If you thought the hip retro disco action of Space Channel 5 was bizarre, just wait till you get a load of this. Samba de Amigo, developed by Sonic Team, is one of the latest games to embrace the rhythm craze that’s sweeping across the videogames industry. As many readers will have noticed, the last year and a half has been dominated by Konami’s Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution, and Drum Mania games; so the most important question to ask is how Samba de Amigo distinguishes itself from the crowd.
The mechanics of Samba de Amigo are manifested with hand movements that keep to the beat and correspond with on–screen instructions. There are six rings aligned in a concentric circle. You then see beats move from the center of the circle to the rings on the outside in beat with the music. The instant each beat comes into contact with the ring, you activate that particular ring, which is accomplished by pressing the corresponding button on the control pad.
Too complicated? Here’s the short, easier version: with a maraca in each hand, you have to shake them to the beat of the music. The rings indicate whether you’re shaking the maracas on your left or right side, and how high you’re shaking them in the air (high, mid, and low). Still too complicated? Well, just take heart in knowing that this game is easier to pick up than any other rhythm game on the market. The essence of Samba de Amigo is dancing to the Latin J–Pop dance tracks with your maracas. The other modes are Arcade and the Original. Arcade Mode has a limited selection of music, but the Original Mode offers you everything from the Macarena and Samba de Janeiro to a sped–up techno version of Tubthumping, (basically stuff you wouldn’t be caught dancing to except at a ski resort!). Thankfully, Samba de Amigo doesn’t leave you stranded with just a simple Arcade and Original mode, there’s also a Party Mode and a Challenge Mode, where the game offers additional quests, competitions and some smart dances to unlock its hidden secrets.
However, if you let yourself get into it, Samba de Amigo is surprisingly fun and addictive. Most other rhythm games bog down almost all of your concentration on your hands or your feet — so while it might be fun to watch an adept player in action, it’s actually quite mechanical and unforgiving. Samba de Amigo is unique in that the hand movements involved in shaking the maracas requires minimal effort, giving you the freedom to let your body get into the groove of the music — this game truly lets you dance.
The unexpected bonus is the game’s visuals. Compared to the usual trippy MTV gloss you get in Beatmania, Samba de Amigo is incredibly alive — and stylish. Colorful cartoon characters bounce around in environments that pulsate with the music while the camera constantly roves around amidst the solid 3D presentation (making you wish that Pa Rappa and Um Jammer could be in 3D also).
The maracas themselves are a wonder. You stand on a plastic mat that’s detachable from a main hub. This hub has two motion sensors — one on either side — designed to detect the side and height at which you’re shaking your motorized maracas (you can hear them whirring away if you listen closely enough). The mat isn’t really required, it’s just a guide for where you should roughly stand so that the sensors work properly. One word of warning, though: according to the specifications, if your overall height with your hands outstretched above your head is over eight feet, the system isn’t going to work properly. The other height limitation is if there’s less than one foot of height between your hands and the ground when you’re standing normally, the game won’t work either. In the unlikely event that you’re either height challenged or of gigantic proportions, the alternative to using the maracas is the standard DC control pad, where the buttons and analogue stick serve the left–right, high–mid–low functions.
Don’t even consider getting Samba de Amigo if you don’t intend to get the maracas. The game is utterly pointless without them. Unfortunately, it’s this reliance on the maracas that grounds the one complaint to be had of the game: the maracas are bloody expensive. They’re right up there with the PlayStation 2’s Drum Mania drum kit as the most expensive console peripherals anywhere. Aside from that, Samba de Amigo is a refreshingly fun and addictive game for the genre — Samba de Amigo is a game that simply everyone must try.
"I say, Samba de Amigo does, indeed, get your toes to tapping — even if you should be wearing combat boots!"
