Dyad PC Review

By – Omar Khan

My first thought when playing Dyad was –  “MY EYES!!”

My second thought became “What the heck am I doing?” Dyad offers nothing in regards to story, or even a basic tutorial.  However, sound is a big part of Dyad, and it feels similar to games like Garden Of Eden, and even Guitar Hero to a certain extent.  Gameplay felt instinctive and I admire Dyad for throwing me in the deep end and being allowed to workout the basics for myself.  It permitted me to make more sense of the gameplay.  Getting a feel of how to play is important in this game, in a similar way to needing to find a flow in the fighting mechanics of Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The thing about Dyad, is there is no real meaning or significance to the game.  This isn’t a negative; there is no point to Pac-Man or no over-arching story to Snake. But there is something beautiful about the fact that a game can still retain the attention through raw gameplay and visuals.  I am aware that I have now written two paragraphs praising the gameplay of Dyad without actually saying anything about it.  And that’s because it’s quite hard to pin down and define.  It proves rather elusive to describe due to its ambiguity.  Steam categorizes the game as a racer, but that’s like calling Citizen Kane an action film because of the intense man-on-chair violence. But I digress…

Dyad is a tunnel-racing-puzzle-shooter-music-based game. The core gameplay consists of you hooking onto enemies as they file down the screen, using your momentum to push yourself ahead.  Colliding with these enemies slows you down, and jars the music.  The game’s focus isn’t on the racing seeing as speed isn’t a necessity.  You are praised more for making precise movements and avoiding impacts than you are for finishing in the fastest time possible. Having said that, it is incredibly satisfying to see my own skill in the game improve, which lead to heightened enjoyment and almost a mutual understanding between me and the game.

I began to see the structure of the game when there was no structure before. I saw the F-Zero X style tunnels, and the lights representing other cars. I got the sense that if I saw someone else playing Dyad and had never seen it before, I would just sit back and enjoy the spectacle rather than engage with it on any level.  There are 26 levels in Dyad, and each track is a ‘track’; meaning every level is a different song. Although this seems to be a major factor of the game, you barely notice it while playing. I’m not sure if this is a good thing, that sounds blends so seamlessly with gameplay that it becomes a singularity, or a negative; the core mechanic of the game goes almost totally overlooked.

Is It Worth Your Money?

I’ll be honest here. One of the perks of being a games journalist – apart from the fame, fortune and the women – is the fact you get review copies of games.  This means you can play hundreds of games you wouldn’t normally play, or maybe would have never even heard of, for free. Dyad isn’t a game I would have picked up normally, but I did enjoy playing it.  Nevertheless, I get the feeling that if I’d forked out $14.99 for it, I’d have been left a little unsatisfied. Another indie game with a great concept, but little else.  I love TPG for offering this ‘is it worth your money’ section, but I simultaneously hate them for it because I have to come up with a definitive conclusion as to how you should spend your hard earned cash.

Honestly, I personally feel that $14.99 (it actually comes to $18 when converted from UK pricing) is too much for the sensory delight that is Dyad.  Fun and engaging as it may be, there are better games, and indeed better things in general that cost less and offer a more rewarding experience.