Let me paint a little picture for you. I’m not the smallest of guys, around 6’2’’, 17 stone, bearded and ginger – all the features of an orang-utan if you will. Now take that image, give it some funky animation moves, plonk it on a dance floor and add some tunes. It looks good doesn’t it? No? Well you’d be right there. To say that I was born to dance then would be hugely incorrect. Don’t get me wrong, put a few drinks in me and I’ll dad-dance the night away – and look fantastic doing so, but anything beyond that is a bit out of my comfort zone.
Cue my latest review task, some new dance fitness fad called Zumba. And after a long while scouring around for a Kinect so I could turn my living room into the dance studio it’s longed to be, I managed to borrow one from a friend of a friend and got my groove on. I will tell you now, the initial image of a clumsy dancing orang-utan isn’t far from the truth. My girlfriend would probably tell you that would be being harsh on the ape - that is if she can stop laughing, poor girl has been curled up in a ball for days now.
Zumba Fitness: World Party is the fourth Zumba game from developers Zoe Mode. It claims that players can learn dance styles from around the world – Salsa, hip-hop, Bollywood, Bambi on Ice….(just me?). And in all fairness, you will get a sweat on, and maybe pull a muscle or two in the path to being a fit dancing superstar. You can even get your friends involved with co-op mode. Nobody fancied a dance with me though; apparently my movements were too unpredictable and ‘flailing’. No doubt the real reason was actually them not wanting to be shown up by my new found hip movements.
Thankfully the game will ease you in, and is accessible for all different skill levels. With a good tutorial mode, and levels ranging from low to high intensity there is plenty to aim for, and if you are looking to get fit and/or lose weight, there is sure to be a sense of achievement when you start completed the high intensity workouts. It also features ‘Progress Tracker Plus’ which will tally your stats – calories burnt, technique score etc. And if you wanted extra incentive, reaching certain goals will unlock stuff for you such as behind the scenes Zumba footage and fitness tips.
It’s quite difficult to write a review on a game such as this without any sort of story or anything. It is what it is – a good fitness game which you can use as a fun party game, or as a genuine fitness tool. It features a ‘World Tour’ which I guess is the closest thing you’ll get to a Career mode where you will visit different areas of the world, taking part in songs and dances from that region. The game has over 40 songs, some of which are Zumba’s own, but also comes with licenced tracks from the likes of Lady Gaga, Emeli Sande, Pitbull and more.
If you are a fan of Zumba, you won’t be disappointed. And if you are having a party and want to see the lads make fools of themselves, this is a must. In all seriousness, Zumba Fitness: World Party is a well-polished dance fitness game. And if you are in the market for one, look no further.
