Dandara is a Gravity-Defying Metroidvania That Exceeds All Expectations
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Dandara ($14.99) by Long Hat House and published by Raw Fury is a distinctive metroidvania platformer that's unlike anything you've played before. If you enjoy games like Kraino and Goblin Sword, then you'll fall in love with Dandara.
Last year at GDC in San Francisco, I had the opportunity to check out an early build of Dandara on iOS and even Nintendo Switch (before it came out). When I sat down and tried it, I knew that this was something magical, as I've certainly never seen a metroidvania platformer with such uniqueness before. And as someone who became obsessed with 2D Castlevania series games during high school, I can definitely appreciate a good metroidvania game when I see it. And Dandara does not disappoint — it's well worth the cash.
Kraino
Angel Dorantes
Goblin Sword
Gelato Games Ltd
Visually, Dandara has a classic, pixel-perfect aesthetic that takes me back to my childhood, where I'd play games like Super Mario Bros. and the like. The retro, 2D pixel art style in Dandara is a blast from the past and looks like it came straight out of the '80s, especially with all of the bright, vivid colors. Even though it's pixelated, everything in the game is incredibly detailed, from shading to textures. Animations are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. Since the game relies heavily on quick thinking and reflexes, the steady frame rate is necessary. The ambient, atmospheric soundtrack is subtle and adds another layer of depth to the game, and it's quite enjoyable to listen to. Overall, Long Hat House did an excellent job with the visual and audio design of Dandara, making it a sure keeper.
Since Dandara is a metroidvania style game, that means players progress through a series of connected rooms. These rooms contain plenty of traps, obstacles, and enemies that you'll have to get past in order to explore and move on to the next room. In the case of Dandara, players will be traversing through one giant world called Salt.
But what is Salt? It was a world where peace thrived, and ideas became more than just another abstraction. But all of this transformed into oppression and isolation as Salt took away the freedoms of its own citizens. Fortunately, there is one ray of hope left, and her name is Dandara. The ultimate quest is to battle the oppression and bring back freedom and balance to the world of Salt.
In Dandara, players can only jump to navigate around Salt, but it's rather gravity defying. Dandara has the power to jump on walls, floors, ceilings — you name it. However, she can only land on the white spots, so while the movement system defies gravity, it's still limited, making it all the more challenging for players. The virtual joystick in the bottom right corner lets you aim your reticle, and if it's green, you can release and Dandara jumps to that spot. The camera angle shifts when necessary, making it easier to orient yourself with the changing perspectives. When she's at a door or chest, just move the joystick towards it to open.
But again, there are enemies that will make sure you don't succeed, including tough bosses, so there's combat in addition to the special jumping mechanism. In the bottom left is another virtual joystick that lets you aim your gun and shoot upon release. It takes about a second to charge up though, so timing is everything, especially in later areas.
If you have a MFi controller, the game has full support for them. It's seamless, and some may prefer physical controls for a game such as this one. However, the touch controls are optimized well, so I had no issues with them.
Dandara starts out with only three hearts, so when she takes a hit, it depletes a heart. If all three are out, then it's game over. However, there will be campsites scattered throughout the world of Dandara, and if you find these, they pretty much act as checkpoints. You can continue after your dead, and the game places you back at the last campsite you discovered. A ghost-like sprite is left in place of where you died, but unfortunately, you do not recover items when you pick up your ghost. Knowing this, it gives you more of a reason to, you know, not die.
Fairly early on in the game, you'll find the Map item, which shows you where you've already been. This is useful in not only helping you not get lost, but also going back and revisiting areas where you couldn't progress because you were missing key items or mechanics. Even though it's a metroidvania platformer, there are plenty of puzzles that you'll need to solve to get into every nook and cranny of Salt.
Dandara takes your idea and expectations of a metroidvania platformer and turns it upside down with a fresh new experience.
The Good
Dandara is a bit pricey for an indie iOS game, but this is definitely high quality. The pixel art graphical style is top-notch and looks amazing. The music is atmospheric and a delight to listen to, so make sure you have some good headphones on while playing this one. While most metroidvania platformers are very similar to one another, Dandara separates itself from the pack and offers a completely fresh experience. And with the unusual gaming mechanic, the controls are streamlined and optimized for the touch screen, and having physical button support is an excellent addition. The world of Salt is huge, so it emphasizes exploration and keeps you coming back.
