There are far too many people in the world that take gaming too seriously. Now of course games are a form of artistic expression, and can make you laugh, cry, and contemplate just like a painting or a play. But they’re also a form of entertainment, and if you get joy from a video game then it doesn’t matter if it’s an artsy indie darling, a match three mobile game or a AAA megahit. The world is already a tough enough place to exist in, and if you use your time to belittle casual and kids games then you’re part of the problem. I’m saying all this because Just Dance: Decades of Hits is spectacularly fun, so stop rolling your eyes and get up for a boogie.
If you haven’t encountered a Just Dance game before then you’re in for a treat, because they’re utterly ridiculous. Back in the era of the Wii they were created to get everyone dancing with a motion control, and obviously looking like an absolute bell end in the process. Playing is as easy as picking up a JoyCon or synced up mobile device, and following along with the dancers busting moves to your favourite songs. You get small icons giving you a vague idea what move is coming next, but on your first few attempts at a song you’ll mainly flail around and get sweaty.
You’re scored for doing this dancing, with the magic inside the device you’re holding deciding if you’ve performed a move correctly. To say this is accurate is a bare faced lie, but you’ll notice that the more you play the higher the score tends to go for the most part. If you’re serious about high scoring and being the best you’ll probably be frustrated though.
Just Dance is only ever as strong as its soundtrack in any given year, and Decades of Hits is probably the best I’ve played. This vaguely historical theming means that you get fun tracks from a variety of eras, so nineties kids can enjoy Wannabe while younger folk can be happier with Hot To Go. Everyone from ABBA to Pitbull is represented here, with so many different songs to dance to.
Much like the last few years of Just Dance, this title isn’t really a new game in its own right. If you’ve already been dancing for years this is essentially a song pack you’ll grab to add to your current collection, and will launch simply as Just Dance. While this can sort of make it feel less worthy of buying, it also means that you can access all the new songs alongside the old ones and make a mega playlist of all your favourites.
There is one rather significant new addition in Decades of Hits though, and that’s the adventure mode. In this mode you travel through the decades while trying to fix time, all while dancing of course. There are actual areas to explore in this mode with collectibles, and bonus quizzes about different decades. Hopefully you know your bell bottoms from your acid wash jeans, because this ancient knowledge will help you save the day and progress into the future. It’s a silly mode that probably won’t be something you spend dozens of hours on, but it’s a nice inclusion that ensures you also dance to the songs you don’t know as well (and you may well find a new banger).
One of my favourite aspects of the Just Dance games is the effort put into the videos for each song. The dancers all have different names and outfits, and the songs often tell stories. Some stages feature cartoon or Claymation visuals, others make you dance as a walking Croissant. It’s always very charming, and in Decades of Hits it’s no different.
I find Just Dance: Decades of Hits to be a fantastic way to get your body moving and have fun in the process, but it’s got plenty of issues. Obviously the main one is the motion controls, because of their sheer inaccuracy. This is made worse if you use a mobile device too, so those without a Switch or Switch 2 will likely have a rougher time. Decades of Hits is also very much more of the same from a deceptively long series, so if you didn’t like dancing fifteen years ago you probably still won’t like it now.
Just Dance: Decades of Hits absolutely won’t appeal to serious (boring) gamers, but it’s so much fun. Dancing around like you’re possessed is hilarious, especially to those around you, and the variety of songs in this entry is fantastic. If you’d rather not spend your free time sweating and farting to Billy Joel then you should probably play something else, but this Uptown Girl has another spin to twirl.
