Dandy Ace

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 290 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Dandy Ace Game Cover
Mad Mimic's Dandy Ace is a roguelike full of style and flair.
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"Dandy Ace" is a fast-paced, rogue-lite game where you play as a magician named Dandy Ace, fighting your way through a cursed mirror and Lele's ever-changing palace. Combine magical cards with over a thousand possibilities, each with their own playstyles and powers. With replayability and adrenaline of a rogue-like, the goal is to defeat the Green-Eyed Illusionist, Lele, by trying, dying, and trying again.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 290 reviews
gameplay39 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • The card system allows for a lot of creativity and customization in combat, enabling players to create unique combos and strategies.
  • The art style and character design are vibrant and charming, contributing to an engaging atmosphere.
  • The game offers a fun and lighthearted narrative with humorous dialogue, making it enjoyable to play.
  • The game can feel repetitive due to limited enemy variety and level design, leading to a lack of engagement over time.
  • The absence of invincibility frames during dodges can lead to frustrating moments, especially in crowded combat situations.
  • The narrator's constant commentary can become annoying, detracting from the overall experience.
  • gameplay105 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a fast-paced, card-based combat system that allows for creative combinations and strategic depth, reminiscent of titles like Hades and Dead Cells. While many players appreciate the smooth mechanics and unique card interactions, some criticize the gameplay for feeling shallow or clunky, with a lack of polish and a steep learning curve due to complex mechanics. Overall, the game offers enjoyable moments but may not appeal to everyone due to its situational gameplay and potential repetitiveness.

    • β€œThe gameplay is rapid, and it moves very smoothly.”
    • β€œIt's relatively intuitive, but the mechanics still have a lot of depth to them.”
    • β€œDandy Ace is an extremely solid roguelite that has an awesome card combo mechanic that really brings the game to the next level.”
    • β€œBut it is in the moment-to-moment gameplay where it becomes far too situational to recommend to a wide audience.”
    • β€œThe gameplay is running around, stop, throw hundreds of cards at the enemies (I still got the throwing sound in my ear, it's that annoying) and repeat.”
    • β€œIt's a game that obviously tries to be like Hades and other Supergiant games but lacks the gameplay polish that those games have.”
  • story52 mentions

    The story in the game is generally considered weak and simplistic, often described as juvenile or threadbare, with many reviewers noting it lacks depth and a satisfying conclusion. While some appreciate its whimsical and comedic elements, the narrative is often seen as an afterthought, primarily serving to facilitate gameplay rather than engage players. Overall, players are advised not to expect a compelling story, as it is overshadowed by the game's mechanics and aesthetics.

    • β€œThe story is quite simple and whimsical where a 'great' magician has trapped Dandy Ace and his two assistants in a magical mirror world where he's basically king.”
    • β€œIt's a Saturday morning cartoon story, nothing deep but lovely and wears its heart on its sleeve.”
    • β€œThe gameplay was crisp, there was a story, it had fantastic voice acting, and there was a sense of progression in the unlocks.”
    • β€œThe weakest point of Dandy Ace, I would say, is the story.”
    • β€œThere is no grand overarching story, big character choices to make, or any other distractions from the constant fighting that is going to take place.”
    • β€œThe story is incredibly threadbare and not even worth speaking about.”
  • graphics47 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and vibrant art style, which enhances the whimsical tone and humor of the gameplay. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and colorful visuals, some note that the environments lack diversity and can feel cluttered, impacting gameplay visibility. Overall, the artwork is considered a strong point, contributing to the game's appeal despite some calls for additional polish and variety.

    • β€œThe artwork is charming, and the voice acting is mainly passable.”
    • β€œLoved the setting and beautiful graphics πŸ‘ŒπŸ»β€
    • β€œDandy Ace is a really fun roguelite, with amazing visuals, great humor and a deeply customizable ability system, with lots of stuff to unlock.”
    • β€œOutside of the in-game graphics, there isn't much to see here.”
    • β€œThe combat is fine, but the dash you have to dodge just is far too ineffective and I found myself getting cheap-shotted a lot because the visuals are quite cluttered. Some solid color contrast between projectiles and the foreground would've helped that.”
    • β€œThe environments aren't diversified enough and the whole aesthetic has a real 'samey' feel.”
  • music38 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its charm and suitability to the gameplay, while others find it generic and repetitive. While many enjoy the soundtrack as a fun accompaniment to the experience, a notable number of reviewers feel it lacks depth and could have better matched the game's theme. Overall, the music is considered decent but not exceptional, with some players opting to play their own music instead.

