_________ / _ | / / / / / / / / / / / / ___ ___ ___ ___ _________ / /_/ / ___ // // /___/ / _ /|_________/ /___// //___ /___ / / / / ___ ___ ___ ___ / / / / ___ // // /___/ / / / / /___// //___ /___ / /_/ __/_______ ___ ___ / __/_ ' ___ ___ /________/_/ ____ | /___/| // /// / / / / // / / /___/ //___ |_//___///___/ / / /___// / / ____/ / /| | / / | | /___/ |__| __ __ __ ______ __ ____ __ __ __ __ __ | \ / | / \ | _ \ | | / \ | \ / || |\ \ / / | \/ | / \ | |_| | | || /\ | | \/ || | \ \/ / | || || || / | || | | | | || | \ / | |\/| || || |\ \ | || | | | | |\/| || | / \ | | | || || || | \ \ | || \/ | | | | || | / /\ \ |__| |__||__||__||__| \__\|__| \____/ |__| |__||__|/__/ \__\ ****************************************************************************** Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix A FAQ/Walkthrough by CyricZ Version 1.1 E-mail cyricz42 at yahoo.com ****************************************************************************** Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. FAQ 3. Basics 3A. Controls 3B. Menus/Displays 3C. How to Dance 3D. Mush Mode 3E. Dancing Tips for the Beginner 3F. Dancing Tips for the Intermediate 3G. Dancing Tips for the Advanced 4. Story Mode 4A. Basic Gameplay 4B. World 1 4C. World 2 4D. World 3 4E. World 4 4F. World 5 4G. Story Mode EX 5. Nintendo Songs 5A. Blooper Bop 5B. Boo Boogie 5C. Bowser's Castle 5D. Cabin Fever 5E. Deep Freeze 5F. Destruction Dance 5G. Hammer Dance 5H. Here We Go! 5I. Hop, Mario! 5J. Jump! Jump! Jump! 5K. Midnight Drive 5L. Moustache, Barrel, and Gorilla 5M. Ms. Mowz's Song 5N. Pirate Dance 5O. Piroli 5P. Rollercoasting 5Q. Starring Wario! 5R. Step by Step 5S. Where's the Exit? 6. Classic Songs 6A. Always Smiling 6B. Choir on the Green 6C. Fishing Frenzy 6D. Frozen Pipes 6E. Garden Boogie 6F. In the Whirlpool 6G. Pipe Pop 6H. Rendezvous on Ice 6I. Underground Mozart 6J. Up, Down, Left, Right 7. Minigames 7A. Avalanche! 7B. Banana Storm 7C. Block Treasure 7D. Chain-Chomp Chase 7E. Coin Collection 7F. Fire Up the SS Brass 7G. Flagpole Leap 7H. Hidden Treasure 7I. Note Pickup 7J. Punch Up 7K. Whack-a-Goomba 7L. Whee! 8. Standard Guide Stuff 8A. Legal 8B. E-mail Guidelines 8C. Credits 8D. Version Updates 8E. The Final Word ****************************************************************************** 1. INTRODUCTION ****************************************************************************** Hi, and welcome to my FAQ/Walkthrough for Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, for the Nintendo GameCube! In this collaboration between the world's most famous dance game and the world's most famous plumber, you'll travel the Mushroom Kingdom to restore the Music Keys to their proper place, and how? Dancing, duh. ****************************************************************************** 2. FAQ ****************************************************************************** Q: What is Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix? A: DDR Mario Mix is Konami and Nintendo's famous dance game as realized on the Nintendo GameCube. Q: How does one play Dance Dance Revolution games? A: It's actually pretty simple. Your "controller" has four directions: left, down, up, and right, which are shown at the top of your play screen. You select a song. As the song plays, arrows will start scrolling up to your top line. When an arrow scrolling up reaches the line of arrows at the top, you must "step" on the direction matching that arrow's direction. If two arrows come up at once, you must press both at once. If a green "freeze" arrow appears, you must hold that step at the beginning until the freeze arrow ends. Q: How many songs in this mix? A: 29. Small number compared to other mixes, but they are all new. Q: How do I unlock new songs? A: Play Story Mode and then Story Mode EX. Play a new song in that mode and it will be available for Free Mode. Also, in Story Mode EX, you can purchase four songs you couldn't get any other way. Q: How hard is this mix? A: Uh, not very. The only true challenge (related to the Heavy difficulty on other DDRs) is the Super Hard difficulty, moreso if you turn on Mush Mode. Q: What's the deal with Mush Mode? A: Arrows are replaced with Mario-type enemies, which you'll have to step on, or avoid, or suffer consequences. Q: Can I play Doubles or select arrow options like arrow speed? Is there a Lesson Mode? Training Mode? Nonstop/Oni? Endless? Edit Mode? A: Not in this mix, nope. Q: Where are you getting these difficulty numbers? A: Oh, just making them up myself. I've played a lot of DDR, and these are just my estimations based on the basic DDR setup. Note that there are no "0-footers" in DDR. The Easy songs are really THAT easy. ****************************************************************************** 3. BASICS ****************************************************************************** This covers most of the stuff you can find in the instruction booklet, but we all know how often people hang onto those. ============== 3A. Controls = ============== Directional Buttons: Moves your selection on the menus or steps in that direction. A: Confirm selection B: Cancel selection, hold down to go back a screen Start: Start game or access Pause Menu, hold down to drop out of a song during play. Z: Sets player recorded in Workout Mode, selects character, or turns Mush Mode on/off. ==================== 3B. Menus/Displays = ==================== Main Menu Story Mode: Begin the game proper, in which you restore the Music Keys. Free Mode: Play any of the songs you've unlocked at your leisure. Minigame Mode: Play any of the minigames you've unlocked at your leisure. Information: Any time something new happens, you can read about it here. Records: View records on Story Mode and Free Mode with Mush Mode on and off. Workout: Enter your name so the game keeps track of your calories burned. Options: Access the menu below. --- Options Menu Sound: Switch between Stereo or Mono Rumble: Turn controller rumble On/Off Announcer: Turn the announcer On/Off Help: Turn advice for Mush Mode On/Off Timing: Adjust the timing on steps if they're not quite on. Dance Meter: Default is 2. The higher the number, the more quickly the Dance Meter will decrease. Calorie Calculation: Free means all steps will register on the calorie count, Regulation means only correct steps. Game Over: If on Normal, then the game will be over once the Dance Meter depletes, if on To the End, then you'll finish the song even if your Dance Meter depletes. ================== 3C. How To Dance = ================== Selecting Free Mode will allow you to play the standard DDR setup. --- Number of Players Single Mode: This