In the months leading up to the Kinect launch, it became patently obvious that Dance Central was the title to get everyone talking. In turn, it also became patently obvious that a smaller publisher would try to release a copycat title in order to try and hitch a ride on Harmonix’s coat-tails. Whilst Dance Paradise is indeed a title that seeks to mimic Dance Central, it also mixes things up a little by throwing in a nod or two to Guitar Hero for good measure.

And the end result is…interesting, if nothing else. Four differently-coloured “tracks” are shown, with dancing silhouettes slowly sliding down to the bottom of the screen. When one of these silhouettes ends up on the podium at the bottom of the track, you have to start copying its moves until the game judges your effort and tells you how you’ve done, just before the next silhouette is in place. You’ll be deemed to have failed a move if you’re not focused on the correct track whilst performing it, so you need to take a step to the left or right in good time to ensure that the right track is highlighted. If you fail a move, your vitality bar is depleted, and the game is over when the bar is totally emptied. Pulling off successful moves replenishes it, and if you complete a chain of moves, you can activate “Dance Power” by jumping on the spot. This acts in the same way as “Star Power” works in Guitar Hero, with each well-performed move giving you more points and – most importantly – more vitality whilst Dance Power is active.

It sounds complex but in all fairness, once you’ve played through a single track, you’ll have the majority of the basics down and if you’re having trouble, the games tutorial mode will take you through it all at a decent pace.

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