Numerous new arcade games have been beset by shipping issues this season, with many of those planned for a wide release out West receiving delays into next month. That hasn’t stopped some titles coming over on a limited basis though, and today’s two games are no exception. Despite opening up the supply of their rhythm games t North American operators, Konami are continuing their “sweetener deal” with Round1USA by giving them exclusive new video redemption titles. Let’s take a look at Super Punch Mania and Dance Dance Revolution Stomp:
Super Punch Mania
Something Konami have kept doing with many of their videmption titles of late is reviving titles from their past for that format (e.g. Contra Burst, Castlevania: Marble of Souls etc), and this one is no exception. Their old Fighting Mania and Mocap Boxing titles from the early 2000s were some of the most physically involving releases out there, but both were pure arcade games, despite that kind of thing lending itself to redemption well. Super Punch Mania (which we first saw on test in Japan last year, though it seems to be overseas-only now) does exactly that.
According to Jdevy in the AH Discord (who got to play one of the early units just under a month ago), the gameplay is certainly simplified, with players first repeatedly punching the balloons in order. They then get to frantically pummel them all in a bonus round, so some of that maniac spirit of the original Fighting Mania is in that.
At least this does inject some physical movement into your redemption play experience, but not as much as the next piece…
Dance Dance Revolution Stomp
Next up is the one that grabbed a lot of attention when it first went on test as Dance Dance Revolution Stomp Arrows last year, and has already been hitting some Round1USA locations since May. We did already mention it in a Newsbytes that month, but the game deserves a second spotlight here, especially with Konami’s own press release grouping it with the above game. R1USA has also been promoting it on their socials. DDR Stomp is the first redemption interpretation of Konami’s winning dance game concept, following in the footsteps of previous redemption rhythm games like Grand Piano Tiles.
Since its original test appearance last year, it has been through several changes, losing the Arrows from its name and becoming a twin cabinet like almost all other DDR games. It is however very different in design to those, using vertical screens, and pads connected wholly to the main cabinet part (usually on other DDR machine they are wired, with locations sometimes choosing to make their own platforms to cover that). As for the gameplay, site friend S1ckH4ndsRBN has got a quick short showing it, Super Punch Mania, and Konami’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pusher off:
As it stands, these are all Round1USA exclusive, though whether Konami may turn around and start selling them to other operators is unknown. If their bottom line needs bolstering, it surely wouldn’t hurt to offer them; perhaps one or two will be available on their booth at IAAPA 2026 (which is real and is rather large per the latest IAAPA map) in the event of that happening.
That wraps up this look at Super Punch Mania and DDR Stomp, but already we have an idea of what’s next from Konami in redemption, as they are now also testing a Gradius redressing of their Smash Stadium card pushers at Round1USA. We’ll have a quick look at that in a Newsbytes with some more stories very soon, but until then, which of these two Konami games interest you the most?
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