Dandara

You have been summoned to help save the world. A strange and colorful place where gravity has no meaning. Dandara is the name of the heroine that must combat a dangerous regime. Explore the world, collect items, get stronger, find secrets, and face down the giant bosses in this Metroidvania style game.

Find it here.

Dandara (the game) is a metroidvania style game. That means you collect abilities and upgrades, but it does some things differently. The main thing that lets this stand out is the control system.

Dandara (the character) cannot walk. To move around, you have to bounce between nearby surfaces. And I mean surfaces. The ceiling and walls are all good to go, and at times, the screen will rotate with you. That means you need to plan out your movements to avoid enemy attacks. It gets hectic later on.

Her basic attack also requires a charge time, so you can’t spam. The attack also has limited range This leads to careful planning as you hop in, fire of a shot and then hop out. It makes for an interesting pace to the game that requires a different type of planning. To help, you will get special attacks that use energy, such as firing missiles or laser turrets.

The design of the world is great, not just in style but also in making you think. The placement of the enemies are carefully done to give you a challenge to get through. Most enemies respawn, though certain special ones do not.

Aside from finding upgrades, Dandara can use the currency of the world, Salt, to level up. Level ups get progressively more expensive, and you can choose between several different upgrades, such as health, or healthy recovery.

Perhaps a problem is backtracking to get items. Later on, it’ll be easier to get around, but in the beginning, you’ll have to bounce all the way to where you want to go. It’s interesting the first time, but on going back, it does get tedious, especially since most of the challenging enemies you faced the first time stay gone.

The world is a charming pixel style. Since the world has no gravity, the design of locations really reflects that. Trees grow out of every direction. Bookshelves wraps around the entire room. It gives the world a unique sense of style. The music in the game is pretty good, too.

Dandara is a metroidvania style game with a unique movement and combat system. It is contemplative and works really well. The world and challenges in it are designed around bouncing around in every direction. Be on the lookout for secrets and face down the bosses.

Find it here.