We could blame Just Dance 2022 to resume a recipe without adding much new. But we should especially salute Ubisoft’s consistency since 2009 in improving this game without touching the essential: its contagious pleasure.
As tradition dictates, the main novelty of Just Dance 2022 lies in the addition of 40 popular songs in the past year. For those who do not know the basic concept, it is very simple: you dance to a song while following the choreography on the screen. Your movements are tracked by the Nintendo controller in your right hand, or by your cell phone if you are playing on another platform.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY UBISOFT
The more carefully you follow your dancer’s gestures, the more stars you earn, giving you rewards for upgrading your avatar or unlocking more songs and some special versions.
During your performance, you see the lyrics, the movements to come, your stars that are added. Comments like “OK”, “Good”, “Super” and “Perfect” explode on the screen. It’s hard to sit quietly in front of these ultra-vitamin and colorful choreographies.
Quebec influencer
For 2022, we have retained most of the songs that loop on commercial radios, from Believer from Imagine Dragons to Candlestick from Sia through the improbable Chacarron, Happier than Ever by Billie Eilish, Judas by Lady Gaga and Last Friday Night by Katy Perry. Note the presence in the choreography of Level Up by Quebec dancer Enola Bédard, who has some 10 million subscribers on TikTok.
We are dealing here with muscular pop, almost exclusively English-speaking with the exception ofTo insanity and some refrains sung in Spanish. Fans of rock or less commercial music are rarely invited to dance here.
As this is the fourth Just dance that we are trying, a first observation emerges: the animations and the background of the dancers have clearly improved. If the characters were most often in 2D, we are now entitled to camera effects that revolve around them. Backgrounds that used to consist of scrolling computer graphics are now more varied and complex.
28e in the world…
You can play alone, in co-op with up to six players who see their combined score, or in competition. If your calorie count is important to you, you can activate Sweat Mode which will display it. Our favorite mode is World Dance Floor. These three-song tournaments allow you to compete online against dozens of other dancers, grouped into three levels. You see your ranking being established as you perform.
In one tournament, we faced 90 players from 30 countries, finishing 28e, which is not too humiliating. Brazilians and Americans, as usual, are simply unbeatable.
We can let the machine choose our song with Quick Play mode, use the search engine by title or genre to find our song, or choose from the playlists offered by the game. We notably have a list of personalized recommendations, the most popular songs in Canada, a selection of K-Pop and songs from the 60s.
Pay to dance
Unfortunately, the bulk of these playlists are made up of songs that are not available in Just Dance 2022. This is where we tackle the thorny question, the one that has made fans scream for years: you have to pay a subscription to Just Dance Unlimited to have access to the catalog of 700 songs since the beginning. The price ranges from $ 5.49 for a month to $ 32.99 for a year. You are eligible for a 30-day free trial with the purchase of the Basic Edition of Just Dance 2022.
And if you have already purchased one of the Just dance previous ones, don’t expect to get access to 2022 titles just by subscribing to Just Dance Unlimited. This year’s titles won’t appear until next year.
The other caveat is that we tried the PlayStation version for the first time rather than the Nintendo one. Playing with your big smartphone in your hand, without a clip, rather than with a small Joy-Con with its cord is not very pleasant, and the possible controls are much less obvious. In short, if you have the choice, prefer the Nintendo Switch version, and this is probably the first time that we have given this advice. But it makes sense, as this game is focused on a good-natured pleasure to be enjoyed ideally in a group, a Nintendo specialty. And who became, with Just dance, that of Ubisoft.
Just Dance 2022
IMAGE PROVIDED BY UBISOFT
Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Released: November 4, 2021
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Stadia
Price: $ 59.99
Rating: 4 out of 5
Tested on a PS5 with a copy provided by Ubisoft