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| Kick It Man || KaW feat. [[Daz Sampson|DAZ]] || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-04|format=mdy}} || Remastered from ''[[Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix|DDR 4thMix]]'' via [[Dancemania#Zip Mania|''Zip Mania'']].
| Kick It Man || KaW feat. [[Daz Sampson|DAZ]] || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-04|format=mdy}} || Remastered from ''[[Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix|DDR 4thMix]]'' via [[Dancemania#Zip Mania|''Zip Mania'']].
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| If You Can Say Goodbye (Factory Team Mix) || Kate Project || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-28|format=mdy}} || New.
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| Liquify || Toby Emerson || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-28|format=mdy}} || New.
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| Paradox (StepManiaX Mix) || Naoki feat. Riyu Kosaka || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-28|format=mdy}} || New.
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| Queen Of Light || E-Rotic || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-28|format=mdy}} || New.
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| Ring The Alarm || M-Project & Signal || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-28|format=mdy}} || New.
|-
| Say What (Pisk Electro Swing Remix) || Cut Capers || {{Date table sorting|2021-06-28|format=mdy}} || New.
|}
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Revision as of 23:15, 28 June 2021

Not to be confused with StepMania, the 2001 open source video game.

StepManiaX
A screenshot of StepManiaX Machine.
Developer(s)Step Revolution
EngineStepMania
Platform(s)Arcade
ReleaseJune 10, 2017
Genre(s)Music, exercise
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

StepManiaX (abbreviated SMX and pronounced "Step Maniacs") is a rhythm game developed & published by Step Revolution, a studio formed by former developers of In the Groove and Pump It Up Pro. It is the spiritual successor to the In the Groove series. The name is not to be confused with the open-source simulator StepMania, although StepManiaX is derived from the same codebase, with modifications made to support the new game types, lights, touch support, and the Android operating system.

Gameplay

SMX Gameplay, showing holds, pits, early perfects, and so forth.

Similar to other stepping or dance-based games, StepManiaX uses a "stage" that the user stands on with certain areas being pressure-sensitive buttons, or "panels". StepManiaX uses five identically sized inputs, arranged similarly to a Directional Pad - Up, Down, Left, Right, and the inclusion of Center.

Players can select between 7 different types of modes (see below). When selecting a song, players use the touch screen to swipe left or swipe right to select the song. The song selection can be sorted by preferred categories such as by song or difficulty. Players can also customize modifiers adjust to their preferred style, such as changing the panel colors, BPM scrolling speeds, background brightness, etc.

The core gameplay involves the player stepping on the panel with their feet to correspond with the scrolling arrows (or "Notes") on-screen once they reach the end of beat lines (horizontal bars that move up the screen). During normal gameplay, arrows scroll upwards from the bottom of the screen towards the end of the play area, towards a set of receptor markers on the sides of the arrow lanes. When these scrolling arrows reach the end, the player must step on the corresponding arrows on the dance stage, and the player is given a judgement for their accuracy of the input. Each note judged has multiple "windows" that it can be categorized into. These, from most accurate to least, are: PERFECT!!, PERFECT, EARLY, LATE, and MISS. Any judgement that is not "PERFECT!!" will show an indicator if the input was registered early or late compared to the intended timing.

Stepping accurately will contribute to the player's life bar, visible on the edge of the screen. Missing notes will cause a player's lifebar to decrease. If a player's lifebar empties entirely, scoring will halt and the song will no longer be able to be "passed" for that player, although the game will still continue until a player manually ends the song or the song completes.

Additional note types are also included with StepManiaX's gameplay.