is a 1-player mode using the pad you used to start the game. Versus Mode: This is a 2-player mode where each player uses a pad. --- Choose a Character Pick either Mario or Luigi. Also, from here, you can press Z to select a Workout profile. --- Select Music Use Left and Right to switch songs. Double tap Up or Down to change the difficulty. Press A or Start to select. Press Z to turn Mush Mode on or off if it's an option on that difficulty. Difficulties: Easy: Almost painfully easy. You only step left or right. Mush Mode cannot be activated in this mode. Normal: Still quite easy. Mush Mode is available for most songs from here on out. Hard: About the level of Light difficulty for other DDR games. Very Hard: Finally, we're getting somewhere. This is roughly equivalent to other DDR Standard difficulty. Super Hard: You can only unlock this difficulty after playing the song on Very Hard. No ten-footers, but this is at least a decent difficulty. --- Are You Ready? The main field consists of the arrows and the Step Zone, which is a line of arrows on the screen. As the song plays, arrows will begin scrolling along the screen. As the arrows reach the Step Zone, you need to step on those arrows. On the top of the screen is the Dance Meter. It starts about half full. As you step properly, it'll fill more. If you misstep, your Dance Meter will start emptying. If it empties completely, game over. On the bottom of the screen is the difficulty (in case you forgot), and your score as it tallies up. Also in the middle of the screen, you'll see words pop up as you step: PERFECT: You stepped more or less precisely on the arrow. Combo continues, the dance meter increases, and you get the maximum possible score from that step. GREAT: You just about stepped on the arrow. Combo continues, the dance meter increases, and you get half the maximum possible score for the step. EARLY/LATE: You're off the arrow by quite a bit. Combo stops, but the dance meter doesn't change. MISS: You didn't step on the arrow at all. Combo stops, and the dance meter decreases. Also marked on the screen is your combo, which is how many PERFECTS and GREATS you have in a row. The announcer will tell you when you hit 100 combo, 200, etc. --- Evaluation Once you complete the song, you'll see an Evaluation Screen. You'll receive a letter grade, a tally on how many of each step you got, your maximum combo, and your score. The grades are A, B, C, D, and F. F is a failing grade. D, C, B, and A are progressive grades based on your score. A is as high as you can get, which is for a pretty high score with very few MISSes or EARLY/ LATEs. =============== 3D. Mush Mode = =============== With this mode on, certain arrows in the tune will be replaced with classic Mario characters for you to step on or avoid. The characters that appear are dictated by which song you pick, and on which difficulty, and they're the same every time you play that song. Here are the characters that can appear: Goombas - The classic evil mushroom men. Treat them just like regular arrows and step on them. Koopa Troopas - The rank and file turtle troops. Step on one and then again a quarter note later to kick it. Sometimes, it will be kicked down the screen to take out arrows behind it (which you get automatic PERFECTs for). Bob-ombs and Podoboos - The Bob-ombs sit above the Step Zone and the Podoboos bounce around the screen, eventually settling into one of the arrow lanes. Step on the Podoboo to steer it away or else the Bob-omb will be set off and you'll lose a good portion of your Dance Meter. Cheep Cheeps - The old Mario fish enemies swim up to your Step Zone in an odd curvy manner, and it's tough to know where they'll end up until the last minute, but make sure you step on them. Spinies - These spiked villains are considered "mines". Don't step on them or you'll lose Dance Meter. Unlike some other mine-type things in these games, you actually have to make a step to get hurt. If you're already on the arrow, you won't set them off if they pass. Some move at normal speed, some at double speed. Mini-Bloopers and Blooper Tentacle - These squids are a double threat. The Mini-Bloopers are simple enough enemies on their own, but the big one shoots its tentacles up at double speed. Watch the crosshair on the tentacle so you know when to hit it. Hammer - Bounces around much like the Podoboos. Make sure you step on them as they cross your arrows or else you'll regret it. They move at double speed. Coin Switch - More useful in Story Mode than Free Mode. Stepping on a Coin Switch (which moves faster than regular arrows usually) will turn all arrows into coins for a few seconds. Some of them shift their positions in the line and move at double speed. Boos and Giant Boo - A giant Boo sits on the bottom of the screen, and as you miss steps, it moves up, blocking more of the incoming arrows. Step on normal Boos to push him back down. Arrow Cheeps - Probably the most annoying enemy. These guys don't get in your way, nor do you have to step on them. No, what they do is push arrows into different columns, meaning what was a Left on the way up changes to a Down. Watch carefully. Freezie and Fire Flowers - Just like the Boos and Giant Boo. Step on the Fire Flowers to keep the Freezie at bay. Ice Spinies - Just like regular Spinies, don't step on them. Some of them move at double speed. Bullet Bill - Pretty much a standard enemy. It fires shots at you and you step on them to send them back. It takes three hits to destroy a Bill Blaster, but that's all moot since another one comes back soon after you destroy one. They move at double speed. Rockets - Exclusive to Bowser's Castle. Step on these three-stage rockets to build them and use them against Bowser. Missing a rocket will cause it to blow up in your face. =================================== 3E. Dancing Tips for the Beginner = =================================== KEEP PRACTICING! So, you've just got into DDR, eh? Good for you! You've become a part of a cult sensation that still holds tons of respect in arcades across the country! This game will probably seem quite overwhelming to you at first, especially if you watch people play it and watch them do 9-footers. Don't sweat it. You CAN be as good as them with the proper practice and effort. So, to begin, here are some tips I can give you as a beginner: 1. Get a good feeling for the beat. People who have performed with music have an advantage. People in marching band have a serious advantage. ~_^ You'll be stepping to the beat in these early stages, so get used to it now. 2. Now that you have the beat, you must "find the arrows". Yeah, sure. I know they're right there in front of you, to your sides, and behind you, but can you hit them without looking? Early on, you'll find that's your biggest problem: taking a step and not landing on the arrow. If you have to look, look, but that tactic won't last forever, so before a song takes off, take some cursory steps to make sure you're hitting arrows. 