Just Dance 2024 Review (Nintendo Switch) | Another Classic To Play With Friends And Family

Yes, it's that time of the year again: the new Just Dance 2024 has just been released, and I was lucky enough to get to try it out myself on my Nintendo Switch! Honestly, as soon as I found out when Just Dance 2024 was going to come out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

That's why I'm going to be quite frank with you here. I'm a big fan of the Just Dance games – have been ever since I played my first Just Dance game for the Wii when I was 11 or so. Ever since then, I've been hooked on playing Just Dance any chance I got with friends.

Seriously, I could probably dance to Spectronizer in my sleep. And that only goes to show how often I played Just Dance 3.

I really, really enjoy playing Just Dance and that's why writing this review was kind of tough, because having to write about both the positives and negatives of the game will make me seem really nitpicky, but I'm just trying to ensure that you get the most candid review that you deserve.

Just Dance 2024 | The Bottom Line

• Just Dance 2024 is just as fun as its predecessors.
• New Story Mode adds a nice change to the game.
• Ubisoft continues to keep their subscription service, but they introduced a new subscription called Just Dance+.
• The Nintendo Switch version is only really good when docked and connected to a big screen.
• Just Dance 2024 doesn't shine with its playlist, compared to other Just Dance titles.

Just Dance – A Classic To Play With Friends And Family Or Even Alone!

Just Dance is such a great and casual game to play with your friends and family, even with those that don't usually enjoy playing video games. I just love this game, since there's basically no skill hurdle necessary to play Just Dance. All you need is a controller and a semi-good sense of rhythm. There are even dances that are choreographed to be played seated, which makes the game a bit more accessible for players.

If you've played a different Just Dance title before, then Just Dance 2024 will make you feel right at home. The controls and the premise of Just Dance 2024 are no different to the previous titles.

For those of you that haven't had the privilege to bust a move in front of your big screen along with friends and family, here's a quick rundown of how Just Dance works:

1. You pick a song that you would like to dance to and choose which coach you want to dance with.
2. Either follow along with the coach or check the bottom right corner to see which dance moves are coming up.
3. (optional) Sing along as loud as you can with the lyrics in the bottom left corner!
4. Have fun!

That's it. The game is rated E for everyone, after all.

Just because the premise of the game is similar, doesn't mean that Just Dance 2024 doesn't bring something new to the table! Ubisoft introduced a story mode to Just Dance 2023 and have brought that mode over to Just Dance 2024. It's called Dance with the Swan and offers a short, but fun, new aspect to the game for those of you that want more content and story in a dancing game.

I tried it out myself, and while the story mode doesn't really have a crazy fleshed out story, it did make me dance to a few songs that I may not have tried out otherwise. So if you're looking for a change of pace, the story mode is worth checking out! Just make sure to take some breaks in between the songs – trust me.

The Illusion Of Different Modes

Since this is a review on the Nintendo Switch version of Just Dance 2024, we need to talk about the different playable modes for the game. According to the Nintendo website, you can play Just Dance 2024 either docked to your TV, in tabletop mode or in handheld mode.

I tested the tabletop mode out and...it's no fun, honestly. While laying on my couch, I thought – you know what? Maybe I'll try Just Dance 2024 on the small screen. The problem is, you can barely make out what the upcoming dance moves are going to be, since they're teensie tiny in the corner. Maybe this isn't as much of a problem if you play with an OLED, but I'd generally avoid it if I were you. I don't even want to imagine the chaos if I had tried that out with other people playing with me.

The handheld mode is obviously only to be used to pick out songs. So, the only viable option you have is to play on a bigger screen, like your TV. This isn't a terrible thing, it's just a bit unfortunate that you can't really play Just Dance 2024 on the road, as long as you don't want to be squinting at your screen the entire time.

The Song Choices Are... Fine

Obviously, the song choices in Just Dance make or break the game. If Ubisoft decided to release a regular Just Dance game but only added slow jazz music to dance to, many wouldn't even think about buying the game. So, Ubisoft has to try to find the perfect mix of songs each and every year that will make most fans of the game happy. Of course, you can never make everyone happy, but it's definitely something worth striving for.

