DANDARA
Losing my direction
Although inspired by a real warrior who fought against slavery in colonial Brazil, this is hardly a retelling of history, more a pixel art Metroidvania where the titular heroine fights oppression by shooting things.
What stands out is how Dandara traverses this directionless world. Aim with the left stick and you can jump to whichever surface you like, even one that’s vertical or upside down. 1 Jumping has its restrictions, as you can only move onto white surfaces, and there’s a limit to how far you can jump from one point to another, which isn’t always clear until you need to dodge an attack.
Dark Souls is another obvious influence. The landscape’s dotted sparsely with campfires where you can rest and use salt to level up. (You pick salt up in the world and get it for defeating enemies, and you can also lose salt if you die.) And, like in Souls, you’ll die a lot. As you progress, you’re thrown more hazards and enemy types until the game resembles a bullet hell shooter. 2
However, unlike FromSoft’s tough-but-fair gameplay, Dandara’s restrictive controls mean it often feels frustrating. Your limited trajectory can box you in from projectiles, making you wish for a sidestep button. You don’t always have to aim for where you want to jump to as pushing the stick in a direction and mashing q can zigzag you across narrow spaces. But when you need to evade with speed and precision, it’s hard to do both in a satisfying way. But if you have the patience, this is nonetheless an atmospheric adventure that, though taking liberties, still manages to impart some of its local identity in a surreal sci-fi fashion, as well as some epic boss fights. Alan Wen