3. Keep your center. Especially on cheap pads with no definition, you'll find yourself often taking leave of the center of the pad as you continue stepping. If there's a break in the song, look down to make sure you're in the center. 4. Use the balls of your feet. You may notice, after some days of a lot of playing, that your ankles will start hurting. That's normal, and it's happened to most everyone I know that DDRs. This is your feet telling you to not step with your heels, but with the front of the foot. Get into that habit. 5. Now that you have these basics, you can start with Easy difficulty, but you'll really only get better once you start playing on Normal and Hard, as the difficulty doesn't increase that much. ======================================= 3F. Dancing Tips for the Intermediate = ======================================= KEEP PRACTICING! Well, you're definitely not a n00b anymore (pardon my French). You're at the point where you wouldn't completely humiliate yourself at the arcades, but you probably won't impress many people there. In fact, you may just bore them with your simple steps. It's time to go to the next level. So, first tip is to KNOW THE SONGS. You don't necessarily need to memorize the steps, but have a basic understanding of the song before you go into it. Even memorize the music itself, the lyrics, etc. so you can whistle along. Know where the songs musical notes occur in the melody, because these will be mostly what you step. Now that we're heading into dangerous territory, there is one big rule that I have to stress right away: Remember how in the last part I told you to "find your center"? Well, you've found it by now, so now it's time to GET OFF IT. That's a crutch that's let you into the game, but it will hold you back later on. What you have to learn is to return your feet to the center as rarely as possible, if at all. Move your feet from one arrow to the next, and don't move them unless you have an arrow to go to. This is probably the hardest thing you'll ever have to learn as a DDR player. Once you've relinquished your grip on the center, you only stand to improve up to the highest reaches of DDR-dom. This actually leads to the other major point of going intermediate: Eighth notes. Those are those off-colored ones. You'll have to deal with a lot of them, so learn to love them now. This is actually a good first step to leaving the center, because you are absolutely required to step three or more arrows in succession, and you'll have no time to return to the center at all. Use groups of three eighth notes to figure how to properly move between arrows; combinations such as up-left-down, where your right foot goes on up, left foot goes on left, and your right foot is already carrying back towards the down arrow, for example. Once you get strings of three down, you'll be ready to tackle longer strings, of four, five, seven, even nine if they're not too tangly. So, for this end, you'll want to go for songs of four to six feet in difficulty, as well as treading into the Very Hard difficulty. Just about all songs of this difficulty have at least several eighth notes to give you practice. Take these opportunities to develop your step combinations for your own style, so you'll be ready to use them when they appear again in harder songs. =================================== 3G. Dancing Tips for the Advanced = =================================== KEEP PRACTICING! All right. You're through messing around, and through getting condescending looks from your peers at the arcade. It's time to show them what you can really do and kick it up a notch or three. First, you better have mastered the stuff from the previous sections. I want to be able to yell out a song title and for you to hum it right there so you know what it sounds like. I don't wanna see your feet touch that center, soldier, or you'll drop and give me fifty. At this point, you should also have quick enough eye-foot coordination so that matching arrows on the screen with proper steps is second-nature. Now, for some new tactics: Chaos. You'll soon find as you reach the higher levels, that not all arrows are quarter notes and eighth notes. You'll find odd offbeat notes on triplets or twelfths. Very rarely will they be in random. Almost always, they'll match up with how the song goes, so you'll at least have that going for you. So, a thorough knowledge of the songs will allow you to surmount this hurdle with little difficulty. Taps. This is the name I like to give eighth notes all on the same arrow. These are always a pain, because you have to train your foot to tap rapidly on the same arrow for a possibly long time, and it can really wear you out. There's no easy way to get around this, you just have to learn it as you go. Axis of Rotation or "crossovers". Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to have your upper body directly facing the screen at all times. A very important tactic for the toughest songs is turning your body so that making truly difficult steps becomes easier. Using alternating feet on long series' of eighth notes is far less taxing than taking two or more eighth notes with one foot. The best way to start turning your body is with left-down-right eighth note combos. Left foot on the left arrow, right foot on the down, and turn so that your left foot hits the right arrow. It'll be very disorienting at first, but the hard songs will really take it out of you if you don't learn. After learning a basic turn, learn to maintain your body at a 90 degree angle to the screen for extended periods of time, and then taking it further by rotating 180 degrees, or even 270 and 360, if you're brave enough to take your eyes off the screen. Finally, it's important to be in relatively good shape for this. You have to have the proper stamina and leg strength to pull off the toughest ones, because rather dexterous and tiring feats will be required of you, so keep pounding at it, do hard songs repeatedly to build up strength, and push yourself harder and harder to go all the way up to Super Hard mode. ****************************************************************************** 4. STORY MODE ****************************************************************************** ==================== 4A. Basic Gameplay = ==================== The basic idea of Story Mode