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Dandara

A prickly 2D Metroidvania with a curious twist, Dandara admirably finds something new to do with the genre, but it's tough work to get onboard.
Dandara Game Cover
74%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
grinding, monetization
76% User Score Based on 628 reviews
Critic Score 67%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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Dandara Game Cover

About

Dandara is a single player casual hack and slash game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Long Hat House and was released on February 6, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

A Metroidvania Adventure Hunt

Genres & Tags
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Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
Dandara screenshot
+21
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76%
Audience ScoreBased on 628 reviews
gameplay117 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • Unique and innovative movement mechanic of bouncing between surfaces, which adds a fresh twist to the metroidvania genre.
  • Beautiful pixel art and animations, along with a rich atmospheric soundtrack that elevates the world and bosses.
  • Engaging exploration and puzzle elements with creative level and world design inspired by Brazilian culture and history.
  • Challenging but fair difficulty, with interesting boss fights that take full advantage of the gameplay mechanics.
  • Strong thematic elements about oppression and freedom woven into the gameplay and aesthetic, with a compelling protagonist.
  • Good controls, especially when played with a controller, which makes movement smooth and fast-paced.
  • The Trials of Fear expansion greatly improves the game with increased content and narrative depth.
  • The game can be frustrating due to spike difficulty and punishing mechanics such as scarce respawn points and the loss of currency on death.
  • Combat can feel clunky and slow-paced due to the charge-up attack mechanic and limited attack range, leading to some tedious fights.
  • The story is cryptic and underdeveloped with minimal direct narrative or character development.
  • Map can be confusing due to frequent rotation of rooms and lack of clear markers, making navigation difficult.
  • Controls on mouse and keyboard are reportedly poor and unintuitive, making the game nearly unplayable without a controller.
  • Some areas suffer from enemy spamming and artificial difficulty, which can feel unfair and detract from enjoyment.
  • Backtracking in some sections is tedious, particularly with limited fast travel options and sparse checkpoints.
  • gameplay
    320 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Dandara offers a highly unique and innovative metroidvania gameplay centered around a gravity-defying movement mechanic that replaces traditional walking with jumping between surfaces. While praised for its fluidity, creative level design, and challenging boss fights, the gameplay can feel restrictive and has a steep learning curve, sometimes leading to frustration due to combat pacing, balance issues, and occasional repetitive elements. Overall, the gameplay is considered the game's standout feature, delivering a fresh, rewarding, and intense platforming experience that may not appeal to all but is highly recommended for those seeking originality in the genre.

    • “I love metroidvanias that experiment with unique traversal mechanics and Dandara absolutely delivers.”
    • “The combat system interlocks tightly with the traversal mechanics, using the same aiming-and-leap framework.”
    • “The base movement mechanic is a breath of fresh air in a sea of metroidvanias that seem like carbon-copies of each other, and it's also very very fun.”
    • “Some minor annoyances like heavy backtracking, a clunky manual checkpoint mechanic, a bit too many secret passages, and possibility to lose all your money if dying twice.”
    • “The jump mechanics work well for puzzle-style platforming sections and speedy room traversal - but add in enemies and a combat system with a slow charge-up attack, and the constant switching between paces quickly ends up being more exhausting than fun.”
    • “In the final quarter or so of the game it goes from an amazing game to a frustrating one, the game's movement system is fantastic but isn't really balanced against certain enemies due to the movement restrictions inherent in the gameplay.”
  • story
    189 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in Dandara is minimalistic, abstract, and often vague, relying heavily on environmental storytelling, symbolism, and player interpretation rather than traditional narrative exposition. While some players appreciate its atmospheric and metaphorical approach inspired by historical and Afro-Brazilian themes, others find it thin, confusing, or underdeveloped, leaving much of the lore and character motivations unexplored. Overall, the story is not the game’s strong point and may not satisfy those seeking a clear, engaging plot, but it complements the gameplay and world-building for players open to non-linear storytelling.

    • “The story is presented as a major driver at the start of this game, but then you get to the end and fight the final boss and surprise none of it actually had any context but somehow you've freed the world from oppression.”
    • “Its story, inspired by historical iconography and resistance movements, is conveyed through brief encounters, visual storytelling, and environmental symbolism rather than lengthy exposition.”
    • “Deep & symbolic lore – inspired by the historical Afro-Brazilian warrior Dandara, the game's story is filled with metaphors and hidden meanings.”
    • “As for the story, it's easily the weakest aspect of the game.”
    • “The story is fragmented, and only the titles popping up as you transition to new places gives any suggestion about what sort of location you're supposed to be in.”
    • “The experience in Dandara is good, it’s just that the game leaves much of the story alone while focusing more on the experience, and while each location is wonderful the backstory of the character, and the story of the world feels like it’s ignored, where those pieces are the parts of Dandara that I was genuinely interested in, and wish there was more about the character I was playing as.”
  • music
    166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in this game is widely praised for its atmospheric, immersive, and emotionally resonant qualities, often described as a superb, psychedelic, and evocative soundtrack that perfectly complements the game's exploration and themes. Boss tracks receive particular acclaim for their intensity and fitting energy, enhancing gameplay moments. Overall, the soundtrack stands out as a major strength, greatly elevating the experience alongside the striking pixel art and unique gameplay.

