Dandara
Take a leap into the unknown
$14.99 From Raw Fury Games, longhathouse.com Made for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV Needs iOS 10.0 or later
There’s been a lot of twin-stick shooters ported to iOS, but none of them have been quite like this. Movement in Dandara is mapped to the right virtual stick, and shooting to the left. However, the game’s eponymous character can’t walk, she can only fire a grappling hook in the direction you indicate and, if the surface at the other end is suitable, pull herself toward it. Gravity doesn’t matter — she can stand upside down or on a rotating block — but occasionally the surface she lands on is electrified, and she has a limited time to leap away again. Combat becomes acrobatic, you’re always trying to get behind an enemy, or at least out of its weapon cone, before firing your own.
Death means losing all your collected currency and restarting from the nearest activated campground, returning to the scene of your death to reclaim the cash. The save system isn’t ideal for a mobile game, but the movement and shooting are nicely tuned for a touchscreen title. Once you’ve got used to them, that is.
The pixel art style, along with the acrobatic method of traversal and especially the twirl Dandara performs as she exits a level, recalls the first Prince of Persia game, although the environments are much more detailed. The imagination that’s gone into Dandara’s world shows, but the game suffers from a feeling of familiarity and lack of direction, often leaving you unsure of what to do next.
the bottom line. An exploration and combat game with quirky controls and adorable art.