As someone with a couple of young kids, I kinda have the perfect excuse to check out Just Dance every year now (it’s definitely for them…) This year’s offering is much the same as it ever was, but with a few nice changes that freshens up the look for the better.
Let’s start with the main draw – the song list. Again, I have a couple of young kids which officially means I’m old enough to have completely lost track of the current state of pop music. As such, most of the songs here are new to me, though all of the ones I’ve played have been at worst passable and at best genuinely fun to dance along to. Easily headlining the list is Imagine Dragons’ Believer, a song I have heard countless times thanks to the wonders of YouTube and my kid’s insistence on singing it at every chance they get. The choreography here is great fun to dance to though, and challenging enough to keep me on my toes while not being so hard that they can’t get the hang of it quickly.
Elsewhere we have a mix of contemporary tunes (Level Up by Ciara, Boss Witch by Skarlett Klaw) and some even I’ve heard of (Pop/Stars by K/DA, Freed From Desire by Gala, Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake). Some old classics feature too (You Make Me Feel(Mighty Real) by Sylvester) alongside some Just Dance versions such as Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels by Toderick Hall. There is a pretty well balanced mix in the 40 songs on offer with enough to give most players something to enjoy playing.
Most of the choreography is presented in classic Just Dance fashion with bright white dancers adorned with fantastic, bright clothing and accompanied by all sorts of flashy CGI effects and backgrounds. Here though there are a few songs that bring a new look to the fore. Check out the Mr. Blue Sky video for example to find a stop motion panda bear hopping around environments that wouldn’t look out of place in a Wallace and Gromit short film. Other songs feature different styles such as full FMV-looking animations or a hybrid of live action and visual effects. It’s a nice change from the typical JD look, but used sparing enough that it doesn’t lose any impact or feel overdone.
I spent my time with Just Dance 2022 using an Xbox One and the Kinect sensor, which as always is a fantastic way to play. Up to 6 players can take part providing you have the room, and the tracking is spot on. It’s once again possible to pair a smart phone with the Just Dance app for those without Kinect, which works fine enough but it’s definitely best to play with Kinect if you can.
Sweat mode returns alongside a co-op mode for players to team up in aiming for high cores rather than competing. Even on standard play this is a great workout, but adding these into the mix is another great way to get some exercise in.
Just Dance Unlimited also returns, featuring over 700 songs from the series past for a monthly or yearly subscription fee. A free trial is included with the game for 30 days, but ultimately it’s up to you whether you think the price is going to be worth it to play songs from games past. I would expect the Just Dance games will embrace the live service nature that is the next obvious step soon, but for now it’s an extra cost on top of the game price to consider, especially if it will be played a lot over the next year.
Conclusion
Ultimately, you likely know what you’re in for with Just Dance 2022. There are a great range of new songs here, with some fun and challenging choreography and nice new visual styles that freshen things up somewhat. Add in Unlimited and you’ve potentially a game to last you a lifetime – if you’re willing to pay up. If you’ve not been won over up to now then this isn’t the game to change your mind, but fans of the series can expect yet another solid entry to enjoy until next year’s release.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
