Conga Master Review (PS4)

A game about conga lines, what could possibly go wrong? Conga Master is a bit like Nokia 3210 favourite Snake with more fancy footwork and less Angel di Maria. This pixel art arcade title sees you attracting deserted dancers to your own personal party, as you attempt to maintain your mambo momentum all the way back out of the fire escape.

By invading the personal space of isolated individuals, you can lure them into your Lambeth Walk, thus increasing the length of your line. As your conga grows, it becomes easier to attract other quick steppers, and thus you can chain together new recruits. This delays the end of your dance, and subsequently increases your score.

In story mode you need to attract a designated quota of dancers before moving on to the next stage, while endless is all about prolonging the party. Stages include everything from a seedy club to a roller disco, each introducing different hazards such as waiters and eager cleaners keen to whip out their mop and bucket without plopping down a health and safety sign.

Multiplayer modes for up to four local players riff on the formula – and popular video games. The only Clickers in The Last Conga, for example, are the metronomes providing the backbone for the game’s sick beats, as you battle against pals to demonstrate your dancing endurance. Cut the Conga, meanwhile, nabs a certain smartphone title’s scissors – and has you cutting congas down.

It’s all good, clean fun – even if it’s not going to hold your attention forever. There are unlockable characters each with different traits and abilities, but you’re not going to find much variety beyond that. Starting the story mode from scratch each time you want to tackle it can grate, and some of the hazards can be unfair – but the unpredictable action is a hoot with friends.