Dandara

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Hardcore Gamer
    Feb 6, 2018
    80
    Dandara‘s seemingly-impossible feat at combining elements of platforming, combat and strategy within its explorative template takes some doing and is almost an accomplishment in of itself.
  2. GameCrate
    Feb 23, 2018
    75
    Dandara proves that there's still originality in a decades-old genre. It changes the way you control the player character, breaking from Metroidvania traditions, and creates new types of puzzles and methods of progression along the way.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 38
  3. Negative: 6 out of 38
  1. NightGeisha
    Apr 6, 2019
    6
    Dandara is a very interesting approach to Metroidvania style in its very unique way.

    I did not find the game mechanics easy to use and easy    Dandara is a very interesting approach to Metroidvania style in its very unique way.

    I did not find the game mechanics easy to use and easy to master, both with keyboard and controller alike. And that is my main concern about the game because that difficulties get me bored after a while.

    The art style is awesome and the soundtrack is also very nice. And despite my complains about the game mechanics the game is very nice and deserves my support and my positive feedback. It is another nice addition to my game collection. I recommend it!

    I leave you guys a small video with some of the starting moments of the game, spoiler free:
    https://youtu.be/oMYlVmrtUdk    … Full Review »
  2. FlyingPiloswine
    Feb 5, 2021
    6
    i really, really wanted to like this game. The traversal mechanic is super fun and unique. The powerups also build up on the core mechanic ini really, really wanted to like this game. The traversal mechanic is super fun and unique. The powerups also build up on the core mechanic in interesting ways. The problem is the extreme amount of irritation and frustration that you feel as you reach the mid-to-late game. The challenges approach bullet-hell levels of density, and there just isn't enough control over the jump mechanic to make these encounters feel rewarding to accomplish, let alone survive.

    You have to keep track of 3 different markers to move around: (1) points where Dandara is considering jumping, (2) points where you are actually pointing the thumbstick (because if you point at the ground, it "reflects" and changes (1)'s angle ), and (3) Where Dandara will actually jump too, if (1) is pointing at a surface that is too far away.

    This information overload is simply too much to make smart snap decisions, and there isnt enough chance to master this demanding amount of info by the time you reach mid-to-late game just 4 hours later. When I die, it usually feels extremely unfair because the game requires super-precision jumps, while you track 5+ enemies jerky and sudden movements. This gets compounded by the unique requirements of each confrontation. You might need to shoot your gun (which requires standing perfectly still to charge each extremely short-range bullet), or take literally no damage in order to unlock a door, or beat a timer. The part where I gave up entirely was in The Masquerade, where you need to jump through a hallway riddled with opposite-direction moving energy waves, while being chased by a fast moving laser wall without taking a single point of damage. You need to achieve a perfect run. This is all about 10 rooms away from the most recent save point, and so if you die or run low on health, you are forced to back track. That is a chore to me.

    I was having a good time for a while, but the way the developers decided to increase the difficulty does not complement the game mechanic. The most enjoyable parts of the game are when I felt the "flow" of the warping mechanic. Making perfectly timed jumps, winning tight-but-fair combat encounters, and solving the super interesting multi-dimensional puzzles were all amazing in the first three dungeons. Unfortunately, that is all over with. I have reached a part where all you do is jump-scare bullet-hell encounters that do multiple punishments for a single mistake. Even with cheat codes, the type of gameplay absolutely does not allow for the "flow" I described. They should have emphasized the "free running" feel and given you power ups that reduce your bullet charge time. THAT would have been fun as hell.    … Full Review »
  3. MindWanderer
    May 3, 2023
    4
    Dandara is a unique Metroidvania, in which you do not jump or even walk, but instead zip between surfaces; there is no difference betweenDandara is a unique Metroidvania, in which you do not jump or even walk, but instead zip between surfaces; there is no difference between floor, walls, or ceiling. Unfortunately, while it's an interesting experience, this game has so many flaws that I have a hard time recommending it.

    Played with an analog stick, the game will attempt to zip you to the surface closest to the one you point to, but with some oddities. If you point at the floor you're standing on, your angle will "reflect" and point away from it. This can mean going in unintended directions when moving quickly. Frequently I found this meant diving into enemies headfirst.

    Your weapon takes a moment to charge. This encourages thoughtful play, which I approve of, but the level design often trends towards enemies that appear quickly and in great numbers, and move erratically. If the only trajectory you can move in is blocked, this can leave you with no way out but to block. Unfortunately, blocking (once you unlock the ability) drains your Energy quickly, so you can't do it often.

    Speaking of difficulty, most of the game is pretty reasonably balanced. There are a few challenging areas and bosses, but I beat most of them in 3-4 tries. The problem is that failure is often pretty punishing. One area features a macguffin that makes you backtrack and restart if you get hit even once. Several puzzles require your sub-weapons to solve, which expend Energy, which can only be refilled at save spots, which are far between. And the last boss is a colossal difficulty spike over anything before it: I died over a dozen times, barely depleting its HP by half, before I decided to turn on the infinite Energy cheat... and even after turning that on and abusing it like mad, it took me more tries than any other boss or section in the game.

    How about exploration? The world has some very attractive pixel art, and decent music, but navigating can be frustrating, as I mentioned above. The map tries to show you the different obstacles blocking your path, but most of them are simple lines in various shades of red or brown, and it's hard to tell what's what. It takes a long time to unlock fast travel, and you fast travel only by location name, so you have to memorize or guess the names of the locations you want to travel to. Also, I beat the game with 100% map completion but only 62% chest completion, so clearly many of them are very, very well hidden.

    Regarding the story: there's clearly some very deep lore here. The Salt is a unique environment, and before being ruined, seems to have had a long history and interesting characters in it. Unfortunately, none of this is ever explained in-game. Even after beating it, it remains unclear what the place was like, what happened to it, who was involved, and really almost anything that's going on.

    While there was a lot I did enjoy about the game, so much of it is sullied by poor design decisions at every point that I came out of it feeling very bitter and disappointed. I tried very hard to have a positive attitude about it, and did not succeed. The final boss sequence — which took me 2 hours out of a total play time of less than 11 hours — followed by a very dissatisfying ending, was the nail in the coffin.    … Full Review »
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