Dandara

Review

When the once ideal world of salt that had thrived in harmony with the universe for millennia is thrown into chaos, great oppression befalls the world. A chance to reclaim this world is brought by Creation itself, as it brings to life Dandara (our protagonist). This world is not what we would consider being normal, as traversing the environment is done by jumping from surface-to-surface. You will need to discover all of the chests with additional upgrades hidden throughout the game world to increase Dandara’s powers. Collect salt by defeating enemies and breaking crates found in some areas. Salt is used for upgrading your character stats. You must make it to a camp with your salt to upgrade; die and you lose all your salt and spawn at your last flag. On death, you will have a chance to get back to your corpse to reclaim your dropped salt; you must make it there without dying again to reclaim it. The journey is filled with peril, do you have what it takes to reclaim the world of salt?

Released on Feb 6, 2019, by the developer Long Hat House & published Raw Fury. It is the first release on Steam by the developer. This indie title is an action, 2D, pixel graphic, metroidvania, platformer. I would rate it as challenging, it is fairly casual, but some areas can be difficult to master and progress. It features inventive controls that that can be used with a gamepad or touchscreen. With full controller support, it is recommended that you use a controller for the title. A splendid handcrafted pixel art and a pleasing soundtrack blend to form an immersive experience. Vast amounts of exploration, with tons of hidden areas to unlock. Challenging progression; your reflexes and intellect are your best friends as you solve the puzzles and unlock new zones.

No controller settings in-game (input settings in the launcher), and no viewable mapping in-game for reference. Trying to figure out all the controls was a bit trying until I quit the game and went over the input settings. Save points that are placed around the world could be improved upon. For example, in Creation Meadow, you have a save point, but if you go to the next area to the left in the crib of Creation Meadow, there is also a flag to save it as well. These should be spread across the map more effectively. The tutorial is built into the game as you play to explain the basics mechanics. I would have liked a more detailed tutorial for the title to prepare myself for the game.

I am enjoying myself, though I do get frustrated from time to time trying to find the items I need to progress for some areas, as the game does not hold your hand in helping you find what you need to do next. It is all about exploration. I would have liked a better placement of camps or flags, after boss fights, I would think there would be a save point close by, but this is generally not the case. You must backtrack to a save or chance losing your salt, as it can be difficult to return to your body to reclaim your salt on death if you can remember where you were when you died. With impressive pixel graphics & a mellow enjoyable soundtrack, its design is inventive. I have yet to unlock many powers for my playtime, I find progression very difficult as upgrades require a lot of salt and every upgrade increase in cost. If you love a challenging platformer, you’re in the right place!

Achievement hunters will want to note that 100% for the title is extremely difficult. With hidden achievements, along with difficult achievements like: Beat the developers fasted run, Finish the game with less than 75% of the rooms visited, Finish the game after visiting every room and finding every chest! It will require many playthroughs to get them all if you can beat the devs at their own game!

Review written by DamageInc.for Zeepond.com!