Dancing Shoot Review

Locked and Loaded

Master everyone’s favorite musical instrument—the pistol. Dancing Shoot is a music rhythm game that offers the unique twist by way of it also being a third-person shooter. Sensor Notes manages to create a unique rhythm game that offers a full array of distinctive EDM music. If only this title didn’t lag during critical moments, it would be a bullseye.

Dancing Shoot begins suddenly. You find yourself on the first level and shown the ropes. The main character is, of course, a Japanese schoolgirl ready with a boatload of bullets. To hit the music beats and aim left or right, you swipe your finger across the screen. Hitting targets in a row will give you a multiplier. Hitting spikey obstacles or missing a beat will cost you a heart.  You begin each level with three and you can pick up refills along the way. Every level has three stars to collect and these go towards unlocking new songs.

The biggest issue with this title is that you aren’t told how the scoring works. Even after a pretty perfect run, your score can be over three times lower than the top score. There isn’t any guidance as to what determines such a high score.

Drop the Beat

Dancing Shoot provides different EDM music for each level. Some have lyrics, but most only have a sick beat. The tiles you have to shoot match perfectly to the beat of the music. Surprisingly, gun fire matches up nicely and doesn’t get annoying. It actually adds to the song. One of their songs is called “Coffin Dance” and seems to be a meme based on the number of videos online that feature the dancing pallbearers. They also have an original song by Vicetone & Tony Igy called Astronomia. Sensor Note does claim that their game uses “carefully selected EDM songs” so any song you like in the game, you can find online.

Dancing Shoot has two modes. The first one allows you to pick any unlocked song. The second allows you to climb through the levels and acquire songs as you go. Starting at level one, you get a random song from their library.

Needs More Cow Bell

Dancing Shoot has a built in song library. Unlike many rhythm games have been doing, you aren’t able to add your own music. EDM is the only genre you can play so if you aren’t a fan of it, you might want to pick something else. The style works great for the gameplay, however, and many of the songs have a great beat.

During the climax of many songs, the game tends to lag especially if you miss or hit an obstacle. This can be frustrating if you are playing a perfect game. Some portions can lag so badly that it can cause you to lose because the moves are more difficult. Newer phones might not experience this problem as much, but it appears to be an issue with the game itself.

Overall, Dancing Shoot is a fun way to test your reflexes with catchy music. Lagging doesn’t affect the overall thrill of the game but can get frustrating in the tougher levels. Simple design lets the music take center stage. Some instructions or tips might help players understand how to improve their scores. A unique EDM rhythm game, Dancing Shoot misses the target with lag issues, unclear directions and underwhelming, useless features.