The Bad
While Dandara is a great game, I was a bit surprised with the price. Usually, when a game ends up on multiple platforms, including mobile, the iOS or Android prices are usually cheaper than consoles. However, Dandara is $14.99 across all of the platforms it's on (iOS, Google Play, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam). For an iOS game that isn't from a big company like Square Enix (most of the old Final Fantasy games are this price range), it may be a tough pill to swallow.
Fortunately, I bit the bullet and think Dandara is well worth the price. I'm also considering getting it on my Nintendo Switch later on.
The verdict
I'd been looking forward to Dandara ever since trying it out almost a year ago, so I'm ecstatic that it's finally available. It's proven to be well worth the wait too, because this game is superb in every aspect. The visual style is gorgeous, the sound is delightful, controls are intuitive and streamlined, and the mechanic is different but satisfying. I know it's early on in the year, but this is a contender for game of the year for me.
Dandara is available on the App Store as a universal download on the iPhone and iPad for $14.99. You can also get it on Google Play, Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
9.5
OVERALL
Graphics 10
Gameplay 10
Replayability 9
Game Controls 9.5
Sound/Music 9
Dandara Trials of Fear Edition
Raw Fury
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Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is Short, Sweet and to the Point
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition (Free) by Square Enix is an abridged, mobile version of the latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. If you didn't get a chance to play the original game, had no time, or just disliked certain things about the console version, then Pocket Edition is a great alternative.
When Final Fantasy XV was first announced over a decade ago, I was super excited for it. I had even bought a PS3 back then because I didn't think it was going to take a whole decade, plus another generation of console, before the game would see the light of day. But when I played the first beta, I was disappointed by the combat system. I was put off by it, but I thought I'd give the final release a try.
My fiancé got the game for me for Christmas, but again, I tried it and still didn't like the combat system. Plus, I didn't have the time to invest fully into the game, with the massive open world and side quests. But when they announced FFXV Pocket Edition, I was intrigued — how would such a massive game work on mobile, with watered down chibi graphics? I've been playing the game all morning, and so far I'm actually quite impressed.
FINAL FANTASY Ⅸ
SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.
Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition delivers the entire single player campaign storyline from the console version, and that alone is quite an achievement. To pull this off, Square Enix redesigned the graphics engine from ornate 3D realism to more rudimentary 3D graphics, and sliced away the open world tendencies of the console counterpart. The gameplay structure has also been change in favor of a one touch control scheme. The entire game lets you tap to auto attack, and then you can pull off more complex moves with the right timing. Through all of the changes, you still get the entire storyline complete with detailed voice work for hours of a deluxe experience. Not everyone will enjoy the limitations, and yet the changes fit really well on iOS. You can get lost in the extraneous activities of the console version, and it’s much better to have a one touch control scheme than a virtual control pad cluttering the touch screen. Even the graphics style has its own endearing quality, and at the same time a freshness to the franchise.
The story of Final Fantasy XV has been redone for mobile devices.
The Good
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is a surprisingly good time. Even if you've played the original, or have yet to get through it, Pocket Edition differentiates itself in a variety of ways. Namely, it streamlines everything so you can get through the story easier, and the combat is so much better. And there's something charming about the chibi, low-poly graphics that makes it hard to resist.
The first chapter provides a great example of what to expect from the full game. The other chapters are pretty reasonably priced, and if you think about the full chapter bundle, it's about what you'd expect for a full-fledged Square Enix Final Fantasy game on mobile.
The Bad
The only thing that bothers me about the game is the controls for moving around. I hate that my hand is blocking my view, and I'd prefer to play this using two hands. So to me, having a virtual joystick would make more sense for movement. Hopefully this can be changed in the future.
The verdict
I played through the first chapter of FFXV Pocket Edition, and I'm getting much more enjoyment out of this than the console version so far. I wasn't expecting to like the game this much, but it's won me over with the cute and endearing, slightly deformed character models and vastly improved combat system. I've already gotten farther in just the first chapter than the console version, and that's saying something. The dialogue matching up is also impressive.
Whether you've played FFXV or not, this is a great port that's exceeded my expectations.
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is on the App Store as a universal download for free. You can purchase the other chapters as a complete bundle for $19.99, or individually at $0.99 or $3.99 each.
