Top 12 Just Dance Levels, Part Deux

I discussed some levels that I disliked, now it’s time to end this overall look at the Just Dance franchise with a final list of levels that I personally enjoy. Mind you, there are few of those from JD2015 because they were all covered on my previous lists. This will contain mostly levels from JD2016, and a few from JD2014. I had a decent list of levels I wanted to include here, but for the sake of keeping it to a single list, I’ve kept it to 12.

Before the list proper, a few honorable mentions:

JD2014: Maria (Ricky Martin), Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A Man after Midnight (ABBA)

JD2015: Tetris (Dancing Bros.)

JD2016: Balkan Blast Remix (Angry Birds), Born This Way (Lady Gaga)

Well, no time to waste, let’s jump into this right away!

12. No Control (One Direction) JD2016

Dammit, I don't want to like One Direction!
But... that music... it's... so decent... I am... impressed!
Ack! No, that's how they assimilate you!

I honestly have no idea how One Direction found their way once again into my Top list. Sure, they’re at the bottom, but they reach the list! No Control is on the first page of Just Dance 2016, so it’s one of the first titles a player sees. And it’s a fantastic dance crew level. It’s not too difficult for someone who just started playing the franchise, and it’s also a great moment to present the dances with multiple choreographies that slightly differ for each participant. I have a blast every time I play this level, I almost cheer when it passes by in the World Dance Floor. That’s the mark of a great stage. Definitely ranks up there with the better content we can access through Just Dance.

11. Papaoutai (Stromae) JD2015

A song to dance to with your father, or your son.
Or with your father and your son, if you're three
generations enjoying video games.

I wanted to avoid DLC content for this list, because it’s unfair to include levels you would have to pay for. However, I covered all good levels for JD2015 on my previous lists and I couldn’t exclude this one. Papaoutai is that French song that has been a surprise hit all over the world (and it’s great to play to a French song for once). It’s so catchy, we almost forget that it’s about Stromae growing up without a father because said father died in the 1994 Rwandan genocide! Think about THAT the next time you tap your foot to this ditty! The choreography is great, featuring a father and his son, often doing movements one at a time as though the two were separated. That doesn’t stop them from getting together at the center of the screen, son at the front, father at the back, for an awesome moment where they complete each other’s moves. It’s just a great choreography and I think it’s the favorite DLC I ever bought from the series.

10. Kaboom Pow (Nikki Yanofsky) JD2016

There are just too many great moments in this level.
A singele image doesn't do it justice.

Any fans of comic books? You’ll be delighted by this level. It starts with comic books spread on a table, then the dancer leaps out from the cover in the center for the choreography. That’s actually a pretty cool costume too, reminding me of famous hero costumes like Wonder Woman and Miss Marvel, among others. The choreography itself is enjoyable, with the dancer swinging her arms in circles, punching upwards… The developers went a step further with the backgrounds, throwing in various references to comic book styles. The written onomatopoeia shows up at various places, explosion pass by through the screen, the camera often moves back ever so slightly to reveal the sides of the panel. The best might be when pages zoom in on the backgrounds and we see panels drawn in the styles of famous comic book artists like Jack Kirby. I have a total geek-out on this level! No wonder I love it!

9. Copacabana (Frakie Bostello) JD2016

That is not the Lion King I grew up with, but it's a Lion
King I could get used to. Besides, who doesn't love catchy
songs about tragic tales of loss and murder?

Once again, a song that is surprisingly dark for how catchy it is. “Dancing savannah animals” isn’t exactly what comes to your mind for a song about a tragic murder in a club. Still, as with any item on this list, Just Dance delivers with a level that looks great, plays great, and is overall just loads of fun. No, I didn’t pick it just because it’s got a lion, although I’m biased towards always picking that dancer whenever I play the song. What else can I say, the lion looks cool with those Lennon specs. If lions aren’t your go-to wild animal, we also have a hippo, a lemur and a giraffe. I chuckle at the thought of the motion capture session for this particular song. Gotta love how colorful everything is, yet again, even if I could say that for 95% of all friggin’ Just Dance levels. I also love the conga parts in this choreography, it’s a nice touch, especially since the song’s genre lends itself to that.

