starting color.	DanceDanceRevolution
RAINBOW	The default color since DDR (2014). Arrows have different gradient cycles according to note value.	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-

CUT

ON1 was named LITTLE when it was introduced in DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX. The name changed to CUT in DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA and again in DanceDanceRevolution X to ON1 as ON2 was introduced.

CUT (タイミング別カット, Cut by Timing)
Options	Description	First added
OFF	Step chart is unchanged.	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
ON1	Only shows the 1/4-beat steps.	DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX
ON2	Only shows the 1/4 and 1/8-beat steps.	DanceDanceRevolution X

FREEZE ARROW

FREEZE ARROW (フリーズアロー)
Options	Description	First added
ON	The step chart will include the freeze arrows.	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
OFF	The step chart will only include the steps at the start of the freeze arrows (i.e. no holds).	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-

JUMP

JUMP (同時踏み, Simultaneous stepping)
Options	Description	First added
ON	Includes simultaneous steps.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA
OFF	Removes the simulatenous steps from the chart.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA

LIFE GAUGE

This modifier was named RISKY with ON and OFF being the two possible options when it was first introduced in DanceDanceRevolution X2. In DanceDanceRevolution 2014, it was renamed GAUGE as LIFE4 and the classic NORMAL were added as options. LIFE GAUGE modifiers can not be chosen in COURSE MODE or EXTRA STAGEs.

LIFE GAUGE (ゲージ)
Options	Description	First added
NORMAL	This is the standard dance gauge.	DanceDanceRevolution
LIFE4	The song ends on 4 Misses and/or NG's. This is an option for advanced players.	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
RISKY	Getting a single MISS or NG will fail the song.	DanceDanceRevolution X2

SPECIAL ARROW

The CLASSIC arrow was the default and only choice from 1st to 5thMIX; it was replaced by NORMAL in DDRMAX. The ability to change the Special Arrow was introduced as an unlockable reward of the both Enjoy Lv. and code systems in SuperNOVA2 to X. In X2, the option was unlocked by default for everyone.

SPECIAL ARROW (特殊アロー)
Modifiers	Description	First added
NORMAL	The default rounded-tip arrow design.	DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-
X	Uses the arrow design seen on the step panels of a DDR X cabinet.	DanceDanceRevolution X
CLASSIC	The original V-cut arrow design used until 5thMIX.	DanceDanceRevolution
CYBER	A special cyber-themed arrow design.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2
MEDIUM	Arrows are half-sized.	DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2
SMALL	Arrows are quarter-sized.	DanceDanceRevolution X
DOT	Arrows are reduced to small dots.	DanceDanceRevolution X
Butterfly	A special butterfly arrow design. Removed from DDR A.	DanceDanceRevolution X

SCREEN FILTER

In DanceDanceRevolution X, OFF was known as NONE. The default changed from OFF to DARK in DanceDanceRevolution (2014).

SCREEN FILTER (背景フィルター, Background filter)
Modifiers	Description	First added
OFF	The screen filter is not shown.	DanceDanceRevolution
DARK	40 percent opacity.	DanceDanceRevolution X
DARKER	60 percent opacity.	DanceDanceRevolution X
DARKEST	80 percent opacity.	DanceDanceRevolution X

GUIDELINE

GUIDELINE (ガイドライン)
Options	Description	First added
OFF	The guidelines are not shown.	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
BORDER	Displays guidelines along the top edges of the arrows. This display is similar to the EDIT mode found in the CS releases of DanceDanceRevolution.	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)
CENTER	Displays guidelines along the center of the arrows.	DanceDanceRevolution (2014)

EXTRA STAGE

The EXTRA STAGE was introduced in the original DanceDanceRevolution but was not found again after except since DDRMAX. The ONE MORE EXTRA STAGE was also added in DDRMAX. The name ONE MORE EXTRA STAGE was changed in DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 to ENCORE EXTRA STAGE.

In DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX CLUB VERSiON 2, an EXTRA STAGE was possible if the beatmania IIDX machine started the link session during the EXTRA STAGE. Since DanceDanceRevolution (2014), the EXTRA STAGE is only available in PREMIUM MODE.

Usually, the EXTRA / ENCORE STAGE system changes from title to title. For more details on how the EXTRA STAGE and ENCORE EXTRA STAGE systems work, see the individual pages below.

Game	EXTRA STAGE	ENCORE EXTRA STAGE
DanceDanceRevolution	✔	✘
DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-	✔	✔
DDRMAX2 -DanceDanceRevolution 7thMIX-	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution X	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution X2	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution X3	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution (2013)	✔	*✘
DanceDanceRevolution (2014)	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution A	✔	✔
DanceDanceRevolution Solo BASS	✔	✘

• ENCORE EXTRA STAGE was briefly available in DanceDanceRevolution (2013) due to a bug.