[Review] Floor Kids

Developer: MERJ Media Publisher: MERJ Media

Release Date: 12.7.17 (NA) 12.18.17 (EU and AUS)

Greetings. Welcome to the City. We’ve been expecting you. You are the one the Elders spoke of in their prophecies. We hear you are armed with formidable dance skills. Your goal is to explore the city. A city full of Dance Warriors like yourself. You must combine your talents to become the ultimate dancing force.

Get ready to channel your inner B-Boy (or B-Girl) in this competitive and innovative take on rhythm and dance games. For a long time, rhythm games have been a pretty straight forward formula; catchy music that you press specific directional buttons to at a specific beat, perfectly mimic what the game wants you to do so you can get a high score.. Don’t get me wrong, I am a rhythm game addict, and I love games such as Superbeat Xonix, yet there’s something about Floor Kids that really gets you going and really sucks you in to the game. There are aspects of the game that are still your quintessential rhythm game; following beats to earn points. The game, however, goes far beyond that. For the first time in my gaming history, Floor Kids is a rhythm game that allows you some personal expression. You play the game how you want…earn a high score however you want. Choose a character that fits your style and let your dance style come to life. You will quickly find that to win the game you can’t follow a set formula; you need to embody your little dancer and express yourself through your dance. I wouldn’t call Floor Kids a rhythm or a dance game. I would call it what it is: a unique addition to the genre that also sets itself apart as a Break Dancing game.

You begin the game with one unlocked character, Bizzy. Each character has different stats (kind of like each car in Mariokart 8 Deluxe has different stats). Top Rock, Down Rock, Power, and Freeze. I’m sure if you come from a B-boy background, these terms made a lot more sense to you than they did to me when I first started the game. In total, there are 8 characters in the game, 7 of which you will unlock by playing the game. Apart from Bizzy, there is Raquette, Saboya, Noogie, Scribbles, O-Live, Ruckus, and Hiyo Ono. Each character not only comes with their own stats, each character come with 16 unique moves that you must discover by simply playing the game and trying different combinations. Don’t fret, at the very beginning there is a tutorial to give you the fundamentals of how to execute each category of dance moves.

There are 4 categories of dance moves: Top Rock, Down Rock, Power, and Freeze. For the most part it’s self explanatory. Top Rock are dance moves while you are standing, Down Rock are dance moves while you are closer to the floor, Power are your spins (I like head spins, personally), and Freeze are moves where you freeze in a position for a few beats. It is important to learn each move and use them seamlessly; just like in real dance, you want it all to look smooth and not choppy. It is equally important to learn what each move is called as a way to earn bonus points is by completing crowd requests. If someone calls out a specific move or string of moves, perform them and watch your meter light on fire!

The best way to play Floor Kids is in story mode. You will explore the city and collect your crew by beating songs at different locations. Each location gets increasingly more difficult, but you will find yourself playing it over and over again to get those 5 crowns. In total, there are 20 songs all composed by Kid Koala. The songs have a great variety and are all incredibly catchy. The songs really help with setting the tone of the game and getting you in to your own groove to perform some killer dance moves and get the crowd really going. Play around with the dance moves and see which moves you can flow in to from one another. This will greatly increase your score. You can toggle between Top and Down Rock by pressing down on the left analog stick. Power Moves are performed by spinning the analog in either direction (spinning it in one direction and then another will perform two different Power moves). Flicking the analog stick allows you to do “hops” which will earn you some Fly Cred. This is important, as your success in each level is determined by Funk, Flavor, Flow, Fire, and Flyness. The 5 F’s of success!

Story mode, while not horribly long, is the major draw of the game. I have to say, though, that Battle Mode is a great multiplayer feature. Play with a friend and you will have the neat addition of attack and defense. While Story Mode will only last so long, Battle Mode will keep being a great party game. The graphics for the game are truly great and unique, too. I thought it perfect for this style of game to have cartoon “sketched” drawings. I would watch a movie or animation with this kind of art, for sure.

Each new encounter will further help you find your style. Train and unlock your full potential. Collect the grooves. Learn from every era. Others will hear the music and be drawn to join your quest. Remember: The music is but a vehicle – you are the driver. Add your energy. Listen. Practice. Refine. Trust yourself. Trust your Skills. Godspeed, young dance warrior. Spread the funk. It is your destiny.

Let’s begin.