REVIEW: ‘Just Dance 2023’ Delivers An Enjoyable, Chill Experience (XSX)

Like anyone else tuned into the gaming scene, I’ve always been aware of Ubisoft’s Just Dance franchise. The series has been a staple of many a Ubisoft showcase, and while I’d never felt the urge to bust a move with its on-screen dancers, it always seemed like it could be fun. When I got the opportunity to check out Just Dance 2023 edition, I figured why not? I found a simple bit of fun that is surprisingly easy to keep up with, all set to the beat of a wide range of musical performances.

For readers unfamiliar with this series, Just Dance tasks players with mimicking the onscreen dance performances that play out to a plethora of popular music. Now, you might be asking how my Xbox was able to track my motions without any sort of external device. Well, it can’t. To play Just Dance 2023 I was required to download an app to my smartphone. The app is free and serves as the motion sensor for the game. So as you may have already concluded, the game only cares about the movements of that one hand. While you might think this would cheapen the experience, it actually broadens it, and the size of the potential user base greatly.

While a player is free to get as “full body” with their dancing as they wish, the need to only be accurate with one hand helps those who, due to desire, age, space, or physical restraints, can’t go all in on the motions to have a chance to keep up with the game. As a nearly 40-year-old male who lives in a small apartment, many of the songs provided in Just Dance 2023 would not be feasible to attempt, let alone score well on. But because of the single-hand following, I was able to keep up with even the five-star challenge songs with some effort.

An important note about the app. While you can navigate the game’s menus and select your next song with it as well, I would not recommend it. The Xbox Series X doesn’t recognize the app as a controller. So if you go too long using the app only, the screen will eventually darken and the idle pop-ups will begin. Needless to say, this can up the challenge of a level if it happens while you are dancing.

The tracking on the app is fairly forgiving as well. While you can’t just wave your arms mindlessly to score perfects, I’m fairly confident it gave me many such scores despite my movements being more “in the ballpark” than what I’d call perfect. This moderate accuracy felt like the right amount to be forgiving, but still, challenge a player if they want to truly hit every move.

If dancing to the beats by yourself isn’t appealing, Just Dance 2023 offers multiplayer for up to six players. While most songs offer a single dancer the chance to show off for a crowd of friends, some songs do provide multiple dancers for coop fun. Getting a bunch of friends together to attempt the full, four-person “More” by K/DA dance routine would be a fun evening, if my living space accommodated it.

The visual presentation in Just Dance 2023 is a mixed bag. While many of the backgrounds and on-screen effects bring the energy of the song they accompany, the way the game presents its dancers were often times unsettling for me. Wherever they filmed the dancers, they must have used some incredibly harsh lighting. Due to this, many faces appear almost featureless, and unreal. This is unfortunate, as all the performers are clearly seasoned pros, giving their best in their various routines. It feels like an unfortunate choice to make me not want to look at them beyond the motions I need to copy.

So, while I enjoyed my experience playing Just Dance 2023 its value feels like it will vary greatly from person to person. While it has a sizable track list from a solid variety of artists, how much play you can get out of this game will depend greatly on your desire to chase high scores and unlock simple cosmetics, how many friends you have to clown around with, or if you are want to work it into your routine as a way to get some exercise in that provides a bit more fun than a morning jog.

Just Dance 2023 is available now on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.