    • “The soundtrack is especially memorable, carrying emotional weight that helps tie together the game’s themes of resistance, exhaustion, and persistence.”
    • “Might be the best soundtrack I've ever heard in my life.”
    • “The music is simply a masterpiece, it perfectly complements the game in all sorts of moments.”
    • “Much like the environments, I have to wonder why the music does or doesn't change as you move around.”
    • “More to the point though, what truly confuses me is why the music doesn't change to reflect your interactions with NPCs.”
    • “When I speak to the downtrodden guy distracted by the noisy enemy, who then starts grooving to tunes that had been blocked out prior to that, why doesn't the music change to reflect this difference?”
  • graphics
    120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts stunning pixel art visuals and a beautifully surreal, dreamlike aesthetic that is consistently praised for its uniqueness and fluid animations. Each area features distinct and atmospheric environments complemented by an exceptional soundtrack that enhances the overall immersive experience. While some find the art style unusual or occasionally inconsistent, the graphics are widely regarded as a standout strength, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The pixel art style is gorgeous, and the music transports you to this colorful world.”
    • “Graphically, this is a looker, and the soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard.”
    • “Each area has a distinct aesthetic to it, the effects are done well, and overall there aren't really any big problems with the visuals of Dandara.”
    • “They chose to use obsolete retro pixel "art" as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “Effects in this game have really spectacular textures that really bring heft to the visuals.”
    • “Environments are equally incoherent and boring, just different tilesets with artwork quality dropping towards the end.”
  • atmosphere
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition is widely praised for its unique, haunting, and surreal atmosphere, enhanced by striking pixel art and a captivating, immersive soundtrack. The game's distinctive gravity-defying movement and culturally rich environments create a deeply engaging and varied mood that balances mystery, tension, and melancholy. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout element that significantly enriches the metroidvania experience.

    • “Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition is a striking reinterpretation of the metroidvania formula, one that immediately distinguishes itself through movement, atmosphere, and narrative tone.”
    • “Each area is unique in its atmosphere with all of them being equally gripping in different ways.”
    • “The atmosphere set by the game's nice pixel graphics and sweet ambient music perfectly sets the tone for Dandara's adventure, with some calm moments, some tense moments, and some melancholic moments.”
  • grinding
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is widely seen as tedious, repetitive, and demoralizing, with enemies becoming more annoying to fight as the game progresses. Movement is often slowed by limitations like lack of fast travel and forced navigation on specific surfaces, leading to frustrating backtracking and lock-and-key sequences. While puzzles are generally praised, the overall grind, especially involving enemy fights and progression mechanics, detracts from the experience for many players.

    • “Grinding makes upgrading and getting stronger more and more tedious as the game goes on.”
    • “Unfortunately, as the game progresses, many enemies and areas become more tedious and annoying to fight.”
    • “Given the 'death go back to camp' and 'retrieve your dead body' mechanics, the whole experience becomes quite tedious.”
  • replayability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability opinions are mixed, with some praising the fast-paced, immersive gameplay and good replay value, especially for fans of 2D metroidvania challenges, while others find the game short, limited in variety, and more of a novelty than a truly replayable experience.

    • “Fast paced, great replayability, immersive!”
    • “So it's perfect for those that want a very replayable game.”
    • “If you like challenge and good replayability combined with 2D Metroidvania, this is your game.”
    • “Replayability 5/20.”
    • “I don't regret playing and finishing the game, but it's probably more of a novelty or chore for others than a valued, replayable game.”
    • “Small and unvaried game world; abilities could have added more variety. Somewhat short with little replay value.”
  • character development
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development is praised primarily for its visually striking and culturally inspired designs, featuring diverse and original characters influenced by Brazilian history and folklore. While the art style and animations receive high acclaim, deeper narrative or in-game storytelling elements related to character development seem minimal or require external research to fully appreciate. Overall, the characters contribute significantly to the game's immersive and vibrant aesthetic.

    • “I love all the character designs; it's great to see some black representation in the main character. Overall, the bosses, enemies, and side characters all look colorful and original.”
    • “The character design is very unique; the developers based it on Brazilian history and folklore, but you'd need to research outside the game to learn more about it.”
    • “From the world and character design to the beautiful pixelated tiles, immersive backgrounds, awesome animations, and even flying particles, every room offers something different to appreciate.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's soundtrack effectively conveys emotional depth, reinforcing themes of resistance and persistence, though the overall narrative feels simplistic and lacks meaningful emotional investment. Some moments evoke strong feelings, but the story does not deliver a compelling or nuanced emotional experience.

    • “The soundtrack is especially memorable, carrying emotional weight that helps tie together the game’s themes of resistance, exhaustion, and persistence.”
    • “God this is heartbreaking.”
    • “The few story elements the game has paint a simple picture that lacks the depth and emotional investment of a more fleshed out narrative while simultaneously not being ambiguous enough to make for a compelling mystery.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the monetization intrusive, noting the game relies heavily on frequent ads that disrupt gameplay. Additionally, the game’s marketing is misleading, as it does not clearly identify itself as a puzzle game despite puzzle-like elements in enemy placement.

  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization for mouse and keyboard controls is lacking, leading to a subpar performance experience.

    • “Performance”
    • “This is very sad that the controls for mouse and keyboard weren't optimized.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally offers a solid experience but is marred by technical issues such as persistent frame tearing, occasional input lag, and minor glitches that impact overall stability.

    • “There are a few technical issues to be aware of: frame tearing is an ever-present issue, inputs sometimes don't register correctly leaving you completely open, and a few other minor glitches affect an otherwise very sound experience.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users appreciate the game's humor, particularly highlighting the hilarious and creative room names that add to the overall comedic experience.

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67%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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3h Median play time
3h Average play time
2-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dandara is a casual hack and slash game with fantasy theme.

Dandara is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck, iPhone and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Dandara.

Dandara was released on February 6, 2018.

Dandara was developed by Long Hat House.

Dandara has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Dandara for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Dandara is a single player game.

Similar games include 9 Years of Shadows, Aeterna Noctis, Blasphemous, Unworthy, Voidwrought and others.