I?ve been on a bit of a platformer kick recently, and it started with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. If you haven?t had the opportunity to play it, you?re missing out?it?s a real classic, although a bit dated at this point. If you have, well, then you?ll know what I?m talking about when I say that its creative use of time as a mechanic singlehandedly makes the game so enduringly interesting. My enjoyment of Prince of Persia aside, the timing couldn?t be more perfect for a review of the just released Daggerhood ($2.99).
Daggerhood is a challenging retro platformer with stages that regularly take under thirty seconds to complete. The catch" It?s hard to grab the collectables and finish under the time limit, so it is not uncommon to attempt the same stage three, five, ten times, or perhaps even more before finally pulling it off. This can be frustrating, at times, but the sense of accomplishment after finally, finally figuring out how to grab that fairy in under six seconds and finish under sixteen is well worth the effort. Daggerhood also utilizes a really interesting mechanic where you’re able to toss a dagger out in front of your character and then teleport yourself to the location of the dagger. The majority of the game is built around mastering this teleporting mechanic.
Getting from point A to point B is only part of the goal, however. To completely finish a level players must finish the stage under the time limit, collect all five treasures, and ca...