Monster Dash Review: Another Gem from Halfbrick Studios

App Name:	Monster Dash
Platforms:	iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Publisher(s):	Halfbrick Studios
Version Reviewed:	1.00
Genre(s):	action
Release Date:	August 19, 2010
Price:	$.99
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I’ve spent enough time referencing Fruit Ninja in previous reviews, so suffice it to say that Monster Dash from Halfbrick Studios has big shoes to fill.  The developers have cemented themselves as masters of addictive gameplay, and luckily this new title continues that theme. What’s interesting is that they didn’t choose to create another entirely unique game experience; instead, they borrowed from the formulas of games like Robot Unicorn and Canabalt to deliver the best in sidescrolling/dashing games in the App Store. Not only is Monster Dash immensely enjoyable in its current form, but it also promises to improve with future upgrades and tweaks.

The main character is a little tough guy named Barry Steakfries. Unfortunately, the world has been overrun with monsters, and thanks to no public transportation, Barry has to run to stay alive. But he doesn’t just rely on his speed. Barry Steakfries is no stranger to weaponry, and he’s ready and willing to gun down whatever bad guys stand in his way. Combining these two mechanics (running and gunning), the whole point of Monster Dash is to see how far you can get. It’s that simply. And yes, it’s that much fun.

Only two controls require your attention: The “jump” icon is in the bottom left of the screen, with “shoot” situated in the bottom right. Barry starts out jogging at a fairly slow pace, but his speed quickly progresses and you’ll find that juggling just those two controls is more than enough challenge. A typical game of Monster Dash won’t last more than a minute or two, unless you surprise yourself and turn out to be one of the better players in the world according to the OpenFeint leaderboards . . . There are three ways to meet your end: Slam into a wall, fall into a gap, or run out of hearts. You start with three hearts and lose one each time you collide with a monster or run over a set of spikes.

For a 99 cent game, Monster Dash offers a lot of variety (and considering Halfbrick’s track record, I’d expect even more in the near future). About three different weapons can be picked up to replace your default shotgun. These include the one-shot Pacifier, Mr. Zappy (electro-charge), and the Machine Gun Jetpack (yeah, pretty much what it sounds like). In addition, Halfbrick has built in an excellent system of mile markers to help us track our progress with each run. Every time you pass an increment of 1,000 meters, Barry travels through a portal to a new location. This keeps things fresh visually and provides some motivation to keep pushing to get to that next stage . . . During his travels Barry will come up against enemies like vampires, mummies, and demons, and they will all be encountered against an appropriately creepy backdrop and setting.

Monster Dash doesn’t miss perfection by far. Unfortunately, its one misstep is relatively costly, and hopefully Halfbrick addresses this soon. The touch sensitivity is often suspect, and in a game that relies so heavily on precise timing and touch commands, there is no room for error here. How can we be expected to guide Barry to safety if he doesn’t jump when we say jump? Deaths resulting from faulty controls are highly frustrating, and cause for concern if Halfbrick hopes to take Monster Dash to the level of Fruit Ninja.

But there is still a lot to love here, and I can hardly be more critical of this game considering how often I grab my phone just to get in a quick session. A good run takes up a matter of seconds (minutes, if you’re really good), and you’re still left feeling satisfied and adrenalized (or super ticked, but that’s how it goes). So, for 99 cents, everyone should keep following Halfbrick Studios. They continue to bring us games that sink their teeth in early and don’t let go, and Monster Dash is another reason we should keep on looking forward to future releases.

Our Score: 4/5

Monster Dash is $0.99 at the time of this review.

About the Author

Devin Wieland

 

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