Magical Girl Dash

Genre: Auto-Runner

Players: 1

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Review:

Magical Girl Dash is a side-scrolling Auto-Runner released on PC in 2023 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2024. In this game, Earth has been invaded by a swarm of flying cat aliens who have stolen all of Earth’s sweets, and our only hope is a Sailor Moon-esque magical girl who uses her magical staff to fight off the aliens and return our tasty treats.

It’s a delightful premise made more delightful by an adorable presentation that uses colorful 2D pixel art visuals and cheerful chiptune music for a great retro-style presentation that fits the game’s themes beautifully.

However, while I find the premise and presentation wonderful, the gameplay is another story. The core concepts here are good and even creative in ways the genre doesn’t often see – players can jump and double jump, use a dash that doubles as a kick, and aim their wand using the left analog stick to fire a laser using the A button, with some enemies needing to be shot and others needing to be kicked, all while you’re dodging hazards and trying to grab collectables and power-ups.

The major problem here is that this game has some odd button assignments, and there’s no option to change them. Jump is assigned to the X button for some reason, with dash on B. This means the game is constantly fighting against gamers’ muscle memory, in a game where it’s important to use the right move at the right time, in particular when it comes to jumping, as open manholes equate to instant death (you’re a magical girl, not a ninja turtle, after all).

Due to the unforgiving gameplay, the lack of an ability to assign controls as you please in-game (as opposed to doing a console-wide change in the Nintendo Switch settings) kills my desire to play this Magical Girl Dash. As appealing as the concept and presentation may be, they’re not worth the hassle and frustration this game comes with.

tl;dr – Magical Girl Dash is a side-scrolling Auto-Runner where players take the role of said Magical Girl as she fights invading catlike aliens to return Earth’s stolen sweets. While this concept and the game’s old-school presentation are delightful, it doesn’t make up for unforgiving gameplay and terrible button assignments that the game won’t let you change. I recommend you skip this one.

Grade: C-

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