DANCE aROUND Information
DANCE aROUND
DANCE aROUND is a dancing simulation BEMANI game similar to DanceEvolution, which uses VisionPose and cameras to capture the player's body movements.
This BEMANI series is exclusive to ROUND1 arcades. All three markets ROUND1 operates in have their own version of the game (Japan, United States, and China).
Game
Game Modes
DANCE aROUND has three different game modes:
- LIGHT is the regular game mode. Two stages are played and a difficulty level restriction (capped up to Level 6) applies during the first stage. Can be paid for with credits or PASELI.
- STANDARD is akin to LIGHT mode, but without a difficulty level restriction. EXTRA STAGE can be obtained by scoring a total of at least 200 points. Requires PASELI on Japanese machines.
- TRAINING is similar to the "PREMIUM" modes found in beatmania IIDX and SOUND VOLTEX. Players are given six minutes to play as many songs and the ability to skip certain parts of the song as desired. Can be paid for with credits or PASELI.
Upon selecting a mode, the player can select from one of two styles:
- Normal Style (ノーマルスタイル) is the regular play mode.
- Performance Style (パフォーマンススタイル) is similar to Normal Style, except that the dance guide on the top of the screen is hidden. From March 16th, 2022, this Style also allows players to record one of their own dances played and view them later on a smartphone or other device.
Gameplay
The gameplay screen is similar to the other BEMANI series: when a picture of a certain dance pose moves (or phrase) to the left of the screen, the player has to mimic/repeat the pose shown above (when the picture was highlighted). Certain dance cues are also shown to aid on where the hand or feet should be during the section.
In addition to the poses, three other gimmick phrases are included:
- Repeat phrase (リピートフレーズ): indicated as a red anti-clockwise circle arrow, repeat said pose until the phrase ends.
- Mirror phrase (ミラーフレーズ): indicated as a purple left-white right arrow, repeat the pose on the other direction.
- Highlight Chance: indicated with a rainbow hue, this phrase allows players to obtain bonus points, similar to Highlight Zones in pop'n music or the Special Phrase in the GITADORA series.
The life gauge is called "Viewer Gauge", and once the gauge reaches the yellow zone (and the gauge turns rainbow), the player clears the stage. Unlike other games, the gauge does not drain for poor performance.
Upon selecting a song, the player can select from one of three difficulties: BASIC, ADVANCED, or MASTER; however, not all songs have full charts. Levels are rated from 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest).
Scoring
Players are judged on four different levels: PERFECT, GREAT, GOOD, and BOO. The score uses a 100-point system (with three decimal points). Up to maximum of 120 points can be earned (with a 20-point bonus for Highlight chance).
Players are given a clear medal depending on their performance (in order of precedence):
- EXC (EXCELLENT): cleared with all PERFECTs and maximum score of 120; colored gold with lots of points.
- FULL COMBO: cleared with no BOOs; colored green with a circle and two points on the top.
- PASSED: cleared via reaching the yellow zone threshold; colored blue with a circle.
- FAILURE: did not clear the song; colored grey with a cross.
Rating
Players are graded from the maximum rating of AAA+ to the lowest rating of C, based on the score as follows:
| Grade | Range |
|---|---|
| AAA+ | 115-120.000 |
| AAA | 110-114.999 |
| AA | 100-109.999 |
| A | 90-99.999 |
| B | 70-89.999 |
| C | 0-69.999 |
If the player fails to obtain the Highlight Zone bonus, up to 5 points are deducted which could affect the final grade for the song.
Song Information
Song information is compiled under Category:DANCE aROUND Songs.
Artist Information
All artists that have written original songs for the DANCE aROUND series can be found under Category:DANCE aROUND Artists.