Dadish

Every once in a while, I'll come across a game that I know will be good, even without having virtually any background knowledge about it. A pixel-art platformer starring a radish that is a dad? Yeah, that's going to make the list. I would often see the Dadish games when browsing the Switch eShop, but for ten dollars a pop, I never looked any further than the listing. However, if we mosey on over to the Google Play store, every Dadish game is available (ad-supported) for free! How could I resist? With the Android port having full controller support and surprisingly infrequent ads, the experience is going to be identical between mobile and console for most players, and I had an excellent time with it.

Dadish is a straightforward affair. In this precision platformer, you'll be playing as the titular radish himself and you'll need to track down all of your children. It's not like Dadish is an irresponsible father, he was just taking a well-deserved nap when all of his kids got distracted by a stray balloon and ran away. Scattered throughout four worlds, the little radishes managed to find some of the most hostile environments to get lost in, with spikes, saws, and flame cannons amongst the more common hazards. Your obstacles aren't exclusively inanimate either, as the living fast-food servants of the evil Lord Durnak will try to impede your mission as well. Combining all of those dangers, along with helpful elements like springs, buttons, balloons, and keys, you have all of the tools to make a really solid platformer.

As expected, Dadish managed to use those tools with excellent results. The regular stages all had the perfect level of challenge, not making me angry with unfair design, but driving me forward with the confidence that I'm learning from my mistakes and will eventually succeed. I appreciate that it was always clear what I had to do, and it was usually obvious how to do it, but it was still up to me to do it right. I was really only frustrated by the final boss, which felt more unfair than well-designed. Each world ends with a boss fight against a giant fast-food creature, but only Lord Durnak broke patterns and challenged my patience. It was all worth it though, thanks to the true incentive for playing Dadish.

Every time you save one of Dadish's children at the end of a stage, they will have a short conversation that's "funny, but not TOO funny," and I live for it. It's never anything serious, they don't really establish any series lore, it's just funny conversations between a child and their parent. This blend of cuteness and comedy is where Dadish's identity truly lies, and it's why I love the series!

If you're a fan of challenging, yet fair, platforming, carefully crafted pixel art, and humorous dialogue, Dadish is an easy recommendation. It's a little incredible how much the game excels at all of those things from start to finish, especially if you're playing on mobile. The console releases will give you the same game, but none of them are free, and the non-existent price tag when playing on a phone or an Android-based handheld makes this an absolute no-brainer of a pickup. That's not to say it isn't worth the money though, especially to play on the big screen. However, you'd probably be happy no matter which platform you choose.

The game is available for Android here (as of 4/28/23): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thomasyoung.gooddadish&hl=en_US&gl=US
The game is available for iOS here (as of 4/28/23): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dadish/id1482353224
The game is available for Steam here (as of 4/28/23): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1522950/Dadish/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 4/28/23): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/dadish-switch/
The game is available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S here (as of 4/28/23): https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/dadish/9pkb6s24br6s
The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 4/28/23): https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP7190-CUSA29471_00-8969583991771177

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