Just Dance 2018

Ubisoft’s super popular series of games returns with Just Dance 2018, a new entry in the franchise that updates the selection of tracks with the latest hits available. The formula remains pretty much intact, but that’s what fans of the series have come to expect. That said, are the changes made in this title enough to convince new players to get into the groove of Just Dance? Let’s find out with our review.

Bust a move

Conceived in the heyday of motion-based gaming, Just Dance has always been all about making players move. If you’re familiar with the series, you won’t get any new surprises in Just Dance 2018: just like the previous titles in the series, gameplay remains untouched.

Players have to mirror a choreographed dance that actors play on the screen. In between the predefined dance moves, players will also face gold moves – sequences where dancers are free to strike a pose to get bonus points. Like other rhythm games – Rock Band and Guitar Hero come to mind –, players are given a rank at the end of each performance according to how accurate they danced.

Dancing up the ranks

Just Dance 2018’s main mode is similar to Guitar Hero III’s career mode: players begin with a small setlist of easy songs to warm up. As they complete the dances, new, more difficult songs unlock.

However, unlike other rhythm games, unlocking the full Just Dance experience takes little time. While this is great for a party game, it makes the game feel smaller than it actually is. Not to mention, most of the songs in the game’s tracklist are added as DLC, making the game feel more like a service than a triple-A title.

New tunes

The main event of each new Just Dance game is the refreshed selection of songs. Just like in previous games, this year’s entry has a selection of perfectly inoffensive songs, most of them pop hits.

The quality of the songs is subjective: some players will surely find something they like on the setlist, even though we recommend reading the complete song list before you get the game to see if there’s something you like.

The base game includes 40 songs, including some summer smash hits like Despacito and Selena Gomez’s Bad Liar. The classics are all here: Queen, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars… all the latest pop icons are here. If that doesn’t convince you, there are also some rather bizarre songs to choose from, including one by Hatsune Miku, Japan’s lovely virtual idol.

Unlimited replayability

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Just Dance Unlimited. That’s the name of Ubisoft’s subscription service that adds a boatload of new tracks to the game. Paying the subscription earns you a continually-growing list of over 300 songs, including all the tracks from previous Just Dance Games.

Although that deal might not sound too great, it’s the way to go if you want Just Dance 2018 to become your go-to dance game. Considering how little Ubisoft changes these games with every yearly release, it might be a good choice to simply buy this one and get Just Dance Unlimited.

Pros:

• Motion controls work great
• Fun choreographies
• Nice song list

Cons:

• Not much has changed compared to other Just Dance games
• Too much DLC
• Could have included more songs in the base game