Just Dance VR - Quest 3 Review

Official art work for the Just Dance VR. A gang of colourful characters pose in front of a rainbow city background as if ready to dance.

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Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity marks Ubisoft‘s first entry into the virtual reality space. Designed exclusively for Meta Quest devices Just Dance VR takes the familiar format of following choreographed routines and reimagines it in immersive 3D settings. While Just Dance VR maintains the essence of its predecessors, the transition to VR introduces new opportunities and challenges.

Don’t just sit there, It’s time to Just Dance!

When the music starts, Just Dance! Are you a fan of the Just Dance franchise? Be sure to let us know your favourite song to boogie to in the comments.

Gameplay

The core gameplay is a VR adaptation of traditional Just Dance Mechanics. Players follow a 3D coach in visually dynamic environments such as a high school classroom for “Thank You, Next” or a Pyramid for “Dark Horse”. The system tracks arm and hand positions and luckily you don’t need to be exact as there is limited tracking. Perfect for someone like me who is rhythm-challenged. The scoring system can be forgiving which can be a negative for those competitive players, but at the same time a good thing if you want to just have fun.

You may not hit all the marks the first time around but the game is meant to replay multiple times to learn the dance moves. Sadly there wasn’t any mixed reality content in Just Dance VR.

Just Dance VR screenshot, image shows a brightly decorated living room — Your stunning 2-level house catches your eye when you first enter the game.

Graphics & Audio

The game aesthetic is vibrant, colourful, and stylish. Everything moves and changes colours to the song’s beat in the background when in the main area. When you enter the game you have your 2-level apartment to move around freely. Although it’s visually appealing the graphics are somewhat basic compared to other VR titles. If you have played other Just Dance games then you know what to expect in terms of visuals. The animated cast adds life to the game with fun interactions and challenges. Just Dance VR runs smoothly on Meta Quest with minimal motion sickness. However the game can be physically demanding as it does offer a good workout!

The game includes 25 songs like ‘Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, “Lights” by Ellie Goulding and “Starships” by Nicki Minaj. There is something for everyone and you will be sure to find songs you will enjoy. There is no mention yet of any DLC or integration with the Just Dance+ subscription service which limits the longevity of the game.

Longevity

If you’re a fan of leader boards this game will provide plenty of gameplay hours as you perfect the dance moves and timing to achieve that highest score. There are plenty of collectibles like emote stickers, toys (basketball and glow sticks), and aliases to full outfits to customize your avatar.

However, as mentioned before, with only 25 songs Just Dance VR does fall short compared to console versions that usually launch with 40+ tracks.

An example of the many trophies you can unlock as you progress through the game.

Final Thoughts

Just Dance VR is a fun and accessible game for everyone that’s enjoyable and a good workout. The game offers a promising start to the franchise within VR, but there is definitely room for improvements. This is a good experience for newcomers to jump into. Compared to long-time fans who will enjoy it, but also wish for a larger setlist and more innovative features.

For this reason I award Just Dance VR a Thumb Culture Silver Award