pop'n music 9
Song Unlock Information

Pop'n Music 9, like Pop'n Musics before it, uses a mini-game to unlock songs, characters, modifiers, and more. The game is called Gambler Z, after the Anime song from the original Pop'n Music, and features the character Toru Kamikaze. After each successful clear of Arcade mode, you're presented with the mini-game, which is a pseudo-RPG. Three dice are rolled, and the player presses the red button to stop them. The first two are simple one- to six-pip dice, just like you would find in many board games. The final is a multiplier die, ranging from a x1 to a x6 multiplier. The result is tallied, and Toru then moves that many steps (hold both white buttons to speed up his normally leisurely pace).

As the character moves through the 5-floor dungeon that is presented to him, he will encounter a number of treasure chests. Each chest unlocks a random item from the list, or provides you with money (which appears to have no use). Additionally, each floor the player is presented with a fork in the otherwise one-way path. Ultimately, there are six possible paths to cover, each with about 510 steps (each floor has between 100 and 106 steps, depending on the direction you turn).

After reaching the end of the fifth level, you'll encounter a boss that you must play using a number of Ojama (which will alter the way the game plays). Beating the song will unlock it, while failing will cause you to lose a life. If you lose all three lives, the song unlocks and you continue. Beating all six bosses will let you fight a hidden boss if you go through the five stages once more.

The suggested paths are:

The possible unlocks are:

Additionally, certain unlocks are only available by beating bosses:

After unlocking all of the above, which nets you a 100% unlock ratio, Marathon Mode will unlock.

Outside of Gambler Z, there is a single hidden character that you can unlock in Pop'n Cafe Mode. Earning 1800 points will unlock Cup-Kun.

For those unwilling to play through Gambler Z, you can turn the mini-game off and instead use a time unlock.

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