Reviewed: September 19, 2006
Reviewed by: Mahamari Tsukitaka

Publisher
Codemasters

Developer
Broadsword Interactive

Released: September 1, 2006
Genre: Music
Players: 1-16
ESRB: Everyone

7
7
8
9
7.8

Supported Features:

The game also includes some other standard dance game features, such as multiplayer/solo modes, a workout (“fitness”) mode, and an endurance mode; as well as some unusual features, such as the ability to call forth unique “creatures” from your CDs (a la Monster Rancher) to dance with you, or the Tetris-like puzzle game Cubrix that you can play while Dance Factory is "converting" songs from your CDs.

Well, like any Dance Dance Revolution veteran who has gotten tired of the same old songs or even disliked some of the tracks I was given, I found this idea intriguing, so I gave Dance Factory a go.

I started by dancing to the handful of included starter tracks provided with the game (only five tracks are included because the game assumes that you will make your own tracks by putting in your own music). The steps were fine, though uninspired, and included the occasional freeze arrow to break up the monotony – but I wasn’t daunted yet. Having gotten a feel for the game, I went all out and converted a number of tracks from various CDs—from Daft Punk to Yo-Yo Ma—to see how it would react.

The result? The steps generated weren’t much different from those that went with the starter songs, honestly, and after a few songs you start noticing that many of the patterns repeat from song to song. Granted, Daft Punk made for better dancing than Yo-Yo Ma (which was an odd dance experience, as much as that cellist rocks), but the strange part was that it didn’t feel much different from song to song. Unlike DDR, which includes fun dance steps that sometimes manage to imitate real dance moves, Dance Factory’s steps just felt like straight aerobic exercise.

I also tried all three difficulty levels included with Dance Factory, but I was not duly impressed with this, either. “Normal” is very easy compared to normal-mode in DDR, though it’s probably a bit more challenging than easy-mode in DDR. “Easy” is slightly simpler than “Normal,” but my guess is that if you can do the Dance Factory steps on Easy, you can probably also do them on Normal too, since they are not much different.

As for the “Pro” difficulty level – well, it’s not DDR on heavy-mode. Instead of increasing difficulty by generating more challenging step patterns or steps on unusual beats, Dance Factory’s Pro mode seems to basically be the Normal mode steps, except twice as fast, which renders some of the step patterns nearly impossible to actually perform. As a fairly capable DDR player who can usually handle the heavy-mode stuff, I found this to be pretty disappointing.

Moreover, the same difficulty mode is applied to both players, so both players must play on the same level. This wasn’t a problem for me, since I tested the game with someone of approximately equal skill, but the two players aren’t always at the same skill level, and Dance Factory doesn’t provide the flexibility of DDR, which allows each player to select his or her own difficulty mode when playing together with someone else.

That being said, Dance Factory isn’t as terrible a game as I may have unintentionally made it sound. For one, it’s a valiant effort at doing something new with the dance game genre, and it does succeed in creating danceable steps to any song you please. My main complaints are as a seasoned DDR player who prefers the complexity of preplanned dance steps that can only be achieved in a game where each track has already been specially choreographed. Because of this, I probably have not enjoyed this game as much as many other players will.

For beginning dance game players, however, the game could be great fun because it provides such doable dance steps (to 100% customizable music, no less) at the Easy and Normal levels, whereas DDR seems to have a much steeper learning curve. As such, it’d probably be a more accessible party activity than DDR, since more people will be able to play it and enjoy it.

Meanwhile, the Creature mode is somewhat diverting. Using an idea first pioneered in Monster Rancher, Dance Factory can create a unique creature from any music CD that you insert into your PS2. These creatures can be purchased with points you earn by dancing. The creatures I encountered ranged from angry purple gorillas and cheery red alligators to boxy robots and gangly dancing girls, all of which may be accessorized further as you earn more points and buy optional items. You can also use these points to buy additional backdrops to dance to.

Plus, the game gives you a number of neat little options that may make Dance Factory a fun party game. You can choreograph your own steps if you don’t like the ones they give you, and you can play as DJ. There is even a tournament mode that allows for up to 16 different dancers, if you have enough friends who want to play.

Less importantly, the background graphics look all right and creatures are pretty cute, but they also look fairly simplistic and generic. It’s all fine, but don’t expect to be blown away.

Though this game may not appeal as much to dance game veterans who prefer the more complicated step patterns and higher challenge level offered by the DDR games, other players might greatly enjoy Dance Factory’s straightforward steps, customizability, and playability.