8.5
OVERALL
Sound/Music 10
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8
Graphics 8
Game Controls 7.5
FINALFANTASY XV POCKET EDITION
SQUARE ENIX
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Help Fido Get Bones and Treasure in Dig Dog
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Dig Dog - Treasure Hunter ($2.99) by Rusty Moyher is a roguelike platformer that stars a dog looking for bones. If you enjoyed other games like Downwell and Doug Dug, then you'll like what Dig Dog has to offer.
As a huge dog lover, is there anything cuter than a dog and their bone? No, not really. The way that they like to take their bone, find a spot in the dirt, and then start digging a hole to bury it in for later, it really is great to see. Though my husky is kind of an oddball and doesn't bury his treats, so I must live vicariously through the life of other dogs. Anyway, as a dog person, as well as a platformer and roguelike fan, I was intrigued by Dig Dog when I saw it. I mean, how can I say no to a game that features dogs?
Downwell
GHI Media, LLC
Doug dug.
The Electric Toy Company LLC
Dig Dog features a super simple and classic 8-bit aesthetic that any old-school gamer will appreciate. If you've played the original Super Mario Bros. games, then this feels a lot like those in terms of graphics and typeface. The color scheme is basic and provides excellent contrast, as the earth is black and the backgrounds are bright and vivid hues. Enemies are also black, but with a splash of color, and blend in to the earth a bit, making it hard to see them all, but that just adds to the challenge. Obstacles like saw blades and walls are white or colored, so they stand out nicely in the black earth. Bones are white too, so they're easy to spot. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The chiptune soundtrack is fun to listen to, as well as the digging sound effect.
There are two game modes in Dig Dog: Bone Hunt (Hard) or Free Dig (Easy). In Bone Hunt, think of it as a roguelike treasure hunt. Your dog will be digging through a total of four different worlds, and each one has a handful of stages to go through. Your goal in Bone Hunt is to find the single white bone that's hidden somewhere on the level, and once you obtain it, you move on to the next stage. But you must watch out for enemies, and make sure you don't hit saw blades or fall to the bottom of the pit. You'll only have two hearts, so yes, you will end up dying a lot.
If you want a more relax, chill mode, then Free Dig is the way to go. With this, players get an endless digging experience. You'll have infinite, randomly generated levels that have little to no challenge (a lot fewer enemies to deal with) and no game overs. If you die, you just pick up where you left off, pretty much. You can quit this mode and pick it back up from the last level you were on. It's a great way to kill some time if you have any to spare.
Controls in Dig Dog are simple. In the bottom left are two buttons for moving left or right. In the bottom right of the screen, there is a single button for jumping. But then how do you dig? If you double tap on the jump button, the dog flips and will slam into the ground, breaking the dirt block and allowing you to dig. When you rapidly tap on the jump button while moving left or right, you can do a kind of dash attack that lets you quickly burrow through the dirt, while also eliminating enemies at the same time. But be careful when doing these quick attacks — if you're not careful, you may go too far and fall down below.
Though the game starts you off with just searching for basic bones, there's more to the game than that. Eventually, you may find various treasure items, and you can come across shops to buy things like health refills or get more hearts.
Play as a dog in search of bones in this roguelike action platformer.
The Good
Dig Dog - Treasure Hunter is definitely a cute little roguelike platformer that has a lot of good things going on. While the graphics may be simplistic compared to modern standards, it's a nice homage to the classic retro games that I grew up with. Plus, the chiptune soundtrack is delightful. The gameplay is an interesting mashup of roguelike and digging platformer, but it ends up being a fun combination. The controls are also pretty straightforward, though it takes a bit of practice to get used to it. The gameplay itself is challenging, and the Free Dig mode can be rather relaxing.
The Bad
There's a lot of good stuff going in on Dig Dog - Treasure Hunter, but some may find it to be a bit repetitive. I mean, you are literally just a dog digging around for bones, after all. And since it's a roguelike, it may not appeal to everyone, especially those who get frustrated from dying a lot.
The verdict
As a fan of dogs, platformers, and roguelikes, I think Dig Dog - Treasure Hunter is great. I appreciate the vintage graphics and music, and the digging mechanic is quite fun. The two game modes are enough to give players a challenging experience, or something more relaxing and calm. Even though it can be a bit repetitive, I think this is a great game to pick up when you're waiting around somewhere.