    • β€œA nice roguelike with a cool theme, pretty artwork, and a fun soundtrack.”
    • β€œDandy Ace is a really cool indie game; the card system is really fun, and the stages and music are really well made.”
    • β€œThe background music is fun and enjoyable to listen to while playing.”
    • β€œThe one area where this game falls flat for me is the music.”
    • β€œI found the music boring, repetitive, and mismatched with the rest of the experience.”
    • β€œThe music didn’t really impress me that much; it really felt like a generic soundboard composition.”
  • replayability19 mentions

    Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of difficulty settings, unlockables, and different builds that encourage multiple playthroughs, others find the gameplay stale and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight that although the game can be enjoyable for a limited time, it may not sustain long-term interest for all players, particularly those not deeply invested in the genre. Overall, the replay value is seen as decent but not exceptional, with some players noting it could provide hours of fun while others feel it falls short of expectations for a roguelike.

    • β€œWith four different difficulty settings and an innumerable number of combat combinations, there's a lot of replayability here.”
    • β€œHigh replay value and addictive.”
    • β€œI haven't played much but I've just finished my first run, and I've seen tons of different weapons, powers, and upgrades, so I can see good replayability in the future.”
    • β€œNot as much depth or replay value as its inspirations, but still provided quality entertainment for a few days.”
    • β€œA very tentative 'no' review, because this game is quite fun for about 3 hours which is pretty good for the price, and I can see some people getting even more out of it, but it really lacked a lot of the replayability and variety that roguelikes should have.”
    • β€œThe game has very little replayability; I wanted to quit in the middle of the nightmare run because of how stale the game is.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek tone and comedic character designs. While some voice lines become repetitive over time, the overall charm, engaging dialogue, and entertaining narrative contribute to a fun experience. The game's art style and quirky characters enhance its comedic appeal, making it a refreshing break from darker themes in gaming.

    • β€œDandy Ace has a lot of charm, is very well balanced, is funny, has a nice graphic style, and although I already finished the run once, I plan to beat the other bosses and get the other keys just for fun.”
    • β€œThe fighting is satisfying, the enemies are hilariously designed, the characters are funny as well, and I love the setting with the magicians and everything.”
    • β€œThe humor is very tongue-in-cheek, which I like, and the game never really takes itself too seriously.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with limited healing and low rewards contributing to a slow and repetitive experience. While the card system offers some initial excitement and customization, it ultimately leads to a cumbersome gameplay loop that feels overly grindy, especially in a rogue-lite context. Overall, the enjoyment is diminished by the excessive amount of grinding required for meaningful progress.

    • β€œUltimately, the complexity that initially is very exciting proves to be very tedious in trying to think out the best combos for your cards.”
    • β€œA fun idea that some narration could be built of, but it gets tedious even two hours in.”
    • β€œFor a rogue-lite game, this is an utterly annoying and tedious gameplay loop.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is noted for its unique art style and attention to detail, creating an engaging environment that enhances the overall experience. While some players find it less enjoyable compared to similar games like Hades, many appreciate the distinct feel and the dedication of the development team in crafting a fun atmosphere.

    • β€œThe game's art and atmosphere is also great.”
    • β€œIt's an amazing game with a very unique style and atmosphere with a wonderful dev team behind it which really wants you to have fun!”
    • β€œIf you've played Hades, this game is similar, but with a different feel and atmosphere.”
    • β€œA very unique art style with various little details regarding objects, levels, scenes, and the atmosphere.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players find the emotional impact of the game to be profound, with many expressing that the art and storytelling evoke strong feelings, even leading to tears. However, some critiques suggest that certain elements, like the music and sound design, could be improved to enhance the overall emotional experience.

    • β€œLike they are touching you.”
    • β€œAll the puns and the amazing art made me cry.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    Overall, players find the optimization aspects of the game to be a mixed bag; while there are interesting choices to be made, the simplistic effects limit their potential. Many users believe that certain elements could benefit from further refinement and optimization to enhance the overall experience.

    • β€œIt makes for interesting choices and optimizations.”
    • β€œEven though I really liked playing it, there are some little things which I am sure can be fixed or optimized.”
    • β€œ[h2]Performance/Controls:[/h2]”
  • character development3 mentions

    The game features impressive character designs and voice acting that enhance its aesthetic appeal, even in the absence of a deep narrative. While it excels as a roguelike with diverse environments and engaging gameplay elements, the character development itself is not a primary focus compared to its visual and mechanical strengths.

    • β€œIt's a really stellar indie game with cool character designs full of voice acting.”
    • β€œThe aesthetic and character design are another matter; they shine bright even without any given story context.”
    • β€œThere are several different tilesets, a bunch of different enemies, cool bosses with great character design, loads of unlockables, different difficulties, etc.”
    • β€œThe character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
    • β€œI was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; they didn't evolve in any meaningful way.”
    • β€œThe lack of meaningful choices in character development left me feeling detached from the story.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

82%Β average critic score

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Play time

20hMedian play time
20hAverage play time
20-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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