‘Dandara’ Is a Beautiful but Brutal Journey

Publisher: Raw Fury / Developer: Long Hat House / Platform: Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android / Release Date: February 6, 2018 I think I have some kind of radar for Metroidvania-styled games because my eyes lit up like a Sharingan when Dandara was announced. And as infrequent as Nintendo is with Metroid games, I need to get my fix in somewhere. What I love most about this genre is that almost every contender puts its own spin on the classic formula. Dandara is no exception. This game literally twists and turns the world around you and it’s a lot a fun – for a while. What you will start to notice that Dandara is unforgiving, and more often than not you’ll have adust yourself to the “Shit just got real” position on your couch in order to get through it. To truly understand what I mean, let’s start from the top.

Story

Dandara is a simple tale. It takes place in the world of Salt, which is on the verge of collapse due to oppression. Our hero Dandara awakens as the last beacon of hope to put this dreamlike world of creation and freedom back together and out from under the thumb of its oppressors. Dandara draws inspiration from real-life Afro-Brazilian freedom fighter Dandara dos Palmares. During the 17th century and along with her husband Zumbi de Palmares, she helped protect slaves and bring them to sanctuary. It’s nice to see developers Long Hat House take inspiration from their home country and it’s history. That inspiration and the themes that they draw fro…