Most of the game's songs are pop songs, which makes sense, since those cater to the biggest audience, but they've also got quite a few "Just Dance renditions" that I'm not too big of a fan of, like their rendition of Swan Lake.

Personally, I haven't been able to play Just Dance 2024 as much as I would have liked to, already, so perhaps my first impression is obscured, but the playlist for Just Dance 2024 isn't wowing me, like I would have liked it to. I'll give them a second chance, but at the moment it's not my favorite Just Dance playlist ever.

There are a few songs that I love and some that I just don't really care for. But hey, take a look at the list for yourself, maybe you'll find some of your favorites on there.

I especially enjoy the songs that have animated dance maps, like the paper version of Cure For Me:

One thing I was really missing, though, was I'm Just Ken. Not gonna lie, seeing as it was such a staple of 2023, I was really hoping that I would get the chance to be Kenough myself. Alas, not this year...

You Can Get Additional Content, But Only With A Subscription

The great thing with newer Just Dance games is that you're not limited to the songs from the game that you buy. So, you can easily upgrade your Just Dance 2024 by getting Just Dance+, which is a subscription service that will grant you access to over 150 additional songs.

Note: Ubisoft provided us with the Deluxe Edition of Just Dance 2024, so we automatically had Just Dance+ included in our game.

It's unfortunate that Just Dance 2023 and 2024 only offer Just Dance+ as a subscription for players, since the subscription library is much smaller than that of Just Dance Unlimited. However, Ubisoft are set to add more and more dances to Just Dance+ over time.

Sadly, there isn't an option to unlock Just Dance+ with a one-time fee, you can only unlock it via subscription, which I find a tad bit annoying. Especially since there isn't a 24-hour option, if you just want to have unlimited fun at a party. The starting package gives you Just Dance+ for one month and goes up to a full year of Just Dance+.

You can only check the price of Just Dance+ in-game, and as I already had it, I unfortunately couldn't do that. However, on other platforms the subscription costs this much:

The price should be the same on Switch, but make sure to check it yourself in-game.

Verdict: Just Dance Will Always Be Endless Fun

If there's one thing that I really love about Just Dance in general, it's how often you can replay the game without getting bored. Now, even if the songs from Just Dance 2024 aren't really your cup of tea, it doesn't mean that Just Dance doesn't have enough in store for you. Since you can unlock Just Dance+ at any time (plus, there is a free trial that you can test out), there's bound to be fun in store for almost everyone!

I have to deduct some points for the price tag, as I think it's too high if you also have to buy a subscription, rather than a one-time DLC for more songs. Plus, the aspect that really makes or breaks a Just Dance edition is the soundtrack that they have, and so far, the soundtrack hasn't wowed me yet. If you take a look at the available songs, perhaps they'll be more to your liking than mine.

In the end, I have to say, it's still a great Just Dance game. The choreographies are fun and there are a bunch of songs that I do really like. Especially if you count the Just Dance+ songs as well.

So, if you're looking to play some of the new Just Dance+ tracks, then I do highly recommend getting either Just Dance 2023 or 2024, depending on which game has more songs that you like.

On the other hand, if you aren't looking to buy another subscription for your game (which I totally understand), then just check which Just Dance edition has more songs and choreographies that interest you.

To be fair, buying a Just Dance game is never really a bad purchase (as long as you enjoy this type of game), especially if you have friends and family that you can play together with at gatherings and parties. Personally, I think if you're only out to buy Just Dance+, then you'll want to get Just Dance 2024. But, if you want access to Just Dance Unlimited, which currently offers a bigger library, I'd get Just Dance 2022 , as it will also cost less than the original full price.

If you've been waiting for some newer songs from 2023 to finally come out, then go for it and have fun! No matter what, Just Dance is always a game that I can and will recommend!

Rating: 85/100