taking DDR to the next level

September 9, 2016 2:47 AM

taro4012 makes Stepmania/DDR games that really push the limits of the rhythm-game genre. The UK Sight Reading Tournament series (the latest being Version 8) incorporates mini games and an overarching plot, while HBT experiments with the step-game hardware, such as pressure-sensitive game pads. A major highlight of taro4012's work is adapting Undertale to the Stepmania format - which for spoiler reasons and due to the lack of an established playlist will be placed

Undertale videos: Asgore, Omega Flowey, Death by Glamour, Thundersnail!, Ghost Fight, Megalovania (and what happens when you spare him), Spider Dance (with Easter Eggs), Metal Crusher (extra questions), The Bird That Carries You Over a Disproportionately Small Gap, and the April-Foolsy Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans.

posted by divabat (9 comments total)

This is truly insane. I'd never heard of this and I used to be a pretty big DDR fan - thanks for the post!
posted by adrianhon at 6:17 AM on September 9, 2016

This looks very tense. I was disappointed because it seems like most videos of people actually playing these games don't really show their feet in action... probably because everyone has had their fill of impressive DDR footwork and the real action is that onscreen mayhem.
posted by SharkParty at 7:50 AM on September 9, 2016

Also I have no point of reference because I never played these games so I am only assuming all of that trippy and glitchy presentation of the actual dance steps is new and weird.
posted by SharkParty at 7:51 AM on September 9, 2016

Ok, so this is not about some exciting new version of Double Data Rate computer memory.
posted by lagomorphius at 9:35 AM on September 9, 2016

I do not understand anything
posted by memebake at 10:00 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

most videos of people actually playing these games don't really show their feet in action
These videos are mostly targeted towards people who already play the game, and it depends on if the video is showcasing the chart or the playing of the chart. If you just show the chart, the viewer can follow along and think to themselves "this is how I'd do this, etc". Additionally having a footcam can demonstrate how someone in particular plays some parts, and people do make videos with video out+footcam or two cams for that too.

See: Dr. D or Freyja or YouTube searches.
posted by The arrows are too fast at 1:39 PM on September 9, 2016

what on earth
posted by XtinaS at 8:22 PM on September 9, 2016

lagomorphius, you had it easy: I was worried the Berlin Wall was coming back up!
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:54 AM on September 10, 2016

My fasciitis flared up just from watching the steps in that Asgore video.

I'm a relatively recent fan of Stepmania, and ever since I saw Crypt of the Necrodancer I've been keeping an eye out for other people playing games using their dance pads (which are usually just seen as HID input devices by a PC). The mostly reliably silly is Rudeism, who plays a lot of games with unusual controllers. He's used the dance pad for games ranging from Minesweeper to WOW and Dark Souls 3.
posted by vanar sena at 1:43 PM on September 10, 2016