I don't know what it is about food that makes for such fun, cutesy game design, but I'm here for it. Coming in hot on the heels of Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, I’ve been captivated by Dadish 3. Practically a longstanding mobile platformer series by now, Dadish 3 casts you once again into the role of our single father radish protagonist, Dadish, as he plunges headlong into danger to rescue his many wayward children.
There isn't much that revolutionizes the series in this latest installment, but as in the previous two games, you can expect great level design, funny writing, and simple yet engaging gameplay. And hey, you've got to give it up to Thomas K Young for managing to publish a Dadish game every year in a row for three years straight.
Much like its predecessors, Dadish and Dadish 2, Dadish 3 is a delightful, comical platformer for Android that feels great to play, and provides hours of entertainment.
Dadish doesn’t need an expansive narrative to keep players entertained, relying instead on its solid core gameplay and brightly colored, clever level designs. All Dadish has at his disposal, and all he really needs, are virtual left and right buttons, along with a buttonless jump function that's activated by tapping the left side of the screen.
As you can imagine, Dadish’s powers are very limited; all he’s got in his arsenal are a jump and a double jump. He can’t even kill enemies by squishing them! With such a small range of abilities, the game's challenge comes from having to carefully maneuver around enemies and obstacles in each level, make it to the end alive, and scoop up one of your veggie children in the process.
Dadish doesn’t need an expansive narrative to keep players entertained, relying instead on its solid core gameplay and clever level designs.
I wouldn’t call Dadish 3, or any of the games in this series, especially difficult games, but there’s a fair amount of challenge packed into the experience. Platforming your way from point A to point B can get tough, thanks to spike-lined floors and ceilings, buzzsaws, quicksand, and all manner of enemies to dodge. Each level also has a special star token that you can collect, but they're often hard to reach or hidden, so you'll have to hunt for them carefully if you want to collect them all.
The simple, responsive controls make this a very easy game to pick up and play, but the level design demands a certain amount of precision from the player to be successful. Timing can be unforgiving, spacing as thin as floss, and bosses needing to be dealt with in less traditional ways than you might be used to, lending some needed edge and novelty to a genre that's often flooded with subpar titles.
In spite of its relatively minimal story, Dadish 3 features some hilarious writing. Dadish's kids are sassy, brash, and too smart for their age, yet also completely lacking in the common sense department. The brief conversations Dadish has with his children at the end of each level are always entertaining.
Dadish 3 is the biggest game yet, too; with over 50 levels, 5 bosses, and even some secret game modes to unlock later down the line. This is a very mild spoiler, but we even finally get to meet the radish kids’ absentee mother, Momato! Yes, she’s a tomato and she’s gigantic compared to Dadish, which leads to some fun gaming segments whenever she shows up.
Best of all, Dadish 3 is free with ads, but you can make a one-time purchase of $2.99 to remove ads. But even if you don’t pay for the premium version, the ads aren’t nearly as horrendously invasive as they often are in other free games. You’ll only have one pop up every now and then after you’ve died a few times, which is all the more reason to get good.
Dadish 3 is well made, fun, and adorable. Just like the other two entries in the series, it's well worth your time and effort, particularly if you're a fan of great mobile platformers. I would highly recommend this game to just about anyone, so go play it and maybe even support the developer while you're at it!
