FingerGaming

It’s here! After recently premiering exclusively in the Japanese iTunes store, there was some uncertainty as to whether Konami’s rhythm title DanceDanceRevolution S Lite would ever be available for download in North America. Yesterday’s release of a U.S. demo version leaves no doubt, however — Konami’s iPhone DanceDanceRevolution port is indeed on its way at some unspecified future date.

I downloaded the free S Lite version earlier today, and surprisingly enough, it still feels a lot like DanceDanceRevolution, even without any footwork required on the player’s part. Konami managed to pack a lot of DDR’s charm into this little game, which comes complete with 3D background dancers, a full song (Flowers, by Terra) from the original series, and even a goofy announcer to tell you how wonderful you are.

It’s not perfect, though. The timing window was a little weird — the arrows would sync perfectly to the music at some points, while at others, I had to hit the notes a little bit earlier than normal to score Perfects and Marvelouses. After a few plays, I managed to full-combo the song, but only earned an A for my efforts — a sure sign I was being penalized for way too many Greats.

Otherwise, the game plays wonderfully. Using your fingers to hit the on-screen dance pad works very well, and the iPhone’s multi-touch functionality means that jumps and freeze arrows translate perfectly. I’ll be waiting anxiously for the full release — if the timing issues and some occasional framerate problems are fixed, this could become one of my favorite apps so far.

Tags: dance dance revolution s lite, konami, Music, rhythm