8.4
OVERALL
Sound/Music 9
Replayability 8.5
Game Controls 8
Graphics 8
Gameplay 8.5
Dig Dog – Treasure Hunter
Rusty Moyher
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Is It Time for You to Light a Way?
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
The forces of darkness have descended and you, a Guardian, must venture out and destroy the dark beings with your magical powers and radiating goodness.
If you were to search for this term on the computer at the front desk of the library of video games there would be ten thousand results. A radical take on the mythology of light and dark Light a Way is not.
But it's original in other ways. Playing as a little girl, you have to destroy an endless succession of evil blobs to earn points to spend on upgrading your character and acquiring new creatures to add to your party. These magical creatures drift and float around you like colorful, deadly lanterns.
The further you get, the more powerful you become, but the monsters you encounter become more resilient too, placing you in a magic-fuelled arms race with the forces of evil.
Playing as a little girl, you have to destroy an endless succession of evil blobs to earn points to spend on upgrading your character and acquiring new creatures to add to your party.
The Good
Light a Way is beautiful, from the polished text-free comic book intro to the artsy in-game visuals. The light and dark motif allows for a gorgeous ethereal aesthetic where fairies and lumis dance around like colorful fireflies, shooting out beams of light at your enemies.
It's also packed with lots of other great stuff. As you progress, you'll unlock and obtain different staffs, spells, runes, fairies, and more. Additionally, at any given moment there are items for you to upgrade with the points that you extract from whichever dark creator you happen to be defeating at the time. There are also achievements and daily rewards to claim whenever you can find a moment amid the carnage.
But Light a Way's biggest pro is the way it takes an established mobile genre - the casual ARPG - and mashes it together with another established genre - the cookie clicker - to create something original.
Most ARPGs give you the option of either hacking and slashing by yourself or letting the AI complete levels for you, indicating that combat is not particularly relevant in games that are really about the upgrade loop. Light a Way is a clever halfway house, giving a sense of tactile involvement in the action but in the most streamlined possible way. It's pretty clever.
The Bad
Of course, not everybody rates cookie clickers, and if you're the sort of person who just doesn't see the point in repeatedly tapping on the screen - something a dog could realistically be trained to do - then Light a Way probably won't impress you.
And once you realize that the blobs you're attacking don't fight back, but just sit there and take a beating until they die, Light a Way loses its sense of jeopardy. At first, you'll frantically race to apply upgrades during bouts to boost your powers, but after a while, you'll realize that you can do your magical upgrade admin at your leisure while your opponent patiently waits to be slaughtered.
Again, this won't bother you if you buy into the whole cookie clicker thing. However, if you're expecting something more conventional you may end up disappointed.
The Verdict
Light a Way is a gorgeous ARPG with a distinctive, charming aesthetic. Developer Appxplore has cleverly taken a gameplay mechanic that's more about the thrill of upgrading than it is about the fighting, and stripped the action back to its minimal viable state, while still giving the player a palpable sense of involvement in the fights.
This makes for a decidedly casual take on the ARPG genre, with very little in the way of challenge. As long as you keep tapping, applying the upgrades that rapidly become available, unlock the stuff you're prompted to open and claim the things you're led to claim, you'll cruise along until you finish the game or put it down.
If you're looking for a thrill ride or a challenge of any kind, look elsewhere. But if you're in the market for a pretty, chilled out, meditative experience to engage you in a pleasingly undemanding feedback loop for a while, Light a Way will fit the bill.
7.2
OVERALL
Does it Well 8
Is Engaging 8
User Interface 7
Lasting Appeal 7
iPhone Integration 6
Light a Way
Appxplore (iCandy)
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Find Your Purrfect Date on Cat Island
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Purrfect Date ($4.99) by Bossa Studios is a dating sim that focuses heavily on cats, while also being wrapped in a shroud of mystery, humor, and drama. If you enjoyed other cat-lover games such as Cat Quest, Super Phantom Cat 2, and Cat Bird, but want a title that has a super interesting story filled with felines, then Purrfect Date is for you.
While I consider myself more of a dog person at this point, I still love and adore cats (just slightly less than dogs). But overall, I'm just a huge animal person, so I definitely can't resist any game when cute animals are involved, no matter what species. I've had my fair share of cat-themed games, with my most recent favorite being Cat Quest, but I can't help but check out a new cat-filled game if it's released. And Purrfect Date is one that does not disappoint, especially if you just love cats.
