Konami Reveals New Arcade Dancing Game DANCE aROUND

Konami has revealed a new dancing game for arcades titled DANCE aROUND. It will be part of the company’s long-running Bemani rhythm game series, which includes Beatmania IIDX, Gitadora, and Nostalgia.

The company also published a description of the new arcade game on its Japanese webpage. This game will be a successor to DanceEvolution, which went offline in arcades in 2016. DANCE aROUND will use a pair of cameras to track the player’s movements and compare them with preset poses to give scores. The game will also show special marks that instruct players to repeat the previous action or perform a mirrored stance.

The most significant difference between DANCE aROUND and DanceEvolution is that DANCE aROUND will feature avatars based on anime characters and animal mascots instead of realistic models.

The new arcade game will feature two playing styles. The Normal Style will have the avatar perform a proper example of the dance. Meanwhile, the Performance Style will put the avatar into a separate box and mimic the player’s movements. To make sure that the cameras can track properly, Konami recommends the players wear clothing that does not obstruct silhouettes of the head, elbows, and knees. Players should also avoid wearing shirts that have people printed on them.

DANCE aROUND will be available in arcades. Konami will hold a location test for the game at Round1 Stadium Sennichimae in Osaka from  November 13 to November 14, 2021.