DASH: Danger Action Speed Heroes, a 2D precision platformer, just left Early Access and finally hit full release on Steam.
This thing has been sitting on my wishlist for seven years. And boy, am I disappointed. But before tearing it apart, let’s cover what it’s supposed to be.
DASH is built around speedrunning. Hunt for shiny diamonds. Blaze through levels to prove you’re fast enough. Upload your own creations and track plays like it’s supposed to mean something. The entire pitch is “rise to the top” through running and creating.
The graphics? Acceptable, nothing more. Functional, yes. Pretty? No. The shaders try to channel retro vibes but instead look cheap and awkward. It doesn’t bring joy—it just does its job.
The soundtrack barely registers. I had to boot the game again just to confirm it existed. The sound effects lean way too hard into meme culture, and instead of adding charm, they grate. At least there are volume sliders, because you’ll want them.
Controls are where it really falls apart. Keyboard-only defaults to arrow keys for movement, and you can’t remap them. WASD is not an option. You can flip action keys from X/C to S/D, but that’s like choosing between Diet Coke and Coke Zero—neither is what you actually wanted. Gamepad support (Xbox, DualShock) exists, but it’s only partial. That sums up the whole feel of the game: half measures.
Yes, the game advertises online PvP with cross-platform multiplayer. Maybe that mode salvages it. But I don’t play for PvP, and the single-player offering here is paper-thin. The included levels don’t inspire, and the level editor can’t rescue a game when the foundation is this dull.
Compatibility? Supposedly it runs natively on both Windows and Linux. In reality, the Linux build crashed. Only when I switched to Proton Experimental did it actually work. That should not be the case.
Specs are modest—2 GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM, 350 MB space. But that’s about the only straightforward thing. Because when I launched, the splash screen still labeled it “Early Access.” This is the full release? Really?
Reception is basically a time capsule. Steam shows 15 reviews, all from 2019. Nothing since. So whatever praise is there is six years old, from when it was barely out of the gate.
The one good thing I can say: it’s free. Free to download, free to play. But even as a free game, I can’t recommend it. Not after seven years of waiting.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/898910/DASH_Danger_Action_Speed_Heroes/
@videogames@piefed.social
