One game genre that works extremely well with Virtual Reality is rhythm games. Games like Beat Saber, Box VR, Thumper, and Audica have proven this, and are some of the best games for the headset. So when Dance Collider released on the Playstation Store, I was interested in checking it out. So, is Dance Collider any good?
Dance Collider is a rhythm game that has you hitting beats timed with the music. The game has a small story involving a futuristic world and an evil AI, but it’s nothing special. The gameplay is where Dance Collider really shines. The game has you choosing between 9 different characters, each containing 5 unique songs. The characters you choose will appear in the background of the stage you play in, and will be dancing along to the music, while also taunting you. Each of these characters also have their own stage arenas, which are pretty simple, but it’s still nice to have a good variety.
The game itself has you hitting notes from three different directions. The controls are simple, as all you need to do is use the two move controllers to hit notes. All of these notes are colored either pink or green, and you’ll have to use the right wand to hit the color. There are several types of notes in the game, there are normal notes that you just hit to break. There’s chain notes, which are notes connected to other notes, which have you hitting them in a specific order, and if you miss one of the chain notes it will stop the chain. The next type is a string of notes that you’ll have to follow along with your wand, it’s very satisfying to land all notes for this type. And finally there is a yellow note that you have to use both wands to hit. The variety in notes is refreshing and adds an extra layer of challenge when a wave of notes are heading towards you. The note layouts in each of the songs are really good, and honestly this game has given me more of a dancing feeling than any other VR rhythm game I’ve played so far. I really enjoyed it!
There are 45 songs in total, with each having easy, normal, and pro difficulties. There are also online leaderboards to see where you rank in the world. The 45 songs are mostly electronic, and you won’t be seeing a big variety in genres here, but the I think the songs fit really well with the gameplay and style they’re going for.
The only issue I had with Dance Collider is that it’s too forgiving with your mistakes. I put a player who had never played the game into a Pro difficulty stage, and they beat it first try. It’s not that they were instantly good at the game, but that it seemed almost impossible to die. Dozens upon dozens of notes were being missed, but a game over didn’t come, so I think they should adjust that a little more. But besides that I didn’t have any other issues with the game, and that one issue I just mentioned isn’t even a big one.
So overall, Dance Collider is a really fun game! I honestly didn’t have high expectations before playing this game, but was left impressed with it. It has a good amount of songs to play, several difficulties, really good note layouts, satisfying gameplay, and is just an overall great game. Sure, it’s not on the same level as something like Beat Saber, but it’s a solid alternative for a great price. And even if you already have other PSVR rhythm games, I felt that this game gives enough variety in mechanics and songs to justify purchasing it. If you enjoy rhythm games, then I highly recommend Dance Collider!
