Think about the last sport you played or maybe it was a game that allowed you to move around. Was it something that got your heart rate up or something that made you sweat. Did you think about after you stopped that this could be a work out you could get into and possibly get you motivated to do more? It’s kind of amazing what experiences in Virtual Reality can give us. So does Developer emergeWorlds give us that heart beating sweating fun experience? Let’s find out with Dance Collider for PCVR and PlayStation VR.
Dance Collider is a rhythm game set in the futuristic world that is controlled by an AI known as Uriel. It will be up to you to dance, yes dance, and move as you try and defeat 9 of the best dancers from around the world all while trying to hit the nodes and cascades that these best dancers are trying to send your way and you do it to the music. But it’s not just about beating the dancer, it’s about getting to the top of those global leaderboards to see who is the best in the world at Dance Collider.
So before you go jumping in and moving, there are some things that I would suggest doing first.
- Clear some space. You will be moving and you really don’t want to hit anything.
- Stretch. I am giong to say this now, you will feel this in some muscles you may not have used in a while depending on how long you play, so might as well be stretched out the best way you can.
- Have a towel ready. Since you will be moving and swinging to the music, you will sweat.
- Turn on the AC or have a fan ready. If you are going to sweat, you might as well try and cool off while you are at it.
- Charged controllers. You want to play as long as you can, so make sure those controllers are charged.
- Water. Movement + Sweating + being hot may not be a good combination for some, so make sure you stay hydrated.
So now that we have all that in check, let’s continue…
I would also recommend you starting with the tutorial just to get used to things. It’s not long and can help with that pre warm up routine. But very simple hit the nodes with the color matching of your hands. The harder you hit them, the more points you get. Keep the cascade combos going to add to your over point score as well as sets and the yellow nodes. Do this without missing a beat and see your score go up on those boards.
Now, not everything is going to come at you straight on or in a straight line. Nodes will be sent to you in front of you where you will have to move up and down and to the sides of you. A couple of times when I had the center nodes and cascades cleared and thought the song may have the breather, I didn’t pay attention to the direction and actually got startled a few times as before I knew it they were coming at the sides. So be prepared…just be prepared.
Each of the 9 dancers and Uriel have their own style, theme design, and 4 difficulty levels of Easy, Normal, Pro, and Extreme. The higher the level get ready and if you decide to play the hardcore mode, which will be coming to PlayStation VR, just accept your fate early on. I am still trying to figure out who my favorite dancer to go up against is between Pyro and his discouraging ways…
The AI Uriel with those node attacks…
Or the chaotic style of Sonya…
I am sure that no matter who we will go up against, you will a favorite. And keep in mind each dancer, each song, and each level for that dancer and song has a leaderboard to climb and that is something to aim for. I do want to point out one thing that is on the PCVR side of things is that there is a dance editor where you can actually create your own nodes and cascades to the songs of the dancers. I really hope this comes to PlayStation VR.
When looking at the graphics everything in Dance Collider is sharp and clear. Nodes and cascades really pop in VR. With each dancer having their own personality and own themed stage, the art style really does come alive in Virtual Reality. With the music, these 45 songs are all original from F-777 and they do bring the high energy to this workout rhythm game.
If there is anything I would love to see is a way to incorporate our own music and having the game then generate the nodes and cascades to the beat of the music. I know that may be a long shot, but that would be awesome. Another thing that I would love to see is music packs. If there is not a way to incorporate our own music, then bring the music packs with dancers and stages that are designed around that music pack.
Over all Dance Collider brings the sweat as well as the fun. At times when we are at home due to a pandemic, isn’t it great to know that there is an option to stay active and waking up the next day feeling that burn?
Dance Collider is out now on PlayStation VR, the Oculus Store, Steam, and Viveport. A review code was provided.
To learn more about emergeWorlds, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To learn more about F-777, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Also, check out the Dance Collider Interview.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have some dancers to go up against and those leaderboards to climb.
