Dash & Bash’ Review – Beat That Beaver!

‘Dash & Bash’ Review – Beat That Beaver!

Classic video game heroes used to have rippling muscles and swishy hair, but not so in the latest side-scrolling arcade game by Touch.Play.Repeat , Dash & Bash . Dash is a beaky, yellow duckling who loves to eat berries. As the player, you’ve got to help Dash to collect as many berries as you can, in as quick a time as possible.

Sounds easy enough, but add the villainous beaver, Bash, to the equation and the challenges soon pile up. I’d just like to take a moment to bring to everyone’s attention that this game has a character called ‘Bash the Beaver’. Absolute filth!

Despite this little play with words, Dash & Bash is very child friendly. Easy to pick up controls and comic-style artwork really lends itself to a game aimed at children. The comic book chapter cutscenes serve to draw you into the story of the conflict between our feathered friend and slick beaver.

You can lead Dash through rivers banked with verdant green grass and eventually tributaries filled with candy-canes, or even traverse a spooky supernatural world! I couldn’t help but feel though, that this multitude of locations serves to draw the player from the somewhat repetitive gameplay — more on that in a bit.

Bash and his dam-constructing minions do their best to halt Dash’s avid appetite for berries, through a multitude of traps; exploding goo creatures and rocket-beavers all come at the player to obscure your vision and slow you down.

As well as the hindrances of Bash, Dash & Bash nudges the player along with little helpful birds that shield Dash from flying beavers and moving dam parts. Whilst this works quite well in Dash & Bash , the idea of power-ups isn’t a new concept when it comes to side-scrolling games. In fact, as much as it pains me to say it, gameplay-wise there isn’t really much that’s original about Dash & Bash .

There are only two more grievances that I have with this release, then back to the stuff that I really like about it! Number one, the race mode against Bash (unlocked when you get three stars on completing a level) is frustratingly difficult. In order to complete it, you need to flawlessly navigate the level without bumping into ANY obstacles, or else you get destroyed by the beaver!

The other issue I have with this game is that there is no real degree of subtlety in the control system. Dash is either in the sky, under the water, or resting merrily on the surface. There is no in-between that would make the game more skill-based. As it is, the controls make Dash & Bash feel like a timing-based experience, rather than a game that requires skill to complete.

Moaning over, I like that Dash & Bash has many levels of achievement. You can achieve a bronze and silver trophy for fulfilling certain requirements in each chapter, but to truly complete the game 100%, you need to collect all the golden trophies too. To do this, you have to beat Bash five times in a chapter, to get that coveted gold trophy.

Dash & Bash also lets you play dress-up, as there are plenty of ability-boosting outfits to doll Dash up in. As the game gets progressively harder, these outfits become essential in completing levels and gaining the most stars possible.

Overall I enjoyed Dash & Bash but for me, the fun was severely limited by the lack of a subtle control system and the somewhat stagnant concept of a side-scrolling racing game. That said, I did find some elements of Dash & Bash ‘s design charming, so I think it’s time for you to decide for yourselves!

Dash & Bash is available on iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch for $0.99 here. Also visit the official websiteto keep abreast of special offers and any update news.

[review pros=”Great comic-style artwork and charmingly easy to pick up and play.” cons=”Feels ‘samey’ very quickly. Nothing particularly original about the gameplay. Controls lack subtlety.” score=70]