is to play through songs and minigames. You begin by selecting a character, then the difficulty. In the beginning, you're limited to playing on Easy or Normal. Once you beat Story Mode on Normal, you can play on Hard, then Very Hard. Sorry, but there's no Super Hard Story Mode. Once the game starts, you'll progress through the "story", which involves stages, which are pretty much songs with Mush Mode turned on. At times you'll also come across minigames which you'll have to play to move on. If you fail songs, you lose a life and have to play the stage again. If you lose all your lives, it's game over, and you have to start from the beginning. Passing songs will earn you: 100 coins for an A 50 coins for a B 30 coins for a C 10 coins for a D Passing minigames will earn you a specific set of coins based on your performance. Failing minigames will dock you 10 coins, but not lives. Another thing about Story Mode is items. Once you hit Stage 1-3, you can purchase items from Lakitu. This will happen either when you stop at a store during your progress or before any stage after 1-3, when you can press Z to buy items. The shop gives you three random items to purchase with your coins. All except the 1-Up have to be triggered to use before a stage. You can only carry three of those "trigger-able" items at a time. Mystery Drink: Randomly increases or decreases your Dance Meter. Price: 10 coins Lucky Clover: Gives you four free missteps without hurting your Dance Meter. Price: 50 coins Max Drink: Start with a full Dance Meter. Price: 50 coins Small Heart: Refills Dance Meter halfway when emptied. Price: 70 coins 1-Up Mushroom: Extra life. Price: 100 coins Big Heart: Completely refills DM when emptied. Price: 170 coins Music Wand: Drops the difficulty of the song a level. Not available on Easy. Price: 200 coins ============= 4B. World 1 = ============= Good old Mushroom Kingdom. Seems to look different every time we see it, eh? You need to get to Truffle Towers to find the first Music Key. --- Stage 1-1 - Practice with Toad! The bridge away from your house is out, so you'll need to dance to get a boat across. Song: Here We Go! --- Minigame: Whack a Goomba Required Score: ESY: 15 NML: 20 HRD: 25 VRY: 30 If you pass the minigame, you get one coin for every Goomba whacked. --- Stage 1-2 - Pipe Escape After being ejected from Truffle Towers, you drop into a pipe. Gotta dance to get out! Song: Underground Mozart After this stage, you'll reach your first store, and will be able to buy items. --- Stage 1-3 - Lakitu Garden The key to Truffle Towers is being kept at the store, and the only way Lakitu will part with it is if you get the Koopas out of his garden. Song: Garden Boogie --- Minigame: Flagpole Leap If you pass the minigame, you'll get one coin for every hundred points, so your maximum possible is 50 for 5000 points. --- Stage 1-4 - Waluigi Battle Looks like Waluigi is the one who released the keys. You'll have to battle him to pass this stage. It's not enough just to pass; you need to score higher than him. Not a very difficult feat, really. Song: Destruction Dance After beating Waluigi, you'll get your first bonus stage, which is one of four randomly selected minigames: Block Treasure, Coin Collection, Hidden Treasure, and Whee! ============= 4C. World 2 = ============= You and Toad will now hop on the SS Brass and take off in search of the other keys. You'll end up at a small island locale, and blown off-course by a tornado. --- Stage 2-1 - Corkscrew Hotel Your being blown around has messed up Toadette's hotel, and you'll need to dance it back to correctness. Song: Jump! Jump! Jump! --- Minigame: Banana Storm Required Socre: ESY: NML: 14 HRD: VRY: If you pass this minigame, you'll get one coin for each banana caught. --- Stage 2-2 - Pirate Island Before this stage, you'll access another shop. After which, you'll note a booster engine which can help the SS Brass withstand whirlpools. Of course, you'll have to dance for it. This is a battle stage like 1-4. Song: Fishing Frenzy --- Stage 2-3 - In the Whirlpool You'll enter the whirlpool in the ocean in search of the Music Key, and will have to guide the SS Brass in a true course along it. Song: In the Whirlpool --- Stage 2-4 - Big Blooper Battle Having found the Music Key in an underwater cave, you'll have to fight off a Big Blooper to get it. This isn't a battle stage. It's just that the Bloopers will be in the stepchart. Song: Blooper Bop After this stage, you'll get another bonus stage, which is one of four randomly selected minigames: Block Treasure, Coin Collection, Hidden Treasure, and Whee! ============= 4D. World 3 = ============= Your trek on the SS Brass has led you to an amusement park island. You'll find the third Music Key here. --- Stage 3-1 - Road Block Another battle stage like 1-4 and 2-2. You won't be able to enter the park without dancing past the gatekeepers, a couple of ornery Hammer Bros. Once completing this stage, you'll come to the third shop. Song: Hammer Dance --- Stage 3-2 - Roller Coaster Chase As you come to a roller coaster, you'll see Wario cruising by with a Music Key in tow. Hop on the next car and give chase! Song: Rollercoasting --- Minigame: Punch Up There's no threshold on this minigame. Just keep punching and racking up points. You'll get a coin for every 10 points. --- Stage 3-3 - Boo's Haunted House You'll chase Wario to a HAAAAUNTED HOUSE! This being the Mushroom Kingdom, the house is naturally populated with Boos, so you'll have to dance your way out of their scary clutches. Song: Boo Boogie --- Minigame: Chain-Chomp Chase Chasing after Wario will lead to you being chased by a Chain Chomp! Survive this chase for ten seconds to pass. --- Stage 3-4 - Wario Battle This is a battle stage, like 1-4 and 2-2. You'll square off against Wario on the Ferris Wheel to see who earns the Music Key. Song: Starring Wario! After this stage, you'll get another bonus stage, which is one of four randomly selected minigames: Block Treasure, Coin Collection, Hidden Treasure, and Whee! ============= 4E. World 4 = ============= Your chase has now led you to a frozen mountain. Looks like the Music Key's on the top, and you'll need to get up there. --- Stage 4-1 - Underground Tunnel The path up the mountain is too slippery, so you'll have to try an underground cave. Good luck passing through. After this stage, you'll reach the fourth shop. Song: Frozen Pipes --- Stage 4-2 - Cabin Fever The blizzard outside is getting fierce, so warm up for a bit while dancing inside a warm cabin. Song: Cabin Fever --- Minigame: Avalanche! Survive against an oncoming avalance for 30 seconds. --- Stage 4-3 - Big Freezie Battle You've