Parents' Guide to Just Dance 2021

They say music makes the world go round, and this series has helped fuel that movement for more than ten years. For Just Dance 2021, the series makes its "next-gen" debut alongside the current generation consoles. But rather than huge strides or revolutionary changes, the game sticks close to its formula with little refinements here and there. The World Dance Floor, for example, feels smoother when challenging other players to an online dance off. There's also a new quickplay feature that lets players choose a mode and jump right in the action with a randomized playlist. This is particularly fun when playing with groups, as everyone waits to see which track is next, usually to a room full of groans or cheers. Sweat Mode feels the same as before, giving players a running tally of estimated caloric burn and time spent dancing. It makes for a great little extra workout routine and, when done correctly, definitely leaves players "feeling the burn."

One big focus this year is integration with the Just Dance mobile app, available for Android and iOS based devices. The next-gen versions of the game don't feature camera support, leaving the app as the only available way to register movement. After syncing up with the game, players can use the phone to scroll through menus, choose songs, etc. Then, once the dancing is ready to start, players simply hold the device in their right hand and let it do its motion sensing work. The problem here is more an issue with the differences between devices more than anything. Some phones might be larger and less comfortable to hold while swinging around to the music. Others might have less responsive hardware that can occasionally throw off accuracy. Finally, connection issues can creep up if the phone enters sleep mode or a player accidentally touches the screen and interrupts play. But more often than not, things work great and, before long, you're tearing up the dance floor with friends and family in a fun, active, groovy sort of way.