8. Hey Mama (David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj, Afrojack, Bebe Rexha) JD2016

Just in case you needed a reminder of the sheer EPIC of the visuals
in this one.

I don’t know half the names on this song. I did discuss it in my proper review of Just Dance 2016, though, and spoiler alert, another song I discussed there will show up later on this same list. Hey Mama is one of those levels that is fun when you just play it, but fantastic once you realize all the work that went into it. You mimic the moves of a dancer dressed like a flight attendant, I think, and two guys in the background. Replicated to infinity. I don’t think you comprehend the concept of infinity until you see the same thing repeated to what seems like an infinite number of times. The camera moves back from the dancers to reveal the two guys behind the flight attendant, in the middle of a hangar. Oh, and just to hammer in the endless repetition of these guys, at one point the main crew is on a moving platform, passing by more floors crowded with these guys. Holy macaroni. If you’re dancing to the level, you might not even notice them, but thanks to YouTube, you can. It’s jaw-dropping.

I should probably add that a Just Dance level featuring a few copies of the same dancer isn’t quite as impressive, unless you turn it up to 11 as with Hey Mama did with its thousands of copies of the same dancers. It’s more impressive if you use all different dancers showing up for cameos, as seen with a dance higher on this list.

7. Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Sunlight Shakers) JD2014

Why do I want a crown of flowers all of a sudden?

The original song by The 5^th Dimention was very groovy, but also five minutes long, so the game instead relies on this cover by The Sunlight Shakers, which is shorter. I dunno why, I love this sort of music, even if it’s as far from metal as can be. The cover is still really good, and keeps all that’s really necessary for a Just Dance version of the original track. I might have been a hippie in a past life, because I love this song and the designs around it. The characters are two women in hippie garb, and the choreography sees great chemistry between them. Hugs and hand-holding are a part of it, too, and you all know how much I loathed whole “Hold My Hand” routines in previous Just Dance titles; here, it’s manageable since it’s temporary and doesn’t cause problems. Gotta love the visuals that change drastically between Aquarius and Let The Sunshine In, going from watery blues to vibrant warm colors, sun in the background and flowers sprouting around. It’s a damn good level for a damn good cover of a damn good song.

6. William Tell Overture (Rossini) JD2016

And it's hilarious, too!

Classical music in a game? Why, yes! And it works! As a matter of fact, it also becomes a shout-out to the physical comedy of silent films. Two jockeys dance on a race track, behaving as though they were riding horses. Items come towards then like hurdles to jump on, while the background, like a green screen, plays a recording that makes the race track feel so much longer. That’s when you realize that everything is a prop, and the dancers are actually on a stage. We’ve been played! This one is fun, not very difficult, and all-around very enjoyable. The comical elements are well present, and I can attest, everyone I’ve played this song with have had a great time. It’s also the first time my mother scored 5 stars on a song on her first try, something that would not ever be achieved again. Yes, sometimes my parents play too. This is an inclusive game!

5. Ievan Polkka (Hatsune Miku) JD2016

This is not your system crashing!
It's bound to surprise you at first, too.

The 2016 edition had a lot of odd tracks, including the Balkan Blast (AKA the Angry Birds theme song), Chiwawa, the William Tell Overture, an Irish Meadow Dance, and then this one. The Ievan Polkka is a cheery, funny song, and it’s sung by Hatsune Miku, which I’ve never really been listening to. The voice does seem to add to the hilarious, though. To think she dances on the screen while holding a leek… yeah, this is basically Meme: The Just Dance Level. (And that’s before JD2018 came out with “Beep Beep I’m A Sheep”!) The background is pretty basic, a series of screens forming a complete picture and sometimes showing different images. Best part might be when the track seems to glitch along with the character who freezes on the screen in different poses, before resuming as if nothing happened. Do not adjust your system, it’s fine. I love the silly tracks in the series, it’s a nice change of pace from the ones given to modern pop songs.

4. Teacher (Car version) (Nick Jonas) JD2016

One of them looks like some metal band drummer, and I like that.