reached the top of the mountain, but it looks like the big Freezie at the top isn't too keen on giving up his Music Key. Song: Deep Freeze --- Stage 4-4 - Sleigh Ride Time to head down the mountain, in a stylish bobsled, no less. Just watch out for more avalanches. Song: Rendezvous on Ice After this stage, you'll get another bonus stage, which is one of four randomly selected minigames: Block Treasure, Coin Collection, Hidden Treasure, and Whee! ============= 4F. World 5 = ============= Having found all four Music Keys, it's time to return them to Truffle Towers. --- Minigame: Flagpole Leap Same as before. Make the jump to get to Truffle Towers. --- Stage 5-1 - Raiding Bowsers' Castle Oh noes! Bowser stole the Music Keys right back from you! Chase him all the way to his island on the SS Brass! Song: Always Smiling --- Stage 5-2 - Bowser Battle Time for the final battle! Assemble the rockets to blow Bowser away! If you win, you'll have unleashed the true power of the Music Keys! Isn't that lovely? Hmm? Song: Bowser's Castle =================== 4G. Story Mode EX = =================== After completing Story Mode, you'll have an option to start a new game either normally or in EX mode. In EX mode, six of the stages will have new songs, and playing those will unlock them. Additionally, at each of the four shops you come to during the course of the game, you'll find a new song for sale. These are the only places you can pick up these songs, so save up your coins to buy them. Here are the new stages: --- Stage 1-2 - Pipe Escape EX Song: Pipe Pop Stage 2-2 - Pirate Island EX Song: Pirate Dance Stage 2-3 - In the Whirlpool EX Song: Step by Step Stage 3-3 - Boo's Haunted House EX Song: Moustache, Barrel, and Gorilla (Chip Trance) Stage 4-2 - Cabin Fever EX Song: Ms. Mowz's Song (Trance) Mush (Coin Switch) Stage 4-4 - Sleigh Ride EX Song: Midnight Drive (Disco House) Mush: (Ice Spinies, Goombas) --- Secret Song at Shop 1: Unlocks Choir on the Greens (100 Coins) Secret Song at Shop 2: Unlocks Hop, Mario! (200 Coins) Secret Song at Shop 3: Unlocks Where's the Exit? (300 Coins) Secret Song at Shop 4: Unlocks Piroli (400 Coins) ****************************************************************************** 5. NINTENDO SONGS ****************************************************************************** These songs are taken straight from some of Nintendo's classic Mario games. ================= 5A. Blooper Bop = ================= UNLOCK: Stage 2-4 in Story Mode From Super Mario Bros. Genre: Waltz BPM: 77 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 5 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Bloopers and Blooper Tentacles on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: The steps themselves aren't TOO difficult. You'll find it often follows the music, but sometimes it will follow the background rhythm, so pay careful attention. Knock this up to a 7 if you play on Mush Mode, because Blooper Tentacles are tough to follow to the top properly. Song Notes: This is the famous "water tune" from the original Super Mario Bros. by Koji Kondo. ================ 5B. Boo Boogie = ================ UNLOCK: Stage 3-3 in Story Mode From Super Mario Bros. 2 Genre: Chip House BPM: 130 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 7 Mush Mode: Boos and the Big Boo on Normal and up, and also Koopa Troopas on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: The hardest part of this song is near the beginning where you gallop into eighth notes. Other than that, more streams and a few chaotic steps. Song Notes: This is from what's known in the US as Super Mario Bros. 2 (known in Japan as Super Mario USA). The tune is the first overworld tune, composed by Koji Kondo. ===================== 5C. Bowser's Castle = ===================== UNLOCK: Stage 5-2 in Story Mode From Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Genre: Gabbah BPM: 180 Difficulty: ESY: 1 NML: 3 HRD: 4 VRY: 7 SUP: 8 Mush Mode: Rockets on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Hardest song in the game, and even that's not saying all that much. Lots of streams that move all around the pad with lots of crossovers. Watch for all the offbeat steps in the middle, and the chaotic steps near the end, as well. Song Notes: This is the Bowser's Castle theme from Double Dash, composed by Shinobu Tanaka and Kenta Nagata. ================= 5D. Cabin Fever = ================= UNLOCK: Stage 4-2 in Story Mode From Mario Party 5 Genre: Samba BPM: 129 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 5 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Coin Switches on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Mostly simple streams, and a few gallops. Watch for the streams that end in jumps in the second half. Song Notes: Don't know precisely what part of Mario Party 5 this is from, but it was originally composed by Aya Tanaka. ================= 5E. Deep Freeze = ================= UNLOCK: Stage 4-3 in Story Mode From Dr. Mario Genre: Trance BPM: 148 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 5 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Freezie and Fire Flowers on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Mostly short and a couple of mid-length streams. Watch for the ones that start offbeat. Song Notes: This is the classic "Fever" tune from Dr. Mario, composed by Hirokazu Tanaka. ======================= 5F. Destruction Dance = ======================= UNLOCK: Stage 1-4 in Story Mode From Wrecking Crew Genre: Jazz House BPM: 130 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 5 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Podoboos and Bob-Ombs on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Small streams mostly and a few small crossovers. There are also psuedo-triplets to contend with throughout. Song Notes: Taken from the old 1985 destruction game. ================== 5G. Hammer Dance = ================== UNLOCK: Stage 3-1 in Story Mode From Super Mario Bros. 3 Genre: Latin Jazz BPM: 157 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Hammers on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Nothing too outstanding about this song. Simple streams, mostly, at a reasonable tempo. Song Notes: This is one of the basic level tunes from Super Mario Bros. 3, composed by Koji Kondo. ================= 5H. Here We Go! = ================= UNLOCK: Stage 1-1 in Story Mode From Super Mario Bros. Genre: Chip House BPM: 100 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 5 Mush Mode: Goombas on Super Hard. Super Hard Notes: Quite a few psuedo-triplets and short streams at a slow tempo. Nothing to be too worried about Song Notes: This is the