Every year at E3, Ubisoft overwhelms a theatre during its opening presentation by revealing the next Just Dance game. And every year, like clockwork, they release with new songs, new modes, and new ridiculous characters to dance with. Little changes from version to version, but all are a fantastic and easy way to get moving on just about any system you could want to play on including the Nintendo Switch, which is especially great for these games due to its portability and the easy-to-dance-with Joy-Cons.
Just Dance 2019 can be a bit intimidating to newcomers, but it's incredibly simple and fun to play. Here are a few tips for getting that dance party started!
Warm up and self-care
Yes, you're playing a video game, but you're also dancing! Just Dance 2019 is a proper work-out, even if you're just doing gentle or Easy songs, so do your body a favor and stretch really well before starting. Stretch your arms, legs, torso, and neck, because you'll be using all your body as you play Just Dance. It can also be good to turn on some music while you stretch and jump around the room to it a bit to tell your body you're about to start moving.
Treat Just Dance 2019 like a work-out in every respect. Make sure you have some food on your stomach before playing, but don't rock out to Mama Mia on a fully stuffed stomach. Keep a bottle of water nearby while dancing and drink between routines. Finally, make sure you cool down when you're done as well - stretch again, and walk around a bit to gradually slow your body down instead of just abruptly collapsing.
Trust me, your muscles will thank you.
Start off Easy
Even if you're already a fabulous dancer or have played Just Dance games before, starting with Easy songs is usually the best way to approach Just Dance. There are any number of factors you'll want to get used to in a brand new Just Dance title, be it a new control set-up, a slightly different look, new songs, or just being out of practice. If you start on easy songs and feel that's challenging enough, great! You can work to master those before moving up. If they're a breeze for you to score well on, then you can always move right on up to higher difficulty levels. But it's far more motivating to start off easy than it is to be overwhelmed by Bang Bang Bang your first try.
Practice, practice!
Look, you're not going to master Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! the very first time you dance to it. You'll have to practice. If you've played any kind of rhythm game before, you probably know how important that is if you want to improve. The more you do a song, the better you can anticipate its moves and rhythms. Since every song has a different style and pattern, there are few hard and fast rules for getting good at them beyond repetition.
But also, don't stress over it. If you're just playing to have fun, then keep having fun and don't worry about the score. Just Dance 2019 is the kind of casual fun game where you get out exactly what you put in, and if all that entails is a few goofy dances in your living room after work, then power to you!
Make use of the free Just Dance Unlimited
Just Dance Unlimited is Just Dance's subscription service that gives you access to far, far more songs than are included in the base game - over 400 in the case of Just Dance 2019, and new ones are added regularly. The service costs $4.99/month, $9.99/three months, or $24.99/year, but it also comes free for a month when you buy the game.
You don't need the service to enjoy the game, especially if you're content with the base songs, but I highly recommend you make use of the subscription by playing often during your first month owning the game to see if it's something you want to keep up with. 40-ish songs may be more than enough for a casual, occasional player to be happy with, but if you're going to be dancing daily for the next year or more, it could be a good investment.
Give it careful consideration, but know that if you lose the subscription you'll still have Just Dance 2019's features and functions intact.
Watch that grip!
This may seem a bit silly, but if you're going to be using the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons as controllers for dancing, I highly recommend actually putting on the wrist straps and tightening appropriately first! Just Dance 2019 requires a lot of dramatic hand motions and tracks your dancing through the Joy-Cons. If you want to avoid flinging a controller across the room, tighten the strap.
In addition, it's not a bad idea to consider a Joy-Con grip if you find the Joy-Cons uncomfortable to use. Though they can be the best controllers for the game (better than a larger phone, anyway) because of their small size, they can also be unwieldy to hold for long periods of time.
Try the game's recommendations
New in Just Dance 2019 is a recommendation feature that will show you playlists or songs you might find interesting based on past dancing habits. You absolutely need to try these out, especially if you have Just Dance Unlimited. With over 400 songs, it can be impossible to sift through them and find ones you like, but my experience with the recommendation feature so far has been pretty spot on. You may find new favorites this way, or you may just get an additional bit of spice to vary up your dancing routine. Either way, it's a fantastic edition that you shouldn't squander.
Any questions?
It's hard to get lost or stuck on Just Dance 2019, but if you're struggling to find the best way to play, let me know in the comments and I'll try to help!
