Must Dash Amigos Review
Game Details
Title: Must Dash Amigos
Developer: miniBeast Game Studios
Publisher: miniBeast Game Studios
Website: https://www.minibeaststudios.com/
Genre: Family and kids, racing
Platform: Xbox One
Age Rating: For all ages
Release Date: 7/8/2019
Price: £14.99 – Rapid Reviews UK were kindly provided with a review code for this title.
Having lots of siblings and younger cousins, couch co-ops were the ideal games to buy so that everyone could join in on the fun. The competitive streak would come out in even the quietest of people, Mario Kart and Mario Party being the main perpetrators! However, a lot of games these days will only offer online multiplayer. When the opportunity came to review Must Dash Amigos, I was eager to revisit the days of crowding around the TV and laughing (or shouting) with one another. I found out that Must Dash Amigos is perfect for this, a crazy couch co-op with colourful characters to challenge your friends and family.
The multiplayer mode of Must Dash Amigos is definitely where its strength lies. There are three modes within this; race mode, battle mode, and tournaments. In race mode, you run on foot with a top-down view, avoiding the powerups that your competitors use such as dynamite and burrito guns, or using them to your advantage like the bull who takes out anything in its path. There are also environmental hazards like boulders and crabs to be avoided at the same time! Whoever passes the finish line first, or who remains standing, wins the race. Battle mode has the same powerups, except you’re confined to an arena and must take each other out to rack up points, and the person with the most wins the round. Fall off the map, however, and you lost points.
With both of these game modes, you can adjust the settings to change the number of rounds required to win, and choose the map. There’s a variety of locations from the jungle to the beach, with three different maps on each. The tournament mode then combines the two game modes, going through a number of races and battles to see who comes out on top, winning the cup. All of these modes are super fun, and as the controls are so easy (joystick to move and the X button to use a powerup), it is ideal for all the family. I would say the turning circle can be a problem though, particularly on maps with lots of opportunities to fall off, as there’s a bit of a delay from when you move the joystick to when your character turns.
The wacky powerups are the highlight, from turning your opponents into avocados and trying to smash them with a hammer, to using tequila to warp the whole screen. Both children and adults will love this frantic and hectic gameplay. Just be warned that if you’re a particularly competitive person, friendships may be ruined for the night!
The single-player mode, however, is significantly less enjoyable. The two modes, challenges and time trials, do seem a little repetitive. It’s not as fun to race around the track alone without opponents as it is doing it alongside friends. I would have liked to at least be able to do the multiplayer modes with CPU, as you’re not always going to have people to play with. It’s good for achievement hunters to earn gamerscore, but otherwise, it’s something you will pop on to do for ten minutes rather than the hour or so you could potentially play with multiplayer. I would say that multiplayer could do with some more mini-games though, as this would increase the amount of time you spend on it.
The game doesn’t have the best graphics, looking a little blocky. However, it’s not an issue when it’s so gameplay focused. The characters still have unique designs with exaggerated features, costumes available for the four of them which you unlock using the coins you earn from playing. They’re fun and wacky just like the gameplay, from the Mexican Wrestler to the hula girl, who can be dressed in a bear costume or mariachi band attire. The different maps provide a variety of scenery, while all remaining bright and colourful, though not too much as to be distracting. There needs to be this focus on the gameplay itself because it’s so fast-paced with lots of things happening at the same time, so more detailed visuals would be too overwhelming.
The soundtrack accompanies the game well, upbeat to match the gameplay, increasing the tension of competing to win. It’s subtle enough that it doesn’t distract you, simply adding to the fast-paced aspect of the game. The audio is humorous, the characters shouting out certain things when they fire weapons or when they get knocked over!
You can easily replay the multiplayer mode of this game over and over again, as no race will ever play out the same each time. There are enough maps that it doesn’t feel too repetitive, though it could get tiresome if you played it all day with the limited mini-games. It’s one to return to when you have friends or family around. With the single-player mode, however, you probably wouldn’t replay it after you completed all the challenges and beat the time trials.
Overall, the game does a brilliant job of being a family-friendly couch co-op. It’s enjoyable and easy to pick up for anyone, with frantic gameplay ideal for a party game. I think there could be some more game modes to avoid any repetitive feeling and expand the replayability of the game, but it’s an excellent example of this genre. It’s quite similar to other games and doesn’t stand out greatly as such, but I do like the theme and its characters. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a party game to break out when they have people visiting!
Rapid Reviews Rating
You can purchase Must Dash Amigos from the Microsoft Store on the following link, https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/must-dash-amigos/9p0rp2xv3nm0#activetab=pivot:overviewtab