most classic of Mario tunes, the original Super Mario Bros. level tune by Koji Kondo. ================= 5I. Hop, Mario! = ================= UNLOCK: Purchase from the Shop in World 2 in Story Mode EX. From Super Mario World Genre: Trance BPM: 133 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 5 Super Hard Notes: Psuedo-triplets in the beginning and end. The rest of the song is mostly small streams, except for one mid-length stream in the middle. Song Notes: This is the title screen theme from Super Mario World, composed by Koji Kondo. ======================= 5J. Jump! Jump! Jump! = ======================= UNLOCK: Stage 2-1 in Story Mode From Super Mario Bros. 3 Genre: Hyper Euro Beat BPM: 150 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Koopa Troopas on Normal and up. Goombas on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: Simple streams, mostly. Just quite a few of them, and they can get up to mid-length. Song Notes: This is another of the level tunes from Super Mario Bros. 3 by Koji Kondo. ==================== 5K. Midnight Drive = ==================== UNLOCK: Stage 4-4 in Story Mode EX From Mario Kart 64 Genre: Disco House BPM: 123 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 5 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Ice Spinies on Normal and up. Goombas on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: Lots of simple streams, and a few chaotic steps. Also a few crossovers. Song Notes: Taken from Toad Turnpike, one of the racecourses in Mario Kart 64, composed by Kenta Nagata. ==================================== 5L. Moustache, Barrel, and Gorilla = ==================================== UNLOCK: Stage 3-3 in Story Mode EX From Donkey Kong Genre: Chip Trance BPM: 136 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Boos and the Big Boo on Normal and up. Koopa Troops on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: Lots of simple streams. Only hard part is near the end with a long set of gallops. Song Notes: This is composed of several small tunes from the original Donkey Kong, the level music, the DK intro music, the hammer tune. Also added in the latter half is the Donkey Kong Country bonus stage music, composed by E. Fischer and R. Beanland. ===================== 5M. Ms. Mowz's Song = ==================== UNLOCK: Stage 4-2 in Story Mode EX From Paper Mario Genre: Trance BPM: 139 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 6 SUP: 7 Mush Mode: Coin Switches on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Short streams to start with, then some rather long ones near the end. Also, watch for the jumps in the streams near the end. Song Notes: Specifically from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, this is the theme that plays when Ms. Mowz shows up, composed by Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko. ================== 5N. Pirate Dance = ================== UNLOCK: Stage 2-2 in Story Mode EX From Super Mario World Genre: Rock Country BPM: 158 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Cheep Cheeps on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Basic style streams with no crossovers, and they go about mid-length. Song Notes: This is the main level tune from Super Mario World, composed by Koji Kondo. ============ 5O. Piroli = ============ UNLOCK: Purchase from the Shop in World 4 in Story Mode EX From Famicom Disk System Genre: Chip House BPM: 134 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Super Hard Notes: Lots of short and mid-length streams with a few chaotic steps. Song Notes: From what I'm told, the tune of this one is the music you'd get on the Famicom Disk System if you started up the system with no disk inside. ==================== 5P. Rollercoasting = ==================== UNLOCK: Stage 3-2 in Story Mode From Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Genre: Trance BPM: 145 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Coin Switches on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Lots of streams, mostly small, and a few long, and a few with crossovers. Song Notes: This is the Mario/Luigi Circuit tune from Double Dash, composed by Shinobu Tanaka and Kenta Nagata. ===================== 5Q. Starring Wario! = ===================== UNLOCK: Stage 3-4 in Story Mode From Wario World Genre: Jazz House BPM: 121 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Podoboos and Bob-Ombs on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Lots of short streams, a few long streams (including a rather long one at the end), and a few chaotic steps. Song Notes: This is the main theme to Wario World, composed by Norio Hanzawa by Minako Hamano. ================== 5R. Step by Step = ================== UNLOCK: Stage 2-3 in Story Mode EX From Super Mario World Genre: Jazz House BPM: 100 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 7 Mush Mode: Spinies on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Whoa. Where'd all this come from? The song is slow, but the steps are actually pretty complicated. Gallops and sixteenths, as well as plenty of offbeat steps and jumps in the streams. Song Notes: This is the same tune as Pirate Dance, technically, composed by Koji Kondo. ======================= 5S. Where's the Exit? = ======================= UNLOCK: Purchase from the Shop in World 3 in Story Mode EX From Super Mario Bros. Genre: Trance BPM: 133 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Super Hard Notes: Lots of small streams, a few mid-length, and several gallops dotted about the chart. Song Notes: This is the underworld theme from Super Mario Bros., composed by Koji Kondo. ****************************************************************************** 6. CLASSIC SONGS ****************************************************************************** These are remixes of classic public domain songs, many hundreds of years old. ==================== 6A. Always Smiling = ==================== UNLOCK: Stage 5-1 in Story Mode From Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka Genre: Trance BPM: 140 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Bullet Bills on Normal and up. Spinies on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: For the penultimate song, it's not all that difficult. The longest streams is only five steps long. It's all just streams, and a few jumps off of eighth notes. Lyrics: Spread your wings tonight You can - come from - any walk of life The beat - will come - from the inside And when - you get - right to the heart You know - there's no other way to fly Smile will bring the sunshine days Comfort me tonight, spread your wings tonight Smile will bring the sunshine days You