  • Holds - Notes that have longer, extended trails following the initial directional indicator. Players must keep the corresponding direction depressed for the duration of the trail. Similar to Pump It Up, holds continuously generate combo for the player while being held down and also have the ability to be re-stepped on if the player was to accidentally release the hold before being completed. If the player releases the hold at any time, the player will instead receive a yellow "!" judgement, regardless if it is being held at the end. Successfully completing a hold will generate a green checkmark judgement. Continuously failing to hold the indicated direction will decrease the player's health bar significantly, and will continue to deplete until the direction is pressed
  • Rolls - Similar in appearance to a hold, but typically displayed visibly as spiky. Rolls display a number of times a panel must be hit before it ends - this is indicated by a number attached to the top of the roll. For example, if the number shows 3, you must hit that same panel 3 times before that Roll ends.
  • Mines - Displayed as a circular shape with a red 'X' through it, these notes must be avoided. The button that the column corresponds to must not be touched (hit or held) at any point until the mine passes. Avoiding the mines generate a checkmark, while failing to avoid generate a "X" that punishes you. Avoiding mines will award the player a small point value.
  • Pits - Combining both Holds and Mines, pits are "long mines" that will punish a player if they hold down the indicated direction while the pit is scrolling past the end of the playfield. Continuously holding down a direction while a pit is active will punish a player by severely decreasing their health bar the longer it is held. Completely avoiding a pit will award the player a small point value.
  • Lifts - Typically placed at the end of ahold. Appropriately named, the player is expected to lift off the panel at the precise time the lift reaches the end of the playfield. Successfully lifting will reward a green checkmark judgement and a small point bonus, while failing to do so will reward a yellow "!" and no points.

Completing a song while a player still has energy remaining in their health bar will award a "pass" to the player. The player is taken to the Results Screen, which rates the player's performance with a star rating (between 1 and 6 stars, with a specialized design for players who achieve the maximum score of 100,000 points), the points earned (between 0 and 100,000, which can be interpreted as a percentage by dividing by 1000), and specific judgement statistics.

Modes

2 Players playing Team Mode.

There are 7 modes to play:

MODE Format Panels Levels
BEGINNER Single 3 1-6
EASY Single 5 6-13
HARD Single 5 13-20
WILD Single 5 19-27
DUAL Double 6 2-23
FULL Double 10 7-28
TEAM Double 10 9-28

For single-stage format, beginner mode exists to get newcomers to play and cater to freestylers, while using just 3 panels: left, center, and right. Easy adds the up and down panels, making all 5 panels available to play. Hard makes the different colored rhythm panels more common and may add a few advanced features like pits. Wild further increasing the difficulty while making additional features more common.

Unlike single-pad, double-stage formats have no difficulty restrictions. Dual Mode is a new mode introduced to dance games that uses 6 panels, with both ups and downs not present. Full Mode uses all 10 panels. Team Mode is like Full, but requires 2 players to play based on the color of the panels, with both players sharing the same lifebar and same score.

During development, "Beginner" mode was titled "Basic". This was later updated to ease new players into the game. The original difficulty scale was also adjusted from a 1-10 scale to allow for more range in Beginner and Easy charts.

Development

Step Revolution showcasing 2 StepManiaX machines at Gamescom 2019
See also: In the Groove (video game series)

Development of StepManiaX started with stage development in early 2015. Several different designs were prototyped using various sensor technologies, including an aluminum slim-line stage. This design was officially shown to the public by project lead Kyle Ward in early 2016.[1] Later that year, the retail version of the stage was shown, sporting a thicker, more durable steel stage design. During this period, the StepManiaX software was being developed in tandem with hardware development. The goal of the software was to create a simple interface that was accessible for all ranges of players. The game then grew its design to appeal to a wide variety of locations: Home, Health & Fitness, Education, Competitive E-Sports, and Family Recreation.[2] The title "StepManiaX" was selected to focus on the aerobic stepping aspect of the game.

The game's first public showing was during MAGFest 2017.[3][4]

StepManiaX was released in June, 2017, but access to the game was very limited. Initially targeting fitness and recreational facilities, the game was installed at various family-oriented locations. During this time, the all-in-one cabinet design was exhibited at various trade fairs and gaming events like Gamescom 2017[5] as sales were limited due to stock shortages and gauging interest with distribution partners. Multiple waves of sales for consumer use eventually led to home users acquiring hardware, as sales were not limited to organizations or certain environments.[6] The following year, a coin-operated version of the game premiered at 8 on the Break as an initial location and hardware test.[7] This cabinet revision also premiered commercially at IAAPA 2018.[8] Since then, the game is available directly via the developer's web store[9] and through various distribution partners.[10] [11][12][13]

Music

Music Selection Screen.

The soundtrack style for StepManiaX is similar in approach to other dance games such as Dance Dance Revolution, Pump It Up, In The Groove, iDance. The soundtrack generally consists of higher tempo music with easy to follow beats and well-defined rhythms. The song selection consists of newer songs that have never appeared in other music games, as well as older licenses that have also appeared in other music games. Alongside these older licenses are newer songs made by the same artists who worked on other music games, such as Naoki Maeda, the original sound director for Dance Dance Revolution, Yahpp, one of the original members of Pump It Up's in-house production group BanYa, and Kyle Ward, the original sound director of In The Groove.

