Let’s Sing presents ABBA review (PS5)

It’s a good time for fans of karaoke games – in addition to an annual release in the Let’s Sing franchise we’re also getting a special version that centers entirely around Sweden’s most famous band ever: ABBA. Out now for all major systems, we checked it out on a PlayStation 5.

In the PS2 and PS3 days, the Singstar franchise reigned supreme, but in recent years Let’s Sing has taken over that baton with quality releases. Rather than compilations built around a certain style or period, Let’s Sing’s main releases are annual compilations with tracks catering to a wide variety of musical flavors. But as with Singstar, there are a few ‘special’ releases as well, including one centered entirely around Queen. That one was especially welcome, because the Singstar equivalent came on the PS3 so access to an entire library of brilliant songs was lost for PS4 and PS5 owners.

They’re essentially doing the same here with Let’s Sing ABBA, and it’s delightful. Sure, there were ‘artist specials’ for Singstar based on Mecano and Vasca Rossi as well, but after Queen this one was definitely next on our list. Our apologies to Take That. And it’s not even because we’re massive ABBA fans either – it’s because ABBA’s repertoire is so easy to enjoy, especially in a karaoke setting. The lyrics and timings aren’t overly complicated, the melodies are catchy, and frustrations just fade away when playing (or even watching) this one.

If you’ve played a Let’s Sing game before, you won’t notice a lot of new stuff here when it comes to game modes. There’s a ‘campaign’ of sorts called Legend mode in which you complete a series of challenges to unlock content, and what’s fun is that you compete against ABBA-like avatars – a bit reminiscent of the ABBAtars currently performing the real band’s material. It’s a lovely way to play the game in a single player mode when you don’t have friends over for a karaoke night or just want a bit of practice.

Classic mode is what you’ll likely spend most of your time with – it’s the traditional way of singing along with over 30 ABBA songs for up to four players at once, with the ability to connect a mic in a number of ways. You can use real ones (though the PS2 SingStar ones are no longer supported on the PS5), or you can use a dedicated app to turn any smartphone into a mic. The Mixtape and “Feat.” modes are variations on this, in which you either get a quick mashup of five songs or sing together with a partner, while Let’s Party and World Content are local and online multiplayer-centric modes that return from previous entries in the franchise. Feeling like a break? All the songs can also be played hands-off in a Jukebox mode.

With 31 songs, we’re guessing that for players about half of the songs will sound unfamiliar, so there’s something “new” to discover here as well – though the only new song is I Still Have Faith In You, which the band released last year. Almost all of the classics are accounted for as well, but just as with the Queen edition we also felt like some songs are missing, with Lay All Your Love On Me being the prime example here.

When you combine a nice diverse selection of ways to play and a great tracklist of timeless sing-along classics, Let’s Sing presents ABBA should prove to be a popular title for fun and music-loving groups everywhere this season.

Score: 8.0/10