Samba de Amigo is coming to Apple Arcade. Sega’s classic maraca-shaking rhythm franchise is seeing a renaissance this year as the new installment arrives on Apple platforms and Nintendo Switch on the same day. A VR port for Meta Quest, announced in early June, is also scheduled to launch sometime this fall.
“Shake it with your maracas and groove to 40 hit songs from the world’s most popular genres,” the game’s App Store description reads. Exclusive songs for the Apple version include “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga, “Daddy” by Psy (of “Gangnam Style” fame) and “The Walker” by Fitz and the Tantrums. The Apple Arcade version’s title, Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go, emphasizes its portable nature. The Switch version is called Samba de Amigo: Party Central, while the Meta Quest version is simply Samba de Amigo.
Neither Sega nor Apple has said much about how gameplay details may differ between Apple’s variant and the other platforms, except that the Apple Arcade version will exclusively have the series’ first story mode. “Embark on a quest with Amigo to return lost music to the world,” the blurb reads.
Sega / Apple
Apple Arcade subscribers can shake it with Samba on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. The App Store listing doesn’t precisely say how controls work, but using your phone as a faux maraca (with touchscreen controls as a fallback) would be a logical guess. (However, it does mention that external controllers are also supported.) The Switch version uses Joy-Cons, and the Quest version relies on its Touch Controllers.
Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go is scheduled to hit the App Store on August 29th. Apple Arcade costs $5 per month after a one-month free trial, and none of its games have in-app purchases. The Switch version, also due August 29th, is priced at $40, and the Quest VR variant will be $30. You can brush up on your Dreamcast-era moves while watching the trailer for the Switch version below.
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