A colorful new trailer that debuted in the recent Nintendo Direct has revealed that Samba de Amigo: Party Central is coming to the Nintendo Switch in summer 2023. Designed to take full advantage of the Nintendo handheld’s unique capabilities, this updated take on Sega’s classic franchise looks set to give fans of rhythm games on the Switch something to look forward to.
Long before Guitar Hero and Rock Band made collecting plastic instruments all the rage, Sega’s Samba de Amigo had legions of players shaking a pair of red maraca controllers along to the beats of the game’s soundtrack. Originally released for arcades in 1999 before receiving a port to Sega’s Dreamcast console the following year, Samba de Amigo tasked players with shaking their maracas to the beat and striking a pose when indicated by Amigo, the game’s monkey mascot. The unique party game became something of a cult classic and later received a port to the Nintendo Wii in 2008.
In a surprising move that’s sure to delight fans of the Dreamcast classic, Sega has revealed a trailer for a brand-new Samba de Amigo game titled Samba de Amigo: Party Central. The high-energy trailer shows Amigo making his return to guide Nintendo Switch players through a wide variety of dance-themed minigames as they groove to the music. Appearing to take gameplay cues from Ubisoft’s struggling Just Dance franchise, Samba de Amigo: Party Central’s trailer shows a player attempting to move their Switch controller to mimic the motions shown on screen. Mixing up the action, this reimagined version of the rhythm game classic will also feature random prompts in songs that look to have players completing music-themed minigames.
In addition to the single-player gameplay, Sega's Samba de Amigo: Party Central will also have a multiplayer mode dubbed “Love Checker” where two players try to match each other’s moves to determine their compatibility. Taking a page from the current Battle Royale craze, the game also features a “World Party” multiplayer mode where gamers play through songs in an online competition, with the lowest-scoring players being eliminated at the end of each round. The trailer also shows off the ability for players to customize their in-game avatar with a wide variety of cosmetic items, though it’s unclear how these will be obtained.
Featuring 40 songs from a variety of different genres from around the world, Samba de Amigo: Party Central looks like it could make an excellent addition to any rhythm game fan’s collection. Between introducing reboots of beloved franchises like Samba de Amigo and new content for existing games at this year’s Nintendo Direct, with all this good news for gamers, it’s no wonder Nintendo is giving its employees a raise.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central is set to release in Summer 2023