Dandy & Randy DX is a cheeky and fun throwback to old school top-down adventure gaming.
While average folk seek employment to pay bills and make ends meet, there are somme who chase fortune in more adventurous ways. When rumors spread of a celestial jewel buried somewhere on the sunrise islands, treasure seekers from far and wide arrive in search of riches beyond imagination.
Randy and Dandy DX is a top-down 2-D adventure by Asteristic Games where two best friends, Randy the rabbit and Dandy the duck, scour the sunrise islands for the celestial jewel so they can afford to pay their bills. Along their way they face a gang of greedy pirates who are causing a ruckus in search of the jewel, as well as monsters, puzzles and other comic mischief. Covered in old school charm the characters and pixel art graphics take center stage on this island expedition. 2 players can dig for riches simultaneously across increasingly perilous levels where randy and dandy will encounter new friends, boss battles and tools to aid them in their search.
Each level is similar to a wilderness dungeon full of traps and puzzles to solve, complete with four colored Keys that must be collected to unlock doors to the area’s boss. In true treasure hunting fashion, Randy and Dandy start their island exploration with a shovel. Discovering coins and other items requires digging around each new area following clues from Island residents and signs left up by the Sunrise Island tourism board. Both enemies and bosses are defeated by throwing any of the destructible objects at them like pots and rooted vegetables. Using the map is important as it shows previously traveled zones in each level and highlights locked gates and the color of their appropriate key. New yet vaguely familiar tools like the Boomerang, Hammer, and Hookshot, will also help the dandy crew accumulate money and uncover clues to the whereabouts of the celestial jewel by opening new paths throughout the later levels.
Controlling Randy and Dandy is straightforward without a lot to learn in the way of mechanics. Movement has an inhibited acceleration as the physics aren’t designed for playing fast or with critical accuracy. There’s an action button for interacting with objects and talking with other characters, and players can scroll through their selection of acquired tools for use in the appropriate situations.
Dandy and Randy’s real artistry lies in its 8-bit inspiration. While the graphics may be low resolution, the art style is alluring to retro fans without being too technical. Even the smallest character sprites make an adorable impact on the atmosphere. The soundtrack is also a well composed batch of chiptune rhythms with a strong focus on catchy and upbeat melodies that compliment any stage setting or menu. Players will also find some good cartoon humor in the game’s writing and interactions.
While retro themes are the greater part of Dandy and Randy’s appeal, its style also creatively limits its gameplay. While there is enough challenge, variety, and visual appeal to keep things interesting, Older gamers especially may find puzzles to be simple and the action too similar to classic games from the past to feel groundbreaking when playing alone. As the 2-D rock pushing puzzles ramp in complexity with new tools, the action stagnates at a child appropriate level where the vegetable throws required for boss fights aren’t the most challenging if you’ve read into the right clues. Players may also find some frustration with puzzle timing after acquiring the running shoes that allow for faster movement. With only a handful of stages, and not only a couple of new characters to unlock, Randy and Dandy’s adventure isn’t very robust and can probably be finished in a day of dedicated play.
Dandy and Randy Dx presents itself as a thoughtful and cooperative re imagining of similar top down adventures from the past. The storytelling and humor may be shallow but the unique characters and especially tasteful soundtrack are driving forces that propel the journey forward. With new friends to make, pirate plans to disrupt, and vast fortune yet to be discovered on the Sunrise islands, Dandy and Randy may yet make it home in time to pay their rent.
Pros
-Appealing pixel art and character designs
-Strong Chiptune soundtrack and melodies
-Cooperative gameplay feature
Cons
-Slow movement acceleration
-Not a robust game, short length
3 out of 5
A review code was provided by PR. Dandy and Randy DX is out now!
