The original Dadish was a weird, yet super fun, experience. In fact, it’s a game that put a smile on my face, keeping it there till the end credits rolled. Dadish 2 is a similar kettle of fish and whilst the developer – Thomas K Young – must again be applauded for creating a neat little platformer, I’m not sure it quite hits the same ‘fun’ heights as its predecessor.
Perhaps it’s a case of the humour beginning to wear off after working through 100 levels of familiarity with both Dadish and Dadish 2, or perhaps it’s because the sequel is an altogether tougher game, but for this reviewer, the follow-up doesn’t quite deliver the same platforming enjoyment. It’s not far off, and should you have enjoyed what was provided the first time around, you should be following it up pronto here. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t build on the previously strong foundations.
Dadish 2 focuses on the same titular protagonist – Dadish – a dad who is a radish. Obviously. Dadish is left to run around after his kids again, all as a ‘Bring your kids to work day’ has gone wrong. You see, those pesky kids have gone off and hidden themselves at the end of no less than 50 levels, seeing Dadish need to navigate through stages of the Enviga Corporation (his workplace), the delightful Herbejo Meadow, the sinking sands of Koto Swamp, the depths of Fantomo Temple and, eventually, into outer space, moving through the Soleca Station.
It’s with these areas where Dadish 2’s stages are split; each world providing its own unique challenge. For instance, the swamps feature quicksand which will happily gobble up Dadish or any platforms which land in it, ensuring that not just perfect platforming skills come to the fore, but a swiftness in speed is required too. Things really ramp up near the end as Dadish is ejected into space, with zero gravity meaning his jump and double jump action (assigned to the A button and the only button you need worry about) become all the more prevalent.
Most stages work in a left to right fashion, but once again Tom Young mixes up the ideas as progression is made. It’s not just a case of dodging fast food themed enemies – fried chicken bucket-man is a highlight – but in Dadish 2 there are some endless runner ideas, more DoodleJump feels and some boss battles which are cleverly put together. Again though, ultimately these end of stage affairs are simple to complete, with little test of the old gaming skills.
So far, so Dadish 1 really, but where Dadish 2 builds is in the difficulty. There’s an Xbox achievement included with the original game which will reward you for dying 20 times in a row on any one level. Honestly, I flew through Dadish with ease and whilst deaths did occur, they were fairly infrequent.
The same cannot be said for Dadish 2 and even though some stages can be blasted through without a care, there are a good few that will require you to pull out all your precision platforming perfection in order for safe navigation. In a way I commend the inclusion of these, but on the other hand, it does take away a little from the overall ‘fun’; a vibe that I now fully associate with old Dadish.
Visually, Dadish 2 works the same ideas as the first. It’s a bright and colourful game, gameplay is tight, jumping is precise and hit detection is just about right. Again it feels like Dadish’s hit box is just ever-so-slightly smaller than his character sprite, but that only allows the gamer to get away with slight inaccuracies. I’m never going to knock a game for helping me out. The audio is decent again, with an upbeat little soundtrack playing around behind your adventures.
Throw in the same Hard Mode as before, a timer for the speedrunning fans and a bit of replayability as you go searching for hidden stars in each level, and Dadish 2 is a well placed sequel. It may not be as fun, but the inclusion of some new platforming ideas – especially when you get to jump on the back of an old friend for a bit of non-stop running – easily puts this on a par. That does however mean the asking price again feels a little high though.
Basically put, if you enjoyed Dadish, go and fill your boots with Dadish 2. It’s a worthy way to follow-on, letting you take in another tale of a radish dad and his troublesome kids.Â
You can pick up Dadish 2 from the Xbox Store
