Nintendo's latest Direct was filled with some pretty out-of-left-field reveals, and the announcement of a new Samba de Amigo game is certainly one of those. Debuting in arcades all the way back in 1999, the Samba de Amigo franchise is one of SEGA's most underrated, and in a world where rhythm games have become a thing of the past, it's the perfect time for a new Samba de Amigo to fill that niche in the market.
In Samba de Amigo, players control a Brazilian monkey called Amigo as he shakes his maracas to the beat. Gameplay is incredibly simple, but that also makes it highly accessible, and that's the Nintendo Switch's whole MO. But Amigo hasn't just appeared in his own games, he's also appeared throughout SEGA's different crossover franchises.
A Brief History of the Samba de Amigo Franchise
Technically, there has only ever been one Samba de Amigo game. Originally released for arcades in 1999, Samba de Amigo sees players grab two maraca-shaped controllers and shake them along to the beat of popular Latin songs, following the prompts on screen to determine which direction they should be moved in. This original arcade version would see players shake their maracas through 2-3 different stages, with a special bonus stage being unlocked if the player earns enough points.
Samba de Amigo became an instant arcade hit, both due to its accessible, engaging gameplay, and its bright and colorful visuals. Being greatly inspired by South American culture, Samba de Amigo's art style is incredibly vibrant, with plenty of highly detailed catoon-y characters, vivid backdrops, and a slew of bright colors lighting up every stage. Samba de Amigo was quickly ported to the SEGA Dreamcast, and at the same time, the arcade cabinets were updated to Ver. 2000. These updated versions of the game included 14 new songs, a new multiplayer mode, a new tambourine-wielding character named Amiga, a Hustle mode that changed some patterns, and a survival mode. The Dreamcast version came with its own set of maraca controllers.
Despite the game's success, Samba de Amigo was then largely forgotten about until 2007, when Gearbox Software asked SEGA if it could port Samba de Amigo to the Nintendo Wii. On top of enhancing the visuals of the original game, the Wii version of Samba de Amigo adds another handful of stages, this time being crossovers with other SEGA properties like Space Channel 5 and Sonic the Hedgehog. However, even though this version of Samba de Amigo is the most complete, its critical reception wasn't that great, with the game's controls being its biggest downfall.
In rhythm games, controller inputs need to be extremely precise, and the Wii version of Samba de Amigo was anything but. Lacking the vertical sensors of the original versions of the game, the Wii version of Samba de Amigo couldn't really detect when the player was holding their controllers low or high, using the angle of the controller and its rotation as a best guess. This didn't really work out a lot of the time, leaving the Wii version of Samba de Amigo to be its most disappointing.
Since then, the Samba de Amigo franchise has only really popped up in other SEGA crossover games. Amigo is featured in the EyeToy game SEGA Superstars, as well as a playable character in the Sonic and Sega All Star Racing series. Two Samba de Amigo-inspired levels were present in the 3DS game Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure. And that's been about it for the funky franchise, until just a few days ago, when a brand-new Samba de Amigo game was announced. Titled Samba de Amigo: Party Central, this new game in the series is set to launch in Summer 2023 and will use the Switch's Joy-Cons to simulate maraca controllers.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central is set to release in Summer 2023
