Video Game Review: Dandy Ace

Developer: Mad Mimic

Publisher: Neowiz

Genre: Roguelike

Nintendo Switch

It’s time for another Switch Roguelike game! Some might roll their eyes at the thought, but I’m always giddy at the thought of another memorable (and difficult) experience. Dandy Ace is the latest game to hit the genre, and the first thing players might notice is just how colorful it is. In a genre full of dark and dreary games, Dandy Ace is instantly a breath of fresh air. Anyone who has wanted to be a cool and daring magician will feel connected to Dandy Ace.

The story of Dandy Ace is as simple as can be. Dandy Ace is an up and coming magician and has become more popular than his competition Lele. Lele isn’t too happy, and being the antagonist of the story, he traps Dandy Ace and his assistance in a cursed mirror. To get out, he will need to fight through tons of rooms in an elaborate palace littered with the enemies that Lele has put in the way.

To fight, players will use cards, with each one corresponding to an action. Blue cards are movement based (Like a dash), pink cards are basic attacks, and yellow cards are slower but stronger attacks. The pink cards will often ask as the player’s main attack while the yellow card abilities cool down. The action is active, with players constantly moving around the stages, dodging and striking enemies. Some cards have melee and others have projectile attacks. There are plenty of different ways to move and attack in Dandy Ace keeping every run fresh as players unlock more cards.

On each run, players will be given three cards to get them started. The rest of the cards will be acquired throughout the run via shops and defeating enemies. The player can only have four different active cards at a time. These cards can be improved by finding the higher level versions of them and replace them. They can also be improved by adding cards to the one passive slot of each active card. Basically, every card has an active and passive effect. This system allows for a significant amount of customization, which can lead to some creative builds. For example, I had one build with two active cards that inflict charm on enemies. Most of the other cards had passive abilities that do increased damage to charmed enemies. The end result was a lot of enemies that wouldn’t hurt me and died quickly.

Like most rogelikes, there are permanent upgrades that can be purchased in shops to make future runs easier. Players will fail over and over again, but they will gradually progress as their own skills improve and Dandy Ace gets upgraded. When players get too good at the game, there are varying difficulty levels to choose, though these difficulties do feel a bit artificial. It’s not as deep of an experience as games like Hades when it comes to post game. Once you beat Dandy Ace, it can be hard to be motivated to revisit it. Fortunately, it’s a difficult experience so it will last players some time. It can feel a bit laborious, since the labyrinth that players will work through is quite long.

As far as the aesthetics go, anyone who likes colorful, almost jazzy graphics will dig Dandy Ace’s style. It feels lighthearted and has a nice sense of humor. It’s an experience that really isn’t too common for roguelikes. The character designs and art are full of bold and cartoonish lines. Simply put, Dandy Ace is fun and cute. The soundtrack isn’t especially memorable, but it certainly isn’t annoying or offensive.

It’s not the best roguelike out there, but Dandy Ace’s nice style and unique battle system certainly make it something work playing. The long runs can be a slog to finish, but there are so many neat card combinations to explore that the run-length can be forgiven.