I have all the rhythm of a broken metronome and with my bald head, beard and belly I don’t exactly look like the dancing type. And I’m not…except when it comes to rhythm games. It all comes down to my love of music. Something I’m thankfully sharing with my son, who is my review partner on this game.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central isn’t exactly my kind of rhythm game to be fair, I’m more of a lapsed Guitar Hero fan, but when I can play a video game with my son, I’ll take anything. And thankfully, Samba de Amigo: Party Central is a perfect game for a kid who doesn’t quite have the coordination and dexterity to play, quote-unquote real games.
It doesn’t hurt that he’s a huge Sonic: The Hedgehog fan either and he makes quite the cameo in Samba de Amigo: Party Central. It’s also pretty handy that the motion controls are forgiving enough that just flailing about like a madman will produce decent results.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central Review
Samba de Amigo: Party Central is basically part rhythm game and part dancing game. By using the Switch Joy-Cons as Maracas, you shake in time with the music to get the highest score. It’s simple stuff, something essential for any good party game. As mentioned, I’m playing this with my five-year-old, so it’s less of a party and more of a blue-light disco.
On booting it up, Samba de Amigo offers a wealth of game modes and options; mini-games, an online Battle Royale, single-player challenges and more. While I’ve dipped a toe into each after my son is fast asleep, Samba de Amigo: Party Central isn’t a game to be played, by yourself, in the dead of night. Something about it just feels so unwholesome…
It’s also exponentially less fun playing Samba de Amigo: Partry Central alone and even playing online robs the game of most of its joy, which comes from the people in the room with you laughing and clapping along.
Basic gameplay in Samba de Amigo sees you having to match your maracas with bubbles on screen as they hit one of six circles on screen. There are three for your left hand and three for your right hand and one each for up, down and middle. To hit the circles at the right time you need to hold your Joy-Con in the right position (up, down or sideways) and shake as the bubble connects. Strangely, because of the less-than-perfect motion controls, my son’s random, rapid flailing seemed to produce better results than me desperately trying to hit the bubbles and beat his high score. My pride was on the line.
However, after seeing the absolute glee on his face and hearing him laugh as he played, I was more than happy for him to be the winner. The available songs also seem built for the Tik-Tok generation with plenty of recent pop hits on offer. There are also some old-school classics and some video game theme songs on offer so most people who play will find something to bop along to.
Under the right circumstances and with the right people (and possibly the right alcohol) Samba de Amigo: Party Central is a smash. If you don’t get to party anymore, because, like me, you’ve got your own crotch fruit, they’re equally good playmates. Playing alone is ok for a bit, but gets old pretty quickly,
Samba de Amigo: Party Central needs an audience and a group of people all vibing together to get the most out of it. And, honestly, I can’t think of much that’s better than watching an unco five-year-old, flail with all their might while laughing like a madman. To me, that’s the true essence of Samba de Amigo: Party Central and for that reason, I can easily recommend it.
And if you’re going to play alone, at least close your curtains and shut your door first.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central was reviewed on Switch using a digital code provided by SEGA.
