Chalk Dash Carnival

Genre: Auto-Runner / Platformer / Party Game

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local)

.

Review:

Chalk Dash Carnival is a game that has the unique distinction of being one game in portable mode, and an entirely different game in docked mode. In portable mode, this is an Auto-Runner where players create paths to protect and support their runner as they move along the stage, and in docked mode, this is a Platformer/Party game that has up to four players competing to try to run through a stage and collect the most pickups while avoiding obstacles.

Both game modes use the same art style, which has simple stick figures running against a background design to look as if it has been drawn by chalk. It’s a cute idea, but unfortunately these backgrounds can be a bit distracting at times, which can interfere with the gameplay. This is paired with a simple xylophone theme that gets really repetitive pretty quickly.

When it comes to the gameplay, let’s address each of the gameplay styles here one at a time.

First, docked mode, where one to four players control stick figure characters in an arcade-y sort of party game. In short, this mode is terrible – your character movement is slow, obstacles seem unavoidable at times, and the whole thing quickly descends into a mess of just trying to die the least often by the end of the apparently randomized level. If this mode were all the game was, I’d say this game is trash and not worth your time, full stop.

Well, how about handheld mode, then? Well, in handheld mode… this is actually a pretty decent game. In this mode, players do not directly control the stick figure, but instead must guide a character through levels indirectly, sorta’ like the Lemmings games. They do this by drawing on-screen to create platforms for him to walk on, or barriers to protect him from obstacles. It’s reminiscent of the Kirby Curse series, though it’s not nearly as well-designed as those games are, and in this game the levels are set up like obstacle courses. The game can be a bit repetitive, and it’s not terribly deep, but given that Nintendo hasn’t brought the Kirby Curse series to Switch yet, and this is a decent attempt at the genre, those looking for a fairly unique platformer on Switch may actually want to give this a try.

To be clear, Chalk Dash Carnival is not a game to get if you only play your Switch in docked mode. In docked mode, this game is terrible. But in handheld mode using the touchscreen, this is actually a decent game, if a bit simple. Give it a look if you’d like to try something in the vein of Lemmings and Kirby Canvas Curse.

tl;dr – Chalk Dash Carnival is a game that’s basically two different games in one. There’s one game that uses traditional controls, and it’s terrible, with sluggish movement and gameplay that has you dying a lot to unavoidable obstacles. However, when using the touchscreen in portable mode, this becomes a surprisingly decent, if a bit simple, game that has you drawing platforms and barriers to protect a character and guide them to an exit. For that mode alone, this game is worth a try.

Grade: B-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}