StepManiaX originally launched with a soundtrack of 80 songs,[14] with 31 of the 80 original songs requiring extra payment from the game owner to access.[15] Since the initial launch, no other additional content has required an additional purchase.

Starting on March 5, 2018, StepManiaX started receiving free content updates, with the update schedule moving to a monthly cadence in April 2020. These updates have increased the current songlist to 270 songs as of June 2021.[15]

Hardware Variations and Application Support

While StepManiaX is intended to act as a full all-in-one product that includes both the game and the hardware needed to play it, individual parts can be bought and used on their own with other products.

The StepManiaX Stage features 5 pressable panels by default: Up, down, left, right, center. An additional kit can be purchased to make the diagonals pressable as well. An additional pad can be purchased to play doubles mode.

The stage is fully compatible with various simulators such as StepMania, osu!, MAME, or any application capable of using HID Joystick input.

Due to its breakout wiring, StepManiaX stages can be modified to completely bypass the USB output and natively work with other I/O solutions. This allows stages to be used with older home consoles, or even as replacements for stages on official Pump It Up cabinets.[16]

Reception and Sales

StepManiaX has been met with generally positive reviews.

Wilcox Arcade stated that StepManiaX is welcoming to the American arcade industry.[17][18]

Gemu Baka praised the machine during his time at BASHCon as the best alternative to Dance Dance Revolution that still remains exclusive to Round 1 and Dave & Buster's.[19]

Players have stated that these are the best types of pads that are nearly arcade perfect in terms of durability, sensitivity, longevity, maintenance, customization, and quality of service. For the dedicated game itself, the biggest praise comes from the large song library and everything available from the start, with internet connection only needed for content updates and score.[20][21]

The biggest criticisms of StepManiaX is the limited supply and the lack of a console version. Even during restocking times, the items will quickly sell out in seconds. The high demand for these items increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many arcades remained closed or had limited reopenings.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Returning to Dance Games! | www.kyleaward.com". www.kyleaward.com. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "TAP #26: StepManiaX (ft. Kyle Ward)". DDR Community. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "StepManiaX Preview at MAGFest". DDR Community. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  4. ^ Hartling, Paul (January 7, 2017). "StepManiaX Full Song List and Debut Information from MAGfest 2017". Otaquest. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "StepManiaX at Gamescom | www.kyleaward.com". www.kyleaward.com.
  6. ^ "StepManiaX - setting up machine and first songs". YouTube. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  7. ^ "StepmaniaX Dedicated Arcade Version Prepping For A Q2 2018 Release". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Hartling, Paul (August 17, 2018). "StepManiaX Location Test 2018 Details and Preview". Otaquest. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "Step Revolution Shop". Step Revolution LLC - Shop.
  10. ^ "StepManiaX - Arcade Dance Game". Betson Enterprises.
  11. ^ "Player One Amusement Group". Player One Amusement Group.
  12. ^ "Step ManiaX". PrimeTime Amusements.
  13. ^ "StepManiaX". Exergame Fitness | Powered by Motion Fitness.
  14. ^ "StepManiaX Preview @ MAGFest 2017". DDRCommunity. Retrieved May 7, 2021. {{cite web}}: |first1= missing |last1= (help)
  15. ^ a b "StepManiaX Songlist". Google Sheets. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  16. ^ Ward, Kyle. "People have asked so here it is: #StepManiaX 4th Generation Stages #PIU Style". Twitter. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  17. ^ Wilcox, Dustin (April 11, 2018). "StepManiaX and Ninja Soldier (M2) Thoughts". Wilcox Arcade. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  18. ^ Wilcox, Dustin (August 13, 2018). "My Thoughts on the Recent Release of Deadpool Pinball; the Impending Release of StepManiaX". Wilcox Arcade. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  19. ^ "StepManiaX Preview at MAGFest". Gemu Baka. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  20. ^ "NEACE: Buying insane dance pads, worth it? (StepmaniaX Stage Review)". YouTube. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  21. ^ "StepManiaX Gen 4 Stages! First Impression & Review". YouTube. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  22. ^ "Dom's 4-Panel Dance Pad Roundup 2020". YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
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