Surgeon Simulator
Bossa Studios Ltd
I am Bread
Bossa Studios Ltd
Cat Quest
The Gentlebros Pte. Ltd.
Super Phantom Cat 2
Beijing Veewo Game Co., Ltd.
Cat Bird!
Raiyumi Inc.
Visually, Purrfect Date is gorgeous with the unique, hand-drawn visuals throughout the entire game. Cute and cartoony graphics greet players from the get-go, and in some ways, they remind me of my Saturday morning cartoons when I was a child. Both the humans and cats that you come across in the story are all unique, distinctive, and have their own personalities that you'll be able to discover by playing. Purrfect Date also utilizes a bright and vibrant color palette that is sure to appeal to the audience, but some scenes are also darker and gloomier, which helps set the tone. The soundtrack is endearing and whimsical, which I found to be a delight to listen to while playing. The game also has realistic sound effects that play to match the situation and dialogue that you're in, which adds some depth.
While Purrfect Date classifies itself as a dating sim, it's not as straightforward as you originally think it is when first diving in. It's also more of an interactive visual novel, with a bit of romance with felines.
You take on the role of a researcher who just landed a job on the appropriately named Cat Island to work with Professor Pawpur. You're there to help research and take care of the cats that live on the island. Just from this, it already sounds like a cat lover's paradise, right? But things take a dark turn pretty early on in the first chapter, as you discover the possibility of Were-Cats. Turns out there's more to Cat Island than you originally thought, and it's not a serene, feline loving paradise.
Since Purrfect Date is more of an interactive visual novel, there's a lot of reading involved. The story advances through the dialogue, and there's a lot of exchanges between your character and associates, as well as cats. However, you can choose to be either a male or female for each chapter, and there's a few different appearances to pick from for each. There's also a wide variety of cats to find on the island, and your Cat-A-Log device is able to scan and provide information on every feline you come across. The information includes breed, age, and color — you know, all the highly important details when it comes to identifying cats.
As you play, you'll have to make decisions that affect the outcome of the story's ending. There are 18 different endings that you can get, so there's a bit of replay value if you want to find out what all of the endings are. In each chapter, you'll have the opportunity to do research for the antidote for Were-Cats, recon with NPCs that you've met to investigate further, and even develop romantic relationships with the cats themselves. The only mandatory action is research, though.
Each time you decide to do romance, research, or recon, it will take up some energy, which is represented by hearts. You can rest to replenish your energy if needed, but that does mean missing out on another activity. Players can choose to do romance and recon as much as they want, with each opportunity filling up on of the progress bars. However, once you do research three times, then that chapter will close and the story advances. So ideally, you'd want to make sure that you're done with everything else before continuing with research, as there's no way to go back after you make your decision.
Since you are a newly appointed researcher in each chapter, that means you'll have to pick only one cat if you choose to date them. You can do the romance action up to five times in a chapter, and three recon and research actions. Again, while the only mandatory thing you need to do is research, the choice of romance or recon affect the results of your research. Therefore, you'll need to choose wisely, especially when it comes to the tougher decisions that affect your relationship with your feline friends.
The makers of I Am Bread and Surgeon Simulator have a new crazy concept game for you to try.
The Good
Purrfect Date is an interesting and unorthodox mashup of dating sim and interactive visual novel. The handcrafted graphics are cute, the sound design is realistic, and controls are simple, since everything's done through taps. The story gets you hooked in right away, and I love the humor and dark twist in plot. I mean, Were-Cats, who knew? I certainly wasn't expecting that when I was starting the game, but now I need to know more.
The Bad
If you aren't a big fan of reading, then I hate to break it to you, but that's a requirement for Purrfect Date. Everything is revealed through the dialogue, and while you can skip through it, you'll be missing vital parts of the story, or even just the humorous puns and whatnot.
And if you hate cats, well, this game is not for you.
The verdict
As a cat fan, Purrfect Date is a nice surprise on the App Store. I didn't know about the game before this week, but it's certainly a fun, interactive visual novel experience. Plus, dating the cats (crazy cat lady style) is fun and silly, which is to be expected from the same people who developed Surgeon Simulator. And honestly, the visuals are charming and appealing to everyone, and the sound is great.
8.7
OVERALL
Game Controls 9
Graphics 9
Sound/Music 9
Replayability 8.5
Gameplay 8
Purrfect Date
Bossa Studios Ltd
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