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Dub Dash

[ video + review + giveaway ]

| PC (Steam) Review February 4th 2016 |

Dub Dash screenshot changing lanes
Choose the right lane.

Dust off two of your most musically-talented fingers and get ready for Dub Dash, an upcoming rhythm action game from Indocra and Headup Games. As you've probably gathered from the name, Dub Dash will have your digits dancing to the wibbly wobbly beats of 9 dubstep tracks, progressing from simple-but-tricky to complex, mind-bending challenges. Quite an accomplishment in itself, considering that the controls amount to simply "jumping" (i.e dodging) to the left or right.

Most of the boogying takes place on a revolving disco ball with a trench of sorts, within which you tap left or right to dodge obstructions to the beat of the music. Sounds simple, but it gets tricky very quickly. Tapping a key is called a "jump" and holding it down is called "bouncing". Bouncing from left to right without stopping causes the globe to rock or sway to and fro in tandem with the motion you've created, which adds a nice responsive feeling to the rhythmic timings of your button presses. The level comes to life as you time your keystrokes successfully, with equalizer-like structures popping up around you and rather euphoric-looking smiley faces silently cheering you on, all of which are changing color like a chameleon suffering with multiple personality disorder. It's nothing psychedelic, but you'll certainly get your recommended dose of vibrant colors. If you can stray your eyes from the epicenter for a second, it's as if the level itself and all of it's parts are dancing to the music.

Dub Dash screenshot bouncing left and right
The walls are dancing!
Dub Dash side-scrolling spaceship

As you progress, the game likes to throw you curve balls mid-song. Level make-up will transition from revolving globe to side-scrolling and top-down modes, each requiring a new type of finesse to beat. The side scrolling segments require you to press or let go of either key to keep your craft afloat without crashing into spiked floors and ceilings or obstacles in between. There is a delayed acceleration after you press down on a key, which requires a lot of fine motor control that I found very difficult to get used to. I was having so much trouble with one such section that I began to wonder if a woodpecker perched on the keyboard and coaxed into attacking the arrow key would have the perfect balance of pressure and speed. The challenge here is not rhythmic at all, but perhaps if you master the controls you could beat these segments by key-tapping in a way that is also to the beat of the music. Later, a top-down mode is introduced which has you making sharp turns at the correct moments. It's pretty straight-forward until your perspective suddenly inverts and you're moving towards the camera!

If the menu screen's running total of your failed attempts is getting you down, try the challenge mode! This is a randomized level that will reward you with 5 extra lives for emerging the victor. Equipped with extra lives, you can attempt the main levels again and retry from checkpoints upon failure. Without lives, you're back to the beginning of the song after one mistake. You can attempt the same challenge as many times as you like, so it's a great way to gain an advantage when you're struggling. These random interpretations of the songs also add a lot of replay value to the game, which is most welcome because there is no option to import your own music library or create your own levels. You could also try practice mode, which enables checkpoints so you can more effectively train yourself to beat the segment you're stuck on.

Dub Dash screenshot high-tempo music
Dub Dash screenshot split-screen mode
Multiplayer/multi-limb mode.

Unlike other games in the genre, there are no bonus points awarded for perfect timing, the only goal is to survive until the music stops. Also omitted are any sort of obtrusive noises or chimes for successfully interpreting the musical cues. In summary: Dub Dash is an addictive rhythm action game with refreshing mechanics and pretty visuals. The controls are simple but timing is crucial and the challenge is high. Skill with music/rhythm games and fine motor control is required to beat most levels, so unless you have supreme mastery over both, Dub Dash is going to provide you with many hours of entertainment. Still not enough? Super-hardcore players with dubstep vibrating through their veins could test their mettle by trying out 2-player mode solo: left hand + right hand 1 player co-op! Lesser mortals can enjoy a competitive experience with up to 3 other players. I believe the developers are also planning to add more songs, so keep an ear out for those too.

Dub Dash arrives on Steam February 16th 2016.

GIVEAWAY

Bobmanbob Special Giveaway #25: Dub Dash (Steam Game)

Dub Dash

Developed By: Incodra

Published By: Headup Games

Purchase on Steam