PS Vita

Persona 4: Dancing All Night’s note types, Fever system, and more detailed

Details from Japanese press' hands-on previews.

New details and screenshots on Persona 4: Dancing All Night have come out of new hands-on previews from Japanese publications.

Here’s the roundup of what’s new:

There’s a “Free Mode” where you can freely select your song and costume.
Each song’s main dancer is pre-set, meaning that when players pick a song, the main character for the corresponding dance routine is automatically picked as well.
At the start of the game, you’ll choose your music, difficulty, character costumes, and partner character (partner characters are unlocked upon satisfying specific conditions).
During songs, notes flow to the outer parts of the screen from the middle of the screen, and players must press the button corresponding to that note when the note overlaps the target.
There are sound effects when pressing buttons. You can choose whether you want the sound effect to be on, as well as choose your favorite from a number of prepared sound effects.
There are a total of six buttons used during a song: up, left, right, triangle, circle, and X.
The touch screen can be used instead by tapping the button targets when the note overlaps.
There are three types of notes: the basic star note, which requires a button tap, the H note, which requires a hold, and the U note, which combines two buttons.
A blue ring will sometimes appear in the center of the screen. This ring is what’s known as a “Scratch,” which is an opportunity for players to net bonus points by flicking the analog stick when the ring crosses the standard button threshold. Missing this won’t be a mistake, but it is essential if you’re trying to earn a high score. When playing the game with touch controls, Scratches can be achieved by swiping anywhere except the button icons.
In addition to the normal blue Scratch rings, there are also rainbow-colored “Fever Rings.” These are cleared the same way as normal Scratch rings, but doing so with Fever Rings lights up a star in the upper-right portion of the screen. Should players maintain all 3 stars until a set point in the song, they’ll enter Fever Mode.
During Fever Mode, not only will the on-screen action get more hectic, but certain conditions can also allow a second character to join in on the dance as a partner.
When you play a song till the end and achieve a certain score, a cut-in will occur and your Persona will appear carrying a music instrument.
The results screen includes the amount of P$ (Persona Dollars) you earned for that song. This money can be used to buy costumes, among other things.
There are four difficulty modes: “Easy,” “Normal,” “Hard,” and “All Night.” On Hard mode, in addition to more complex notes, the amount of acceptable misses is reduced. Normal and Easy, on the other hand, are easier, more relaxed difficulty levels.
Characters will make vocal interjections as you play. Sometimes there will be interjections from non-playable characters.