If you’re a Nintendo Switch owner, chances are that you’ve been searching for a copy of Ring Fit Adventure for quite some time, right? With the world in the current state that it is, we’re all looking for a way to stay active indoors, and video-games have become the go-to method. Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s a much easier way. Just Dance 2020.
Just Dance has been around since 2009, making this the eleventh mainline entry into the franchise. Things haven’t changed much since the original, as all you’re really doing is dancing to current music and trying to copy trendy dances that you’ve no doubt never seen before.
The Just Dance series usually gets a groan from most gamers nowadays, thanks to its yearly release and focus on casual players. But ignoring the party capabilities it has is a mistake. No matter which way you look at it, dancing with other people is always fun, and even more so when the songs and dances are ridiculous. Not only that, but Just Dance 2020 can be a genuinely great workout tool.
Before we touch on that, we have to talk about the main part of every Just Dance – the song choices. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a mixed bag with Just Dance 2020. There are some really good current songs here, but there’s not much in the way of classics, and what is here isn’t by the original artists. Both “I’m Blue” and “Footloose” are covers, which was a massive disappointment. Still, there are some pretty fun songs included, and the current pop hits are all good choices.
Just Dance 2020 relies quite a bit on Just Dance Unlimited, which is a subscription service that collects almost all of the songs from past Just Dance games. Playing the game normally will eventually unlock a month long trial for the service and getting access to that catalogue was the most exciting part of my play-time. Seeing all of these news songs was great, even if I’m not a big fan of subscription services as a whole.
You’d be surprised at how hard it is to keep in time with the virtual dancer and do all of the same moves. None of them are that simple, and all of them will have you having to sit down after a few dances. That is a fantastic thing though, as it shows the viability of Just Dance as a workout tool, as well as a party machine.
This focus is made clearer by the Sweat mode, which basically turns Just Dance into more of a workout by counting the calories you lose. It’s not really necessary as you’ll be burning the calories by dancing anyway, but it’s nice to see your own progress.
Most importantly in this case is how easy it is to play Just Dance. All you need is a Joy-Con, or a phone and you’re good to go. Just Dance supports a mobile app that will track your movements like a controller, which means that you can easily get a lot of people involved. This means that all you really need is the console and a digital download of the game- no ring required here.
Just Dance 2020 is a fantastic party game, a great workout and much more readily accessible than some other options on the market right now. Its song choice is a bit of a mixed bag which means it isn’t the best entry in the series, but the option of Just Dance Unlimited means that there are always more songs to choose from.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch
Review copy provided by Ubisoft
