Video games are all about escapism and wish fulfillment. For some, that involves playing the hero. For others, it’s the chance to relax in another world, far from real-life troubles. For a select group, it’s the ability to dance without the horrifying possibility of being perceived by another human.
But aside from those specificgames that revolve around actual dancingas their core mechanic, some titles let their characters do a little dance just as a bit of flavor. After overcoming some manner of challenge, the urge to shake it might become too strong to resist. But which characters really stand out with their celebratory jigs?
8Hooray For Ape Mayhem
Donkey Kong Country
You might not consider this a dance in the traditional sense, but Donkey Kong is an ape. He’s trying his best. In Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, finishing a challenge room or boss fight will reward you with this frankly gratifying little animation.
A little applause, a thumbs-up, and clasped hands raised in victory are likely meant to be DK celebrating his win. But the way he looks at the camera while doing so makes it feel like he’s giving kudos to you, specifically. It’s also far more energetic and enjoyable than Diddy’s simple hat-tossing bit, that little underachiever.
The Nintendo Switch remake ofSuper Mario RPG remained faithful to the SNES originaland went to great lengths to do so, recreating every asset in full 3D while maintaining the art style and perspective. But one way the developers at ArtePiazza made this version stand out will forever be appreciated.
As opposed to the comparatively rather static level-up screens in the original, when a character levels up in the remake, they strike a pose while everyone else in the party dances an adorable little shuffle to the background music. Every team sport should do this, frankly. Celebrate your teammates' accomplishments with gusto.
Fans remain divided on which game in the PlayStation 2’s Jak & Daxter series they prefer to this day. But one particularly compelling argument in favor of the original is the little dance and celebration the duo pull off when they grab a power cell.
Sure, Jak 2 and Jak 3 are darker and more moody, but that’s no excuse not to get jiggy with it. The comparatively simple gameplay and overall more light-hearted vibe of Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy keeps players coming back, and watching Daxter pirouette and moonwalk to cheer on his buddy Jak will never get old.
There are few video game series out there as consistent, cozy, and consistently cozy as Kirby. While creator Masahiro Sakurai and the other developers have never shied away from introducing new ideas, much of the core remains the same in most mainline titles. This includes the Kirby Dance.
Kirby’s little victory dance that you see in every one of his games to this day got its start right at the beginning in Kirby’s Dream Landfor the Game Boy. Technically, the dance is older than Kirby’s signature pink hue, since character colors aren’t exactly a priority on that tiny monochrome system.
Say what you will about Fortnite, and you’ll certainly be in good company while doing so, but it’s hard to deny the impact its various dance emotes have had on not just gaming, but pop culture in general. It’s not just a battle royale, it’s the quickest way to make your elder millennial friends feel old.
Dance Moves, essentially the default dancing emote perfect for your first win, is based on a famous scene from the TV show Scrubs. There are certain issues regarding ownership of the dance itself, but you know you recognize its running-man-style steps and poses straight out of every kindergarten schoolyard.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest was an arguable improvement in several ways over its predecessor. Along with the more varied level design and a somehow even more incredible soundtrack, it also added a little more of what every commercial in the 90s might call “attitude”.
Having gotten a little more “with it” since Donkey Kong Country, Diddy now ends each level throwing on some shades, reversing his cap, and pulling out a boom box to jam out to a sick hip-hop-inspired beat. Meanwhile, newcomer Dixie produces an electric guitar and shreds out a riff that would make any hair metal band proud.
Sonic the Hedgehog has always strived to bethe “cool” platformer mascot, from his days of glaring at the player for standing still for too long to being voiced by Jaleel White in his classic cartoons. Hey, if you weren’t around for Steve Urkel, you might not truly get how rad that is.
But even as recently as in Sonic Frontiers, when Sonic got a little more serious, he keeps a bit of that carefree swagger despite all the almost dying and stuff. Every time he nabs a Chaos Emerald, he does a little quick-step dance to celebrate along with the little Koco hanging around.
It’s hard to find a dance in gaming more iconic than Crash Bandicoot’s braggadocious moves throughout pretty much every game he’s been in. The dance is probably the most consistent thing in the entire Crash series, surviving decades to even the most recent entries.
He may not talk much, but Crash packs plenty of personality into this dance. A few thrusts here, a questionable framing with the hands there, and baby, you’ve got a memorably obnoxious stew going. Parents everywhere might double-take when they walk by their kid’s room and see this, but Crash Bandicoot wouldn’t be the same without it.
