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DashBored

DashBored Game Cover
83%Game Brain Score
story, music
grinding, stability
83% User Score Based on 167 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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DashBored Game Cover

About

DashBored is a single player tactical role playing game. It was developed by Karbonic and was released on June 13, 2016. It received positive reviews from players.

Enter a bizarre and idiosyncratic world! Adventure into the unknown, and defeat horrid monsters! A story of Love, Loss, and the end of the Multiverse.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
DashBored screenshot
DashBored screenshot
DashBored screenshot
DashBored screenshot
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DashBored screenshot
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83%
Audience ScoreBased on 167 reviews
story33 positive mentions
grinding9 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and intriguing story with dark, comedic, and emotional elements, complemented by engaging, well-written, and relatable characters.
  • A memorable and fitting soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere and the exploration experience across diverse and creatively designed areas.
  • Gameplay includes enjoyable turn-based combat with timing-based crit mechanics and clever puzzles that add depth and variety, supported by a passionate developer who continuously updates the game.
  • Some players find the level design and map navigation tedious and confusing, with occasional repetitive or obtuse puzzles and sections that can become a slog to progress through.
  • Combat balance issues exist, including low challenge in later battles, limited meaningful equipment variety, and an initially difficult boss fight without the ability to save, leading to frustration.
  • The game suffers from vague instructions, inconsistent storytelling with gaps, some sloppy writing, and unintuitive controls that can hinder immersion and accessibility.
  • story
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of Dashbored is praised for its unique atmosphere, quirky and memorable characters, and intriguing, multi-layered narrative that blends comedy, horror, and sadness. While some find the plot confusing, with gaps and rushed progression, others appreciate the dark, surreal elements and the story's depth, especially through multiple endings and optional content. Overall, it is considered a compelling if unconventional RPG experience, though character development and story coherence can be uneven.

    • “Dashbored is a game I will remember until death catches up to me. It has a charm to it, and I can tell Karb had fun making it. Fading Club and overall Karbonic as a developer really inspires me to become a game developer myself. Since I was a kid, I really wanted to make a video game. While I was losing hope for the overwhelming difficulty of such a challenge and tried to move away from this childhood dream, I discovered Psychopomp and got interested in other Fading Club games. Dashbored stuck with me though, I don't know why. The fact that so far, all of Fading Club's games were made mostly by Karb himself—graphics, music, story, and such—really boosted my hopes up. Fading Club is and will still be my number one inspiration for my journey. Thanks to Karbonic, thanks to the Fading Club.”
    • “A real hidden gem of a game, featuring a cast of funny and interesting characters, a really cool story with a lot of depth, a banger soundtrack, and a plethora of side content such as optional levels and secrets.”
    • “The story of Dashbored involves a colorful cast of unusual and occasionally interesting characters who are trapped in a bizarre world controlled by an eldritch being.”
    • “The only problem is the story: it's poorly explained and has a lot of gaps in it, which is frustrating because there's potential for something bigger, lore-wise.”
    • “The characters are reasonably balanced between relatively sane and absolutely nuts, there's decent humor, but if you're looking for a coherent story, you won't really find it here.”
    • “But by far my biggest problem is that this game's story seems to be held on by tissue paper, I could not get myself involved in it whatsoever which saddened me.”
  • music
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Dashbored is widely praised for its memorable, fitting, and catchy soundtrack that effectively sets the tone and enhances the game's atmosphere. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, comparing it favorably to iconic works like "Lisa: The Painful," with some even revisiting areas just to enjoy the music. Despite occasional technical issues with looping or pitch, the soundtrack remains a key factor in the game's charm and emotional impact.

    • “Where the game really shines is the soundtrack, and it's incredible writing.”
    • “And the music that plays in all of the areas of the game are not only fitting, but they're so good and memorable, and they really help to set the tone and vibe of each area and cutscene.”
    • “There's been points where I've gone back to an area just so I could hear the music again for a little longer, that's how good it is.”
    • “The music is short loops but it bops, gas brake pedal, ice band (fight mix), and infamous dayz are standout tracks to check out if you want to dig through the files.”
  • gameplay
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally straightforward and familiar to RPG Maker fans, featuring exploration, turn-based combat with timing mechanics, and a day system that adds variety to environments. While some find the mechanics somewhat standard or occasionally repetitive, the game balances this with engaging puzzles, minimal grinding, and a refreshing atmosphere. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable though not highly innovative, and is complemented by a strong story and unique worldbuilding.

