Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, known in Europe and Australia as Dancing Stage Mario Mix, is a 2005 music video game co-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. The game was released in Japan on July 14, 2005, North America on October 24, 2005, Europe on October 28, 2005, and Australia on November 24, 2005.
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
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
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
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.| Title | 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 |
| Underground Mozart | 1-2 | Mario Bros. | Eine Kleine Nachtmusik | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 土管の中のモーツァルト |
| Pipe Pop | 1-2EX | Turkish March | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | パペットダンス | |
| Garden Boogie | 1-3 | Carmen | Georges Bizet | パラパラカルメン | |
| Destruction Dance | 1-4 | Wrecking Crew | Bonus Stage | Hirokazu Tanaka | 月夜にぶちこわせ |
| 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！ |
| Fishing Frenzy | 2-2 | Yoshi's Cookie | Csikos Post | Hermann Necke | みんなでパーティタイム |
| Pirate Dance | 2-2EX | Super Mario World | Athletic Theme | Koji Kondo | 転がるコインのように |
| In the Whirlpool | 2-3 | Pomp and Circumstance | Edward Elgar | 風のかなたに | |
| Step by Step | 2-3EX | Super Mario World | Bonus/Switch Palace Level Theme | Koji Kondo | ステップ・バイ・ステップ |
| Blooper Bop | 2-4 | Super Mario Bros. | Underwater | Koji Kondo | 泳げ四分音符 |
| Hammer Dance | 3-1 | Super Mario Bros. 3 | Overworld Theme | Koji Kondo | クエ・テ・バヤ・マリオ |
| Rollercoasting | 3-2 | Mario Kart: Double Dash | Mario/Luigi/Yoshi Circuit Theme | Shinobu Tanaka | スーパーマシーン |
| Boo Boogie | 3-3 | Super Mario Bros. 2 | Main Theme | Koji Kondo | ほっぴンちょっぴン |
| Moustache, Barrel, and Gorilla | 3-3EX | Donkey Kong | Various | Yukio Kaneoka | ヒゲとタルとゴリラ |
| Starring Wario! | 3-4 | Wario World | Greenhorn Forest | Minako Hamano | オレ様がスターだ! |
| Frozen Pipes | 4-1 | Old Folks at Home | Stephen Collins Foster | 気分はハイ・ホー | |
| Cabin Fever | 4-2 | Mario Party 5 | Toy Dream Theme | Aya Tanaka | マリオのカーニバル |
| Ms. Mowz's Song | 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 |
| Deep Freeze | 4-3 | Dr. Mario | Fever | Hirokazu Tanaka | ハッピーハッピーダンス |
| Rendezvous on Ice | 4-4 | Antarctic Adventure | Les Pâtineurs | Emile Waldteufel | 氷の上でランデブー |
| Midnight Drive | 4-4EX | Mario Kart 64 | Mario Kart 64 Theme | Kenta Nagata | 真夜中のドライブ |
| Always Smiling | 5-1 | Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka | Johann Strauss II | きっと笑顔がイチバンさ | |
| 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! |
| Up, Down, Left, Right | Mario Paint | Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | Anonymous | ゼン・ゴ・サ・ユウ | |
| Choir on the Green | Ah, Lovely Meadow | Anonymous | 緑の上の大合唱 | ||
| Hop, Mario! | Super Mario World | Opening | Koji Kondo | ホップステップマリオ | |
| Where's the Exit? | Super Mario Bros. | Underground | Koji Kondo | 出口はどこだ!? | |
| Piroli | Famicom Disk System | BIOS | Hirokazu Tanaka | ピ・ロ・リ |
Reception
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. It gained a aggregate critical score of 71.70% on GameRankings.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." 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." Phil Theobald of GameSpy, 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!"
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.