Well, what can I say about Dub Dash? It’s the first game I’ve reviewed that’s put me in the awkward position of not being able to finish it. Admittedly, I’m not particularly versed in the rhythm genre, but the challenge that Dub Dash presents is particularly striking, and despite generally enjoying its mechanics and presentation, there’s only so much I could take. Music is obviously a fundamental feature of the game, and you’ll be darting, dodging, bouncing and flying your way in between hazards in time to its beats. As you might have guessed, this all takes place to an electronic soundtrack, and the pace is set accordingly. Whereas with titles such as Audiosurf you must switch lanes to match on-screen commands/inputs to reach a high score, Dub Dash makes this a matter of success or failure. You must avoid obstacles in your way by dodging to the left, right, or by holding a direction down to bounce when obstacles are close together to avoid crashing. When you do crash, you will be given a percentage to show how far you got, and then put at the beginning of the level to make another attempt. Alternatively, you can choose to respawn at a checkpoint (assuming you’ve passed one), though this will use a valuable life point (more on those later).
Throughout the levels Dub Dash throws a variety of mechanics at the player. It’s not just a case of dodging left and right to avoid obstacles, and there are sections which involve flying (ala Flappy Bird), racing, maze gameplay and other variations. These aren’t just individual levels either, but act as separate sections – mixing up each level. For example, you start a level dodging obstacles, bouncing, etc, and then when you pass a checkpoint the game changes into a flying section where you must keep control by moving up and down, navigating tunnels and avoiding obstacles protruding from above and below (take a look at the trailer above, it’s best to see it in action). It’s an interesting dynamic – the shift in gameplay really keeps you on your toes and makes the levels very interesting to play, though it is a step up on what is already a difficult experience.
As for how everything melds together, the music and action are solid. I suppose this is the most subjective part, but I did think the music was enjoyable to play to and suits the various gameplay mechanics and challenges. I found myself playing on auto-pilot, my eyes slightly ahead of my point on the screen, and my fingers just reacting as the music dictates – not that paying attention isn’t required, but it exemplifies how well everything flows. The aesthetic is also exhilarating in its own way. Seeming to take place on one giant disco ball, the flashing lights, bright colours…it’s almost dizzying. But it suits the premise and the soundtrack to a tee.
Unfortunately, this is where the positivity ends. If the game was a bit more forgiving then the changing level mechanics and hyper presentation wouldn’t be a problem, but unfortunately it isn’t. It’s bloody tough, and there are no difficulty options to alleviate this. There’s a faux support system in place whereby you can respawn at checkpoints throughout the level, but as already mentioned, these can only be used a limited number of times, with the only way of regaining them being to complete challenge modes which can be just as difficult as the actual levels. I quickly found myself running out of lives and not being able to progress, and then getting stuck on the levels designed to regain those lives. It is an interesting idea, certainly – making you work for those checkpoints – but it’s a bit too harsh in my honest opinion, and kind of spoils those shifts in gameplay design. I should be excited when the game suddenly changes perspective and I have to adapt, but I dread it because I know I’ll most likely be thrust right back at the beginning of the level again, and again, and again until I eventually master all the obstacles (read: luck out), or give up out of frustration and eye strain.
But I don’t know, maybe I’m just a noob and can’t handle the stress. Maybe those rhythm elite will find a challenge here that they can’t find elsewhere. Because otherwise the game is pretty solid. If I had to find another criticism, I suppose, if you managed to get through the stages, there’s not actually a lot of them – fundamentally it is quite a short game – and it does give a rather simplistic impression (not much in the way of options or game modes – though there is a multiplayer option). But then the price is low, and what is on offer is interesting, lively and well put together. Try it out if you’re up for a hard time, otherwise you may want to go for something a bit more forgiving.