Dance On Broadway

A dance game from Ubisoft, featuring songs from various Broadway musicals. Players hold a Wii remote or Move controller and follow along with dance commands on screen.

PlayStation 3

Wii

Overview

A spin-off of Ubisoft's casual music/rhythm series, Just Dance, Dance on Broadway replaces the typical dance tunes with broadway showtunes and features a single mode of play for up to four players. Like the original, lyrics to each of the songs can be displayed on the screen. It was released for the Wii on June 22, 2010, and for the PS3 (with Move support) on March 15, 2011.

Gameplay & Presentation

To play, users simply hold the Wii remote and mimic the dance moves of their on-screen character. The game uses some mysterious motion tracking algorithm to judge the accuracy of the player and issue points but there is never any way to fail or lose points. Unlike Just Dance and its sequel which use heavily filtered full motion video of live dancers, Dance on Broadway's characters are polygonal models. Depending on the song their appearance, costumes, backgrounds and other on-screen displays change to mimic those of the chosen song or source material. Characters performing 'All that Jazz', for example, wear flapper-esque dresses while they sport make-up, garter belts, and studded leather clothes during 'Time Warp'.

Dance on Broadway also introduces choreographed dances for multiple players with specific moves alternating in direction and timing depending on the song. 'I Just Can't Wait to be King' features unique routines for players as two represent Simba and the other two represent Rafiki. More diverse backgrounds and animations have been added over the original Just Dance including dramatic set changes and effects set in time with the lyrics and even non-player characters. 'Time Warp' sees a bumbling boy and girl who are supposed to represent Brad and Janet mingling with the player characters while other songs feature background dancers. All stages begin as the camera flies through a crowded theater and the red curtain parts.