Ener-G: Dance Squad
Build a dance routine with a style of your own
Ener-G: Dance Squad for Nintendo DS puts choreography at the center of a dance competition. You guide Laura, an ambitious modern dancer, as she develops her skills with the help of a coach and works toward the top of the competitive dance world. Her journey brings her into contact with dancers whose personalities and strengths give the competitions a changing cast of rivals.
The game combines performance with preparation. Learning another move is only part of the appeal: you also decide how to combine moves into a routine and how to present that routine. It is a useful choice for players who enjoy rhythm games but also want to spend time creating the look and arrangement of a performance.
Put the moves together, then follow the music
Choreography lets you combine dance moves into your own routines. During a performance, matching the rhythm can earn additional points, so the music plays a role in the result as well as setting the mood. The combination makes planning and timing connected parts of the same activity. A routine is something to arrange, perform and then examine again.
New moves become available as Laura progresses through the adventure. That growing selection gives you more choices when building a dance, allowing later routines to draw on skills you did not have at the beginning. The progression supports both the story of an improving dancer and the practical satisfaction of trying a different combination of moves.
Match the outfit, music and floor
Presentation goes beyond the choreography. You can choose outfits and accessories for competitions, customize the music to suit a routine and change the dance floor to match its style. The available musical categories include R&B/Soul, Electro Dance, Funk/Disco and Pop/Rock, alongside other styles. Those options give the performances different themes without requiring every routine to share the same visual identity.
A dance replay lets you watch a completed performance. It gives you a chance to appreciate the combination you made and consider what you would change for another attempt. For a player who enjoys creating routines, that replay makes the result something to look back over, rather than an activity that disappears as soon as the score is shown.
Follow Laura's story or revisit a challenge
Story Mode provides the structure for Laura's adventure and skill development. Challenge Mode gives you another route into the activities you have already unlocked, letting you return to them without simply following the next story event. These two approaches suit different sessions: continuing the journey when you want to progress, or revisiting an available activity when you want another attempt.
The competition includes 12 opponents with their own strengths and personalities. That varied lineup gives Laura's career a succession of rivals to face while you experiment with new skills and presentation choices.
What to know about the original online feature
At release, the game advertised picture exchanges through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Nintendo discontinued that service on May 20, 2014, so its official online picture-sharing feature is unavailable. The service shutdown does not affect the game's offline play.
This is a Nintendo DS cartridge game. Its main appeal today is the combination of offline dance competitions, routine creation, unlockable moves and customizable performance styling.
