If like me you’ve overindulged in too many holiday treats and are looking to kickstart your 2024 New Year’s fitness resolutions, then look no further than the new Meta Quest 3 and its silliest workout game, Samba de Amigo: Virtual Party. This energetic rhythm game is brimming with whimsical fun that will force you to move your body and work up a sweat while dancing. There are plenty of VR rhythm games out there, but the Quest 3's hardware upgrades make this one particularly special.
Samba de Amigo couldn’t be a better Meta Quest 3 showcase that’s perfect for anyone who wants to get to grips with everything the new VR device is capable of. It’s already my go-to game to boot up when someone wants to give the headset a whirl because it’s a full-course VR and mixed-reality meal, complete with tableside entertainment.
Samba de Amigo: Virtual Party is what you’d get if you loaded Guitar Hero up on one of the best VR headsets, added all the sugar and soda it could stomach, shook it violently, and then handed it a pair of maracas. The resulting virtual reality rhythm game – which asks you to shake your controllers in time with the beat, strike poses, and perform random bonus challenges – is an explosion of music, color, and joy that looks delightful on my Quest 3’s 4K+ LCD screens.
It’s almost enough of a visual feast that it distracts me from how much of a workout the dances can be when I crank up the difficulty and push myself to reach a high score.
With that in mind, maybe think of grabbing some Meta Quest accessories first. I’ve found a silicone face cover is a lot easier to clean sweat off than the basic fabric cover you get out of the box. Plus, an improved strap will help to keep the headset secure on your face as you jiggle. There are some great options out there but I’ve seen good things about KIWI, Bobo, and Meta’s own Elite Quest 3 straps.
A musical potluck
Samba de Amigo’s anthropomorphic animals dancing in disco outfits are already pretty absurd to see in immersive VR, but what never fails to crack me up is the chaotic music selection that plays on Quest 3's much-improved 3D speakers. There's seemingly no cohesive glue attempting to connect its tracks in any way, and that means there’s something that will appeal to (almost) every taste. That’s without paying for extra DLC content like you would have to in some rival games like Beat Saber, by the way.
Hopping from Ariana Grande’s Break Free to Sonic Adventure 2’s Escape from the City, then to Los del Río’s Macarena, before rocking out to Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name is a whiplash-inducing maneuver. No matter your jigs of choice, you can’t deny the variety on offer – which is perfect for keeping your dance workouts from feeling too repetitive. These would have sounded good on a Meta Quest 2, but there's a noticeable bump in audio quality when you make the upgrade.
I can also tell you from experience that if you stray outside your musical comfort zone, Samba de Amigo’s energetic gameplay will never fail to get you into the party spirit. I may not have loved Kesha’s Tik Tok before playing, but I now know every word.
Group workouts
Samba de Amigo’s zany dance fests aren’t just a blast to take part in by yourself, they’re hilarious to watch a friend or loved one be completely submerged in. In the same way that Wii Fit and Ring Fit became workout equipment for the whole family, the Quest 3 and Samba De Amigo are perfect if you want a VR experience you can share with loved ones.
Unless you have a few headsets lying around, local VR multiplayer will be resigned to pass-and-play though; taking it in turns to wear the headset and tackle the next bop. If you’re playing in groups of three or more, most of the time you’ll be watching rather than playing, so the headset wearer needs to put on a good show. I don't often perform sweaty dance routines in front of my friends, but that’s all but guaranteed with Samba de Amigo.
Not only can you laugh while the player flails their arms around as they would in any VR game, but you can judge their dance poses and watch as they either rise to the game’s random challenges – or crumble under the pressure. Just remember to cast the headset to a phone or your best gaming TV so you can see what they do – it’s super easy using the Meta Quest mobile app.
Let's mix things up
But the Quest 3 isn’t just for VR. Its full-color passthrough cameras make the headset an excellent mixed reality device and Samba de Amigo puts this tech to great use, allowing you to bring hectic maraca-mania into your home. What’s more, it helps to make the game – and XR hardware like the Quest – more accessible to newcomers.
While most folks think VR is magical, I’ve seen plenty of people put off by intimidating, unrecognizable VR spaces. Even if they’re gaming and tech-savvy, virtual reality can be a lot to handle when you first try it.
On the other hand, mixed reality is an excellent way to bridge the gap by starting these players somewhere familiar before steadily adding more digital elements. It can even help with warding off motion sickness too – another massive VR turnoff.
Samba de Amigo does this automatically. Its mixed reality mode starts in your real space with a few virtual dancers joining you; as you get the hang of things, cracks will appear in your walls and more characters will break through until you’re ripped fully into a world of rainbows and flashing disco lights.
Even if you’re a VR veteran there’s something special about mixed reality that makes this Samba de Amigo mode well worth playing on Quest 3. Virtual reality is excellent, but the game’s effects just hit differently when dancing animals are ripping through my actual walls.
If you’re after a more hardcore VR game to help you get active in the new year, then I’d recommend Beat Saber and Pistol Whip. Despite what you might think, the latter can be surprisingly intense - believe me. The Meta Quest headsets also have access to more traditional workout apps like Supernatural.
For me, the goofy vibe of Samba De Amigo reminds me that sticking to fitness routines doesn’t have to be a chore. If you have fitness goals to keep track of this year, playing Samba de Amigo is worth a try – you won’t find a wackier workout game on the Meta Quest 3.
Looking for other ways to be more active while you're gaming? Check out the best standing desks, the best racing wheels for PC, and the best Nintendo Switch controllers.