    • “The gameplay is very straightforward, with many areas to explore. Different days change the map and the location of items and characters. The timing mechanic for critical hits is important to combat, especially during boss fights, similar to Lisa: The Joyful.”
    • “I really liked this game; the day system is a powerful mechanic that should be implemented in many adventure games to keep them unique and prevent staleness by changing the environment daily.”
    • “The gameplay is a mix of puzzle-solving and turn-based fighting, and it usually doesn't require a lot of grinding.”
    • “While the gameplay mechanics are kind of run-of-the-mill (some indie titles did it better in the mechanic department, for you can cheese many encounters with stun-skills for example) and the level design feels monotonous at times.”
    • “The RPG mechanic is broken, the story doesn't make sense, and the main character is the cliché no-good with a twist.”
    • “Gameplay: the gameplay of Dashbored is nothing to write home about.”
  • humor
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by dry, sarcastic, and often goofy dialogue that adds charm and depth to the characters and their interactions. While the writing can be scattered and the blend of comedic and dark moments uneven, many players find the humor heartfelt, surprising, and genuinely funny, providing lightheartedness even during emotional or intense scenes. Overall, the humor, coupled with witty dialogue and colorful characters, greatly enhances the game's appeal and player attachment.

    • “The game's sense of dry and sometimes sarcastic humor is quite fun at times, and I found myself getting attached to these characters before I even knew it.”
    • “At every moment in the game, it keeps hitting you left and right with surprises, funny dialogue, great character interactions, and some genuinely heartwrenching moments that make you genuinely worried for these characters and their world.”
    • “The characters are likeable and banter between them is absolutely hilarious!”
  • graphics
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Dashbored are praised for their unique, surreal, and customized pixel art style, often compared to Earthbound and fitting well with the game's offbeat tone and music. While some note improvements over time and appreciate the developer's ongoing updates, others find the visuals crude or amateurish, especially given its RPG Maker origins. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's atmosphere and charm, resonating well with its story and characters.

    • “To be honest, I didn't expect this to be an RPG Maker game at all; most (if not all) graphics are customized with bizarre-looking environments and lovely characters.”
    • “The original graphics are very nice, very surreal nonsense.”
    • “The creator seems to still be updating it and improving graphics which is always a nice thing to see and shows that they really do care about what they made.”
    • “Game is basically unplayable with a controller, the graphics are crude (even for being pixel-style), the in-game text seems poorly translated to English, and the game feels like no care went into making it.”
    • “Graphically, Dashbored is amateurish, but its cartoony style fits well with the snarky, vulgar cast and offbeat absurd plot.”
    • “There have been some improvements to the graphics over the years, and it shows.”
  • grinding
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is minimal overall, with only a brief early-game section where some grinding may be necessary before the first boss due to limited save options. Players can generally progress without excessive leveling, and the game balances puzzle-solving and combat to avoid monotonous grinding.

    • “There's a bit of early game hell where you only control your main character, and without the ability to save before the first boss, if you didn't do a bit of grinding for useful skills, you will have to start over from the beginning.”
    • “So sometimes you want to delay bosses until you've more party members aboard, and you can't really experiment that much with the party members without additional grinding/leveling.”
    • “You can sprint, but still, at some places it feels a bit pointless and tedious to follow all these labyrinthine corridors.”
  • atmosphere
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and unique worldbuilding, complemented by strong storytelling and music. While some find the gameplay and level design less innovative, the overall mood and narrative depth strongly engage players, making the atmosphere a standout feature.

    • “Despite its flaws, I've felt myself become absolutely engrossed in Dashbored's world and atmosphere.”
    • “I wholeheartedly loved it for its story and unique atmosphere.”
    • “While the gameplay mechanics are kind of run-of-the-mill and the level design feels monotonous at times, it is still a unique and refreshing experience in terms of atmosphere and worldbuilding!”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a rich emotional experience, blending humor, heartfelt character interactions, and genuinely heartbreaking moments that deeply engage players. Its ability to shift between lighthearted and serious tones creates a compelling and memorable narrative.

    • “At every moment in the game, it keeps hitting you left and right with surprises, funny dialogue, great character interactions, and some genuinely heartwrenching moments that make you genuinely worried for these characters and their world.”
    • “[Spoiler] Alex and Nash's relationship, especially what Nash was put through, is sincerely heartbreaking.”
    • “It can be funny and goofy one moment, then it can be emotional and even a bit scary.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users highlight the game's high replayability, making its total playtime difficult to measure due to multiple engaging experiences encouraging repeated playthroughs.

    • “Length and replayability.”
    • “It's kinda hard to measure this game's playtime because of its replayability value.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from numerous glitches in the driving map, negatively impacting its overall stability.

    • “There are too many glitches in the driving map.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game's music has some issues, with occasional pitch shifts causing the audio to restart, reflecting an inherent flaw in the engine. However, this problem is minor and generally forgivable.

  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users appreciate the original and appealing character designs, which enhance their attachment to the characters. However, the feedback focuses more on visual appeal than narrative character development.

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3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

DashBored is a tactical role playing game.

DashBored is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing DashBored.

DashBored was released on June 13, 2016.

DashBored was developed by Karbonic.

DashBored has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

DashBored is a single player game.

Similar games include Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, Kingdoms of the Dump, HorrorVale, Cosmic Star Heroine, Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest and others.