Dangerous Dave in the Deserted Pirate's Hideout (iOS) Review

Being an early platformer, Dave features the hallmarks of the genre: players guide a character named Dave as he jumps his way from platform to platform, dodging bad guys, fire, and "weird" things, as well as collecting gems and trophies. Dave will find various power-ups, like a jetpack that allows him to float, or a gun that comes in handy when taking out enemies from a distance. The aim of the game is to collect all of the trophies Dave's nemesis Clyde has stolen from him.

Dangerous Dave lacks the physics finesse of the Mario titles. Movements are stocky,and hitboxes can be unpredictable. None of this is unforgivable, but it ends up standing out when the game's positives can be boiled down to it simply having all of the features expected of a platformer. The iOS update features a soundtrack and new graphics, but also features the entirety of the original game. For a free game, it's at least worth a shot, and compared to a lot of free games on iOS, this one isn't invasive. Upon dying, players have the option to view an ad in exchange for a free life, and otherwise are left to their game. It's a nice breath of fresh air in a market dominated by pay-to-win cash grabs. Unfortunately, the game doesn't seem capable of saving progress, and closing the game and re-opening it starts things up from the very beginning.