Sega announces Samba de Amigo: Party Central for Nintendo Switch

Sega revolutionized rhythm games in 2000 by releasing Samba de AmigoDreamcast. The game let players shake a pair of dedicated maracas controllers to the beat of Latin bops like Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” Los Del Rio’s “Macarena,” Quincy Jones’ “Soul Bossa Nova,” and, of course, Reel Big Fish’s cover of “Take On Me.” Sega hopes to recapture that maraca-shaking new-millennium magic with a sequel, Samba de Amigo: Party CentralComing to Nintendo Switch this Summer:

Sega announced the new Samba de Amigo at Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct. It’s the second surprise Dreamcast-era revival so far this year.

Samba de Amigo: Party CentralThe game will feature 40 songs in a range of styles (e.g. pop, EDM and Latin), as well as a host of minigames like Love Checker! World Party mode will allow for online multiplayer.

Original Samba de Amigo was developed by Sega’s Sonic Team. The arcade version was first released, and later it was ported to Sega Dreamcast. A set of relatively expensive maracas controllers were purchased by players who desired the complete experience at home. They are in limited supply. Sega, Gearbox Software and Gearbox Software launched a Wii version of the original game in 2008.