come anyway, oh the way you ride You can - come from - any walk of life The beat - will come - from the inside A chance - to have - flying that way As I fly - across the distant sky Smile will bring the sunshine days Comfort me tonight, spread your wings tonight Smile will bring the sunshine days You come anyway, oh the way you ride Comfort me tonight, spread your wings tonight You come anyway, oh the way you ride Song Notes: Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka op. 214 is a polka written by Johann Strauss II in 1858 after a successful tour of Russia where he performed at the summer concert season at Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg. Source: wikipedia. ======================== 6B. Choir on the Green = ======================== UNLOCK: Purchase from the Shop in World 1 in Story Mode EX From Ah, Lovely Meadow Genre: Trance BPM: 133 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 6 Super Hard Notes: There are a few gallops sprinkled about, but mostly simple streams. Song Notes: From what I can tell, this is a Czechoslovakian folk song. ==================== 6C. Fishing Frenzy = ==================== UNLOCK: Stage 2-2 in Story Mode From Csikos Post Genre: House BPM: 142 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 7 Mush Mode: Cheep Cheeps on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Mid-sized streams with crossovers, plus a few offbeat steps that follow the rhythm. Song Notes: Csikos Post is an old tune by Hermann Necke. ================== 6D. Frozen Pipes = ================== UNLOCK: Stage 4-1 in Story Mode From Old Folks at Home Genre: Country Techno BPM: 136 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 5 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Arrow Cheeps on Normal and up. Spinies on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: Short to mid-length streams, and a few gallops. Song Notes: Old Folks at Home is an old folk song by Stephen Foster, written in 1851. It's also known by its first line of vocals "Way down upon the Swanee River". =================== 6E. Garden Boogie = =================== UNLOCK: Stage 1-3 in Story Mode From Carmen Genre: Hyper Euro Beat BPM: 140 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Koopa Troopas on Normal and up. Goombas on Very Hard and up. Super Hard Notes: The actual melody section is the toughest part, as it combines streams with offbeat steps. They mostly follow the song, though. This can be kicked up to a 7 on Mush Mode, given the odd stepping requirements for the Koopa Troopas. Song Notes: Carmen's a French opera by Georges Bizet. The prelude (this song) is the most recognizable tune from the opera. ====================== 6F. In the Whirlpool = ====================== UNLOCK: Stage 2-3 in Story Mode From Pomp and Circumstance Genre: Drum'N'Bass BPM: 130 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Spinies on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Small streams, mostly. They get longer towards the middle of the song. After that, they're small crossovers. The end is a whole bunch of psuedo-triplets. Song Notes: The first in a series of marches by Edward Elgar, first released in 1901, a mainstay at American graduation exercises. ============== 6G. Pipe Pop = ============== UNLOCK: Stage 1-2 in Story Mode EX From Turkish March Genre: Disco House BPM: 125 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 7 Mush Mode: Goombas on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: Rather long streams in this song, often requiring you to perform crossovers. There are also several gallops to contend with. Song Notes: This is part of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331, composed somewhere around 1780. ======================= 6H. Rendezvous on Ice = ======================= UNLOCK: Stage 4-4 in Story Mode From Les Patineurs Genre: Dance Pop BPM: 123 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 6 SUP: 7 Mush Mode: Ice Spinies on Normal and up. Goombas on Super Hard. Super Hard Notes: The really hard part of this song is the middle with all the triplets. At the end is probably the hardest, with triplet gallops. Oh, and there's a pretty long stream at the end. Song Notes: Les Patineurs or 'The Skaters' or 'Die Schlittschuhläufer' op. 183 is a waltz by Emile Waldteufel, composed in 1882. ======================== 6I. Underground Mozart = ======================== UNLOCK: Stage 1-2 in Story Mode From Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Genre: Classical Techno BPM: 168 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 3 VRY: 4 SUP: 6 Mush Mode: Goombas on Normal and up. Super Hard Notes: The early section of the song has short streams mostly, and some streams starting on the eighth notes of measures. At the end, you'll get a few mid-length streams, and a long jump section. Song Notes: This is Mozart's Serenade for strings in G major, composed in 1787. =========================== 6J. Up, Down, Left, Right = =========================== From Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Genre: Trance BPM: 134 Difficulty: ESY: 0 NML: 1 HRD: 2 VRY: 3 SUP: 6 Super Hard Notes: Simple and mostly short streams. Some crossovers, offbeat notes, and a few jumps coming off eighth notes. Song Notes: This is, of course, a popular English nursery rhyme. ****************************************************************************** 7. MINIGAMES ****************************************************************************** These are minigames thrown into Story Mode. Once you play them in Story Mode, you can play them from the Minigames Mode section of the Main Menu. ================ 7A. Avalanche! = ================ UNLOCK: In World 4, between 4-2 and 4-3 Snowballs are rolling down! Avoid them for thirty seconds. Step Left or Right to move your character in that direction. Watch the snowballs carefully. They can change "avenues" as they roll down. ================== 7B. Banana Storm = ================== UNLOCK: In World 2, between 2-1 and 2-2 Collect as many bananas as you can! Watch out for the dropped Spinies or you'll be out of comission for a short time. Step Left or Right to move your character in that direction. The monkeys will show you what they'll drop before they do so, so watch closely. Sometimes they'll fake you out and not drop a banana. ==================== 7C. Block Treasure = ==================== UNLOCK: This is one of the four bonus stages after completing a world. Step Left to Right to move your character, and step Up to jump and hit the blocks for items. Blocks may be empty, have one coin, have ten coins, have a 1-Up, or have a Spiny which will slow you