AKA the only “seated dance” that doesn’t suck. This one shows the two dancers in a close-up, only torso and up. It’s probably one of the least exhausting dances in Just Dance history, though. The concept is simple. These two guys are in a car, a really good some comes up, they dance in the car. Just the arms and head. Making faces along with the music. It’s the first time we get such a close-up of these porcelain white characters, and it’s actually pretty cool – if you don’t mind the slight uncanny valley of these bodies of utter whiteness, especially when they’re mouthing to the lyrics, and all that’s in their white mouths is just more white. Seriously though, the guy on the right is the better of the two. This level is just amazing – not that the original choreography for Teacher isn’t good, mind you, I just largely prefer this one. And while it’s a great level, never ever imitate these two during a car ride, because the driver lets his hands off the wheel far too long.

3. Careless Whisper (George Michael) JD2014

Why do I suddenly want to go watch Deadpool again?

With George Michael’s untimely passing in Christmas 2016, early this year I was interested in revisiting the duet choreography for this song. Yes, the track that sounds unbearably romantic, yet is about guilt from cheating on one’s spouse. Of course, as a result of the misleading music, the choreography for the song is very romantic. Even if it shouldn’t be. A man and a woman on a lascivious dance, requiring great chemistry between both partners (making this kinda awkward if played by two people with no romantic interest…). I’ve criticized other Just Dance levels for this, but here, it truly works. And while it makes things a little tricky if playing alone, it’s still enjoyable. You will just feel silly hugging yourself, is all. The level as a whole breathes that romantic vibe, even if it’s not supposed to be. Really, one of the strengths of Just Dance is when you see levels that combine the mood of the track with dancers that embody that mood and a fitting animated background. It's difficult to get all the parts right, but here, that was definitely achieved. Also DAYUM, that saxophone. 

Remember: As soon as you start listening to this song, a saxophonist lurks
in the shadows near you, playing along to the track. That's why the
saxophone always sounds so real when you listen to this song.
Saxophonists are great players, but also creeps.

2. Uptown Funk (Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars) JD2016

I talked about it at length In my review, and it’s one of the shining examples, along with Hey Mama, of the improvements made in the newer game. The sole dancer switches between a few different models, one which wears clothes like Bruno Mars’ in the official video for the song. Yet, despite the model changing frequently, the choreography seams flawlessly. On top of that, the character is moved around a giant colorful city, with plenty of monuments visible. Oh, and just in case that wasn’t enough, the character is joined by multiple dancers from levels in previous Just Dance games in the background. It’s not two guys repeated thousands of times, but it’s impressive regardless. It ties the entire Just Dance universe together, in a weird way. And it’s all over this song, which is a treat no matter how often you listen to it, even three years after its release. Would there be a better way to celebrate the series? Probably, but this is as close as we get.

Just Dance Town. Population: Innumerable.
And we hope you like it as much as they do.

1. Follow The Leader (Wisin & Yandel ft. Jennifer Lopez) JD2014

This level has it all: Great song, great choreography, great
backgrounds, it plays super-well, it's just the right level
of difficulty... and it's HOT.

Sometimes, all it takes is a simple song with a simple level, along with cool graphics. No matter how many improvements the franchise has seen with time, a fun dance is a fun dance, and nothing trumps that. This is one of the unexpected entries on the list, even passing by some of the most beloved levels in the series to steal the #1 spot. “Follow The Leader” is a one-dancer choreography assisted by multiple dancers in the background, all of which move in rhythm with the main one. I also love the juxtaposition of cold and hot, represented by the factory at the back. Cooler colors in some scenes featuring giant gears, and larger hot scenes with floating particles, lava thrown upwards, even more gears, and a whole crew of back-up dancers in the dark. Damn, is it me or it’s getting hot in here? The changing colors on the dancer’s clothes wasn’t anything new by that point, but it meshes so well with the backgrounds. The choreography is great, not too easy, not too hard, and very enjoyable every time I play it. Truly a fantastic example of what can be achieved with this franchise.

I don't get it. We're close to winter in Quebec, there's snow on the ground,
we are below zero Celsius, and I am sweating!
This is too hot. I'm hyperventilating!

Well, I guess that’s truly all I had to say about Just Dance. Closing the book on that franchise now. It was a fun time, wasn’t it? Some cussing, some praising, a lot of music. Really, you should give the franchise a try, if you haven’t. And if you already love it, more power to you; keep enjoying it. I know I love it.

Next week… Hm… I really should do another Steam Pack.