Samba de Amigo for Nintendo Switch revives Sega’s rhythm classic

In the golden days of Sega Dreamcast gaming, there were many dedicated peripherals. We went bass fishing (and got a little flexy in the process). SoulCalibur) with Sega’s fishing controller. With the Dreamcast’s official keyboard, we shredded zombies. Virtual-On: Oratorio TangramThe Dreamcast Twin Stick allows you to play the game at home.

There was also the Samba de Amigo maracas controller, a one-off musical peripheral absolutely necessary for enjoying Sega’s Latin-music-powered rhythm game to its full potential. Sega has given the innovative rhythm game series another try with Samba de Amigo: Party CentralThis summer, Nintendo Switch users will be able to dance with their Joy-Cons and take pictures.

Samba de Amigo: Party Central doesn’t require any dedicated peripherals, merely a general sense of rhythm and — this is paramount — the ability to leave any sense of shame at the door. À la Ubisoft’s Just Dance games, you will gesture, gyrate, and violently shake a set of Joy-Cons with unmatched intensity, preferably in time with the beat and lined up with six on-screen markers.

Samba de Amigo’s basic premise is to shake your controller at the correct spot when a circular enters a band. Two rings are at the top of the screen, followed by two more in the center and four at the bottom. In practice, you’ll be shaking all over, arms raised, or crossed, or twisted as you try to match a flow of beat markers pouring out from the center of the screen. Occasionally, you’ll be asked to hold a pose, looking silly while doing so. From there, the action becomes more complex.

Sega retains the spirit of the original game from my experience. Samba de Amigo’s colorful arcade antics with Party CentralThe Switch sequel lacks (understandably), the classic Dreamcast’s tactile feedback. It’s simple and satisfying, but doesn’t have the powerful draw of shaking two real-life maracas to make video game magic happen.

Samba de Amigo: Party Central includes a variety of ways to play, including a pick-up-and-play rhythm game mode where you select one of the game’s 40 songs and compete for a high score in one of four difficulty settings. Players can also shake it in two-player mode, with optional minigames and a “Love Checker” mode where you measure your synchronization levels.

The Love Checker minigame from Sega’s Samba de Amigo: Party Central

There’s also online play and a sort of battle royale mode; up to eight players can compete in an elimination-style game across three rounds of play. Sega has even worked in a faux social media/streaming platform called “StreamiGo!” where players take on missions to earn more followers. (That’s a sort of alternative to streaming Samba de Amigo: Party Central(Music games are not as successful on Twitch due to issues with copyright.

Sega is trying to provide longevity with a series of unlockable cosmetics — earned by spending an in-game currency — and post-launch music DLC. The players can get hats and costumes inspired by Sega’s other franchises like Space Channel 5 Puyo Puyo and Super Monkey Ball.

Samba de Amigo: Party Central’s launch list of tunes includes some classics like “La Bamba,” “Macarena,” and Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life.” It’s chock full of danceable tracks from Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen, Pitbull, and Junior Senior. But it’s lacking some notable Samba de Amigo bangers, like “Samba de Janeiro” and “Soul Bossa Nova.” Hopefully these oversights will be addressed in future DLC.

The following is a list of the most recent and relevant articles. Samba de Amigo: Party Central launches on Nintendo Switch on Aug. 29, here’s what players can expect on day one.