down. ======================= 7D. Chain-Chomp Chase = ======================= UNLOCK: In World 3, between 3-3 and 3-4 Watch out! You've got a Chain Chomp after you! You have to keep away for ten seconds. Step Left and Right repeatedly to get away from the Chain Chomp. ===================== 7E. Coin Collection = ===================== UNLOCK: This is one of the four bonus stages after completing a world. You're on a horizontally moving cloud. Catch all the coins you can, but watch out for the Spinies. Step Up to jump, and step Down to duck. ========================== 7F. Fire Up the SS Brass = ========================== UNLOCK: This minigame appears once all 29 songs are open for play. Launch the SS Brass! Get through all fifteen tunnels to win. Hold down Up, Down, Left, or Right to pass through the only open tunnel out of each of the fifteen tunnel systems. =================== 7G. Flagpole Leap = =================== UNLOCK: World 1, between 1-3 and 1-4 Grab the flagpole for score and enter the castle, just like in SMB! Step Left and Right repeatedly to build up speed, then watch for the Up arrow to appear, and step Up when it crosses the Step Zone to jump the highest. ===================== 7H. Hidden Treasure = ===================== UNLOCK: This is one of the four bonus stages after completing a world. There are two treasure chests. One has a single coin, and the other has 100. Watch closely to find the right one. Step Left to Right to move your character, and step Up to jump and hit the chest you pick. You only get one choice. ================= 7I. Note Pickup = ================= UNLOCK: This minigame appears once you beat Story Mode once. You're on a moving platform. Step Left or Right to jump in that direction. Step Up to jump straight up. The object of this minigame is to collect all the notes in the area. Most are on side platforms. You can make a jump to the side platforms once a part of your platform passes by it. Make sure you jump back quickly so it doesn't leave you behind. Also, watch out for the rotating barriers and Bob-Ombs. Normal jump-ups will get you over the barriers, but you need to properly time your jump to get over the Bob-Ombs. Watch for an up arrow and a Step Zone to make the proper jump. ============== 7J. Punch Up = ============== UNLOCK: World 3, between 3-2 and 3-3 Take control of the punching machine and knock out as many Koopa Troopas as you can! Don't hit Toad or you won't be able to punch for a while. Step on Left, Up, or Right to use one of your fists. It takes a few seconds to restore a fist after you punch it, but you can still punch with the other fists if you use one. Scoring is by which Koopas you hit, and how many with one punch. Green Koopa: 20 points Green Shell: 30 points Red Shell: 40 points Second Koopa in one punch: 2X for that one Third Koopa in one punch: 3X for that one So, say you punched and got a Green Shell, then Green Koopa, then a Red Shell all in one shot. You'd get 30+(2x20)+(3x40), or 190 points for one shot! ==================== 7K. Whack-a-Goomba = ==================== UNLOCK: World 1, between 1-1 and 1-2 Simply put, whack the Goombas! Step Up, Left, Down, or Right to swing your hammer in that direction. Each Goomba you hit gives you a point. =========== 7L. Whee! = =========== UNLOCK: This is one of the four bonus stages after completing a world. While you drop, hold down the Left and Right arrows. At the bottom, you'll hit a trampoline. Jump off the arrows once the trampoline reaches the middle of its bounce-back for best results. ****************************************************************************** 8. STANDARD GUIDE STUFF ****************************************************************************** =========== 8A. Legal = =========== This FAQ was made 100% by me, and is Copyright © 2005 Scott "CyricZ" Zdankiewicz. You may not take it in whole or in part and claim it as your own. You may not alter it in any way, even if you ask me first, and that includes putting it in HTML format. Please don’t post this on your site unless you have express consent by me. I’ve put a lot of time into this. Give me some credit. All songs and their lyrics are copyright their respective owners. DDR is Copyright © 1998-2005 Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. Mario and all its characters, music, etc. is copyright © 1981-2005 Nintendo Co. Ltd. Currently, the following sites have permission to post my FAQ: www.gamefaqs.com www.gamewinners.com www.ign.com www.cheatcc.com www.cheatplanet.com www.neoseeker.com I'm not going to allow people with small personal sites to post this FAQ. They may post the link on GameFAQs with all the Mario Mix guides, but, trying to keep updates, well, updated, I'll only allow large committed sites that I trust. ======================= 8B. E-mail Guidelines = ======================= If you wish to e-mail me, be sure to follow these guidelines: - Make ABSOLUTELY sure I haven't already answered your question in the guide. - Make sure it has something to do with DDR Mario Mix. I don't want spam, chain letters, offers for friendship. Don't bother me with info on other DDR games, really. I keep my ear pretty close to the ground about such things, and I'll probably know about it before you. Compliment me on the FAQ all you want, though. - Make sure you say "DDR Mario Mix" at one point in your e-mail. I have more than one DDR FAQ, and I can't always figure the question out without specifying what game you're asking about. - Asking how to beat a song will result in a deletion. There really are no tips to offer for DDR'ing besides what I have in my section. It has to come from your own skill and desire to pass. - Spell correctly and use proper grammar, please. If I can't understand your e-mail, it'll go to the junk pile. ============= 8C. Credits = ============= CJayC and Al Amaloo for having this on their sites. Wikipedia, and all those involved, for info on several of the songs. DDRJeffP, for info on Piroli. Konami and the BEMANI studio, for their effort in bringing DDR to Nintendo. ===================== 8D. Version Updates = ===================== Version 1.1 - (11/28/05) - No one was exactly rushing me on this one, but I have Coin Collection info, Piroli info, and the lyrics for Always Smiling. Version 1.0 - (11/1/05) - Uh, happy All Saints Day! Have a Mario Mix FAQ, won't you? Still need info on Coin Collection, though. ==================== 8E. The Final Word = ==================== Fans of Mario music rejoice, because this is a true musical experience. Fans of DDR, well, you'll probably only want to play this for a few hours to get all the songs down, since the challenge isn't what you're used to.