Review: Just Dance 2021 explained to parents

Just Dance 2021 Featured

Dance to hundreds of well-known songs and score the highest with the choreography on screen in Just Dance 2021!

just dance 2021 boxartRelease date: 12 November 2020

Developed by: UbiSoft Paris
Published by: UbiSoft
Available on: Playstation 5 and 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Google Stadia

Type of game: Dance game
Average game length: 5 minutes

Estimate of the total duration of the game: Infinite

Topics: Dance, fun, party, flashy

Business model: Need to buy the game once, to access about forty songs. You have to pay a monthly or annual subscription to access the 500 songs online.

Number of players:
1 player or 6 players local

Available in physical format (Blu-Ray disc), cartridge (on Nintendo Switch) or digital (download)

To digitally purchase, Just Dance 2021 on Nintendo Switch, click here.

This supports Shared Screen. Thank you!

Possible configurations of the Nintendo Switch:

Nintendo Switch Tabletop modeNintendo Switch TV Mode
Technically the game is compatible in portable mode, except you have to dance physically, and the score is not recorded if the joy-cons are attached to the console instead of being held in the hand. In short, the game is not meant to be played on the train or on the bus.
Players3+ 7+ 12+16+18+
Neophytes
Intermediate
Experienced
Everyone can have fun dancing, no matter what their level.
Replayability

As long as you want to dance, and you pay for the subscription, the game lasts a very long time.

Difficulty
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Each song has a specific level of difficulty. 5 difficulty levels are present among the 500 songs.

Violence, fear, nudity?
Orange Green Gauge

Some dancers during the songs, are in swimsuits.

Level of language used
Jauge Orange

Some songs contain the English words “damn” and “hell.”

There are also sometimes references to suggestive content also like:

  • “Feeling your hands/Upon up on my thighs”;
  • “But friends don’t know/The way you taste…”;
  • “Polyamorist dreams/Of a teen heart; ” I got the right tactics to turn you on.”).

Some songs talk about being sexy or becoming sexy.

Fortunately, there is a Just Dance Kids mode that contains a few adapted songs.

Positive message

The game encourages dancing, but it constantly encourages you to buy the subscription.

Minimum reading level required
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The menus are composed mainly of icons, it is very easy to navigate.

Additional costs ?
Red gauge

Each Just Dance (2021, 2020, 2019…) has about forty songs that you will soon tire of especially if they are not to your liking. To be able to fully enjoy the game, you have to pay an annual subscription of about $35. If you don’t, the game will constantly tell you that this or that function is not accessible.

Minimum level of execution on the controller required

Very easy. Just menus to browse. Reflexes are required to follow the dance steps indicated. Nothing complicated at the controller. It’s the whole body that plays

Principle of the game

Just Dance is the latest in a long series of games that began on the Wii at the time.

Just reproduce the movements displayed on the screen with a joycon in hand on Nintendo Switch.

On Xbox One, Series, or Playstation 5 and 4, players must install an app on a smartphone (smart phone) to then use it as a controller that detects movement.

So you need as many smartphones as you need players.

Up to 6 players can dance simultaneously on each console,… if you have enough room in front of the TV.

Each year, a new edition of the game comes out with 40 new songs and the Just Dance Unlimited subscription is always needed to take full advantage of it. At least it works between different editions. If you bought it for Just Dance 2020, it will work for Just Dance 2021.

Local game modes

The Co-op mode allows you to … cooperate with someone, and combine your scores.

Quickplay mode just allows you to choose a playlist of songs randomly.

Sweat Mode lets you keep counting calories during your dances.

Kids mode lets you play a simplified version of Just Dance with only 8 dedicated songs.

It is of course also possible to choose the songs à la carte.

Online gaming modes

It is necessary to have the Just Dance Unlimited subscription AND a subscription to your console’s online service to play this mode:

World Dance Floor mode lets you dance and compare your score with lots of people on the Internet. And honestly the mode is quite anecdotal and totally dispensable. Don’t buy both subscriptions just for that.

To play on the songs of Just Dance Unlimited you have to be connected on the Internet, to be able to see the previews of the songs and download them every time.

Conclusion

Just Dance is a good dance game but a few flaws come to taint the picture:

  • there are bugs in the menus
  • it’s very expensive to buy as many joy-con or smartphone as players.
  • it’s expensive to buy an extra subscription in addition to the original game.
  • the game is almost “outdated” after a year, because of the release of a new episode every year.

More information about the game: Official game page

About Marc Shakour

Former video game programmer, columnist, teacher, competitor ... Marc has always been very familiar with the world and industry of video games. He decided to help neophytes about it, to discover new universes, worlds and fantastic creatures.

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