Dandara Reviews
Dandara is a game built out of passion and a strong identity. This shines throughout and its a great example of touchscreen use on the Switch and a fantastic game.
Dandara is truly one of a kind: there was nothing quite like it before hitting Nintendo Switch and I don’t suspect there will be anything like it again. Players take control of the game’s titular character, Dandara, as she seeks to free the Salt and its children from oppression; the central themes in Dandara deal with shaping a world that prioritizes art, knowledge, and discovery over militarism and capital. Dandara blew me away from start to finish.
Just like the world of Salt, Dandara is full off ups, downs, lefts and rights. While it does try to have a crack at creating a unique Metroidvania experience, the very control mechanic that gels it all together can at times be its biggest flaw. Bouncing around in an empty room gives you a belief of a watertight control system, yet when facing a room full of foes and bullets all firing towards you in such an unorthodox pattern it gives you the sense that luck plays a part in the progress. As much as I liked the overall idea of Dandara, it did manage to provoke me in ways where I had to solemnly apologise to my little Nintendo Switch.
An amazing story about fighting oppresion, figuring out who you are and what is your place in the world. Filled to the brim with engrossing encounters and cleverly designed boss fights.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A solid Metroidvania elevated by a unique gameplay mechanic. 'Dandara' suffers a bit when it focuses more on combat than exploration, but never strays from the path for to long. Visually and aurally pleasing, its odd world doesn't come with much narrative, but still manages to tell a story via its atmosphere.
The hook of Dandara is most certainly its unique control style and whether or not you can master and enjoy playing that way. For people craving something different and who want to be challenged it throws quite a lot at you that you’ve never seen before and it can be thrilling. For anyone expecting things to be more traditional and perhaps a bit casual-friendly unfortunately it likely won’t be a great match unless you’re willing to push yourself. I’d be very curious to see what would come out of a sequel and how its style could be refined further. The bones of greatness are very much there, but to enjoy it you’ll need to be willing to put up with some rough edges.
Dandara is an enjoyable Metroidvania with unique gameplay mechanics that feel fresh and fun – when they work. Sometimes the game’s controls can be a bit fussy, which can lead to unfortunate deaths. The game can sometimes be more frustrating than it needs to be, but underneath is a fun world to explore with some great visuals. Yet another great game for the Switch!
Brazilian developer Long Hat House prevails in forging a gaming and cultural touchstone in Dandara.
Dandara is the perfect example that it is always possible to innovate no matter how well-trodden a genre is. Taking the well-known bases of the Metroidvania, it manages to give a twist to the formula to be able to differentiate from the rest of the games of the genre. All this is wrapped up in a pleasant and detailed audiovisual section.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite my complaints, I had a mostly positive experience playing through Dandara. For $14.99, I got about 15 hours of playtime. The mixture of creative world design, unique gameplay mechanics and challenging bosses make this a worthy game, despite the oppressive difficulty of a few sections and occasional lack of balance. While I never felt like I got to know Dandara as a person very well, the world of Salt was still one of haunting beauty that I’d love to return to. I’m impressed by this first mainstream release by Long Hat House, and look forward to what else they’re able to create. Dandara isn’t perfect, but it’s a laudable attempt, and one that I won’t soon forget.