Just Dance 2014 is a multi-player dance and rhythm game. The game has the same basic gameplay as past entries in the series, but offers a new tracklist and a few new modes, as well.
Core Gameplay
The game features on-screen dancers performing in front of an animated background, in sync with one of the game's songs. Small pictures of the dance moves appear in the bottom-right corner which display what move is coming up. The game has players attempt to copy the moves of the dancer in time with the music. Players movements are tracked by a WiiMote on Wii and Wii U, by Playstation Move on PS3 and PS4, and by the Kinect on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The Playstation and Wii versions record the movement of the hand holding the remote, whereas the Xbox versions record the entire body movement.
Scoring
Songs are split up into three categories: solos, which are performed by one person, duets, which are performed by two people, and dance crews, which can be performed by up to four people. When multiple people are performing at once, they are scored individually for the song.
Performing the required movement close to the proper timing will present different score results, with the best being "Perfect." Performing well on each move will cause the overall score to rise. As the score increases, the player begins to build up a star total, with 5 stars being the maximum. Getting more stars results in the player getting more Mojo points, which can be used to unlock new alternate routines or dance mash-ups.
Gold Moves
A few times in every song, a dance pose pictogram scrolling onto the screen will be highlighted in gold. These are unique poses that typically mark important moments in the song. Performing this pose accurately will result in a major point increase which can greatly change the player's post-song results.
Karaoke
Karaoke is a new addition to the series. Any system that has a microphone can do karaoke. The lyrics to the song will appear on the screen above the dancers. An extra player can then sing along, scoring bonus points for the dancing players.
Customization
The game features the ability for players to create their own dance rountines or characters. Characters are created in the Just Design mode. Created characters can then be saved to the game and used as a replacement for the default dancers in the songs. Routines are created in the Just Create mode. This involves players improvising dance routines to whatever song they select. Then they can either challenge other local players to match the routine or share it online. Minor customization can also be done to change things such as proportions and color schemes.
Modes
Just Dance 2014 features a variety of modes, many of which are brought back from prior games in the series.
On Stage Mode
On Stage Mode is new to the Just Dance series. This mode involves one "star" player dancing in the center, with one or two "background" players behind them, dancing to an alternate routine. The majority of the points scored come from the star player.
World Dance Floor Mode
This mode is also new to the series. It serves as the first Just Dance online mode. This mode allows players to dance cooperatively with other players online. If there are multiple people playing locally, then they will become a "crew" online, and can then dance competitively against other crews online. Results from online dances will be saved to a global leaderboard.
Just Sweat Mode
Just Sweat Mode involves alternate song routines designed to create large amounts of physical activity. These will often involve more difficult or excessive dancing. This mode also comes with a calorie counter, which can be used on any song to show how many calories the player has burned by dancing, even in other modes.
DJ Mode
This mode makes one player the "DJ." The DJ can control the beats that appear between songs in a playlist, and can also change what song comes next and how the songs transition.
Party Master Mode
This mode is exclusive to Xbox One and Wii U. One player can use the Xbox SmartGlass or the Wii U Gamepad to alter the game for the dancers. This includes changing the song, altering the appearance of the on-screen dancers, and changing the moves that appear on screen.
