Preview: Woah Dave! @ EGX 2014
Among the 3DS indie games selection at this year’s Eurogamer Expo was Woah Dave! by Choice Provision (formerly Gaijin Games).
Woah Dave! (the exclamation mark is very important) is a retro-style arcade platformer and a multi-platform release as well as being on the 3DS. The developers have the well-known for the BIT.TRIP series in their history, so the graphical style is very similar.
Woah Dave! instructs players to rack up a high score in a closed arena which gets increasingly crowded – and deadly. The main character, Dave, races to destroy eggs that spawn in the stage before they hatch and evolve into monsters. Defeated monsters explode into coins that increase your score.
This method of scoring is a great change from the traditional high scores, turning an abstract 35,000 into a somehow more tactile $3.50. As you clear stages the arenas become more precarious and the monsters move much faster – in a similar way to Bubble Bobble.
Occasionally items show up like skulls and the WOAH! Box (a delightfully shameless redesign of Mario Bros‘ POW Block) which immediately clears the screen of foes, leaving you to make a mad dash for the scattered coins. Items spawn rarely, forcing you to hold out for the last possible moment to use one.
Like the BIT.TRIP games that preceded it, the blocky not-actually-8-bit graphics tell a love story about games of old; this time with Mario Bros. The 3D is very prominent, but the game is so frantic, you won’t have much time to appreciate aesthetics.
I found this game to get really difficult even on normal never mind Bonkers! mode, my high score was literally chump change – a pitiful $0.50 as opposed to the EGX high score of $1.70.
The eggs hatch deceptively quickly, and can break open even while you’re carrying them, which will kill you. The controls are thankfully snappy and accurate, perfect for the split-second decisions you’ll be making to preserve your precious three lives.
Adding to the pile of challenging pseudo-retro indie games, Woah Dave! will be an excellent addition to your game library if this is a genre you enjoy. We hope to hear more about it nearer to its release.
Choice Provisions’ site at http://totallychoice.com/ or follow their Twitter at https://twitter.com/TotallyChoice