Ubisoft is back with its latest annual update to its Just Dance franchise with the new “Decades of Hits” content pack. These updates have replaced the annualized standalone package after Ubisoft shifted to a service-based model in 2023 when it launched the unified Just Dance launcher. This year, they have added a brand new adventure mode and built a track list that has a little something for everyone, ranging from the ’70s to the year 2057 and everything in between! Was this journey back in time worth it, or were these tunes better left in the past?
A bit of backstory here: I am not a dancer. I used to play Dance Dance Revolution many moons ago and dabbled in some dancing games at the dawn of the XBOX’s Kinect, but my dancing shoes have long since been retired. However, I’m the outlier in my family when it comes to this, as they get near-weekly use out of the XBOX 360 and Kinect camera in our living room. Having recently added a shiny new XBOX Series S to that same living room, and finding the prospect of showing my 9-year-old the tunes of years past quite intriguing. I decided to bring their dancing into the next generation with Decades of Hits.
Lights, Camera, Action!
If you are a lapsed dancer like myself and are wondering how this would even work ‘sans Kinect’ camera (like I did), let me start by talking a bit about setup. First things first, I think the idea of having a unified launcher is really awesome. The interface is nice and easy to navigate, but more importantly, the prospect of not having to say goodbye to your old track list in order to welcome in a new one is really nice. In terms of how modern Just Dance plays, it all goes through your mobile phone. You will need to download a free application on either iOS or Android, and it will ask you to scan a QR code in order to pair your phone to the game. The process is very simple and seamless. Once paired, you have two ways to play: one is with the phone in hand using its gyroscope and accelerometer to estimate your movements, or by propping up your phone on a TV stand and using the front-facing camera to track you, just like a Kinect would. The camera tracking works really well, but it only works when one person is dancing. Playing multiplayer requires each person to hold their own mobile phone, which is a bit of a bummer.
Once setup was complete, we immediately went to check out the newly added Adventure Mode, and honestly, it was pretty neat. It’s nice to see that there was something genuinely new added to an annualized franchise like this after all this time. In Adventure Mode, you play as Lyra Gigavolt, who is on a mission to rescue her father, Dr. Gigavolt, after he ran into some time-travel-related problems and got himself stuck in the past. In order to save him, you must travel back in time and dance your way through the decades to gather enough energy to repair his time machine and get back to the future. The story is not going to win any Oscars and is definitely not something to take seriously, but narrating what the characters were saying to my daughter really made the experience more memorable, as there are some funny lines in there.
The Spirit of Adventure
Outside of the minor story bits you encounter along the way, there are some genuine changes to how the gameplay works. Instead of selecting songs from a track list, you are actually placed on a world map that is unique to each decade you explore, where you will take control of Lyra and explore the surrounding area. This is how you select which song you want to play next, but there are also some collectible gems to pick up to help with your progression, as well as some other secret chests to find containing cosmetic unlocks. Completing songs will award you with a hefty amount of gems, which will in turn level you up and unlock new songs to play and new decades to explore. In addition to songs, though, there are also some fun trivia challenges with questions that are unique to each decade.
Just Dance has long since cultivated its own unique look and feel with hyper-vibrant neon avatars alongside their equally colorful backdrops, and that is still present here. From an outside perspective, it is easily recognizable even to a non-fan, which I feel deserves some credit. What I never really came to appreciate until playing with a more critical eye is how most of the 35 included tracks have their own unique, choreographed dance routine performed by real dancers (sometimes multiple dancers). It really gave me a greater appreciation for the production value of these titles. There are a few tracks, like Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock,” that make use of stop-motion techniques and feature claymation figures performing the choreography, which was a true standout.
A Trip Worth Taking
Overall, my family had a great time with Just Dance: Decades of Hits, and they look forward to playing more. I don’t think it will convince anyone to put on their dancing shoes if they don’t frequently wear them already, but I do think the new addition is a nice treat for fans of the franchise, and the track list is a nice trip down memory lane with a little something for everyone.
But don’t take my word for it! Below is a quick interview I did with a 9-year-old dancing queen, a true expert opinion. Enjoy!
Expert Interview
What are your overall impressions of Decades of Hits? How does it compare to previous Just Dance games?
“It was fun! I like it more than the older Just Dance games because the new mode was fun to play. I liked that they added a story and even original songs for the game!”
What are your thoughts on the new adventure mode?
“It was really cool! I liked being able to search around for gems and learn trivia about the olden days. I like that you don’t have to do every song to get to the next decade. It was fun to learn how old some of the songs I already knew were. The adventure mode was definitely my favorite part of the game!”
What do you think of the older songs from 2000 and back?
“They were really cool! Some of them were funny, and I loved the Crocodile Rock video with the dancing grandma!”
What is your favorite song they added?
“’Midnight Sun’ and ‘HOT TO GO!’”
Do you think you will keep playing?
“Yes! Especially with my friends!”
