History VideoGame / Dandara

** True Ending, [[spoiler:[[GoldenEnding Salt's Change]]: Once Eldar is defeated after freeing Nara, the Salt hesitates in accepting his death, [[TrueFinalBoss Tormenta]] merges the Hidden Realms with the Salt and kills Lazúli. Dandara defeats it nonetheless, ensuring Eldar will never return to life, and ending the threat to the Salt for good, bringing true change to it.]]

* MultipleEndings: Since the ''Trials of Fear'' update, the game has two endings:
** Normal Ending: Defeat Eldar [[spoiler:without freeing Nara]]: Eldar falls into Oblivion, and the Writer creates stories of Freedom.
** [[GoldenEnding True Ending]]: [[spoiler:Free Nara, and defeat Eldar. The Salt hesitates in accepting his death, Tormenta merges the Hidden Realms with the Salt and kills Lazúli, but Dandara defeats it, ensuring Eldar will never return to life, and ending the threat to the Salt for good, bringing true change to it.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Eldar wants the Salt to be greater than it was and seeks to take over the realm and protect it with his golden walls. Unfortunately, he adamantly rejects the Creation half of the Salt, considering it a poison that must be destroyed, and in doing so, he brings upon his own downfall and death.]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The fakeout of the old ending that appears before the True Ending:]]
--->As [[BigBad Eldar]] fell into Oblivion, the [[GeniusLoci Salt]] felt the changes that were to come...
---> [[spoiler:But it ''feared'' them.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Eldar wants the Salt to be greater than it was and seeks to take over the realm and protect it with his golden walls. Unfortunately, he adamantly rejects the Creation half of the Salt, considering it a poison that had to be destroyed, and in doing so, he brings upon his own downfall and death.]]

''Dandara'' is a UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} {{Metroidvania}} game with aspects of SoulslikeRPG developed by Long Hat House, published by Creator/RawFury, and released in February 2018. The game stars a young explorer who cannot run or jump at all -- instead, she has the ability to zip from one flat white surface to another. Disorientation is common as she moves between walls, ceilings, and any other flat surface within sight. Dandara herself is a supernatural explorer that is awoken one day to a world oppressed by supernatural evil and is tasked with the role of clearing it all. An ExpansionPack called "Trials of Fear" was released on March 5, 2020.

** Normal Ending: Defeat Eldar [[spoiler:without freeing Nara:]] Eldar falls into Oblivion, and the Writer creates stories of Freedom.
** GoldenEnding: [[spoiler:Free Nara, and defeat Eldar. The Salt hesitates in accepting his death, Tormenta merges the Hidden Realms with the Salt and kills Lazúli, but Dandara defeats it, ensuring Eldar will never return to life, and ending the threat to the Salt for good, bringing true change to it.]]

* SoulslikeRPG: It uses several of the genre's mechanics: Dandara can only heal and restore her power from limited-use items that refill at checkpoints, which respawns all the enemies; she also has to stop at a checkpoint to spend Salt to level up and improve her stats (although the game has comparatively limited RPGElements, meaning she can only increase her maximum health, maximum energy, and the effectiveness of her restoratives); if she dies she drops all her Salt, leaving a spectral afterimage she has to return to and reclaim before dying again or else it's lost for good. Salt is even the same level-up currency used in a more well-known example of the genre: ''VideoGame/SaltAndSanctuary''.

Once Dandara crosses to the Intention side of the Salt, she cannot go back until she either obtains the [[WarpWhistle Pearl of Dreams]] or traverses [[DarkWorld the Hidden Realms]].

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Dandara is Freedom personified, [[spoiler:and Nara is the living manifestation of Protest, with her songs as their Voice. Meanwhile, Tormenta, the TrueFinalBoss, is the manifestation of the Salt's fear of change.]]
* AuthorAvatar: Thommaz is one to Thommaz Kauffmann, the game's composer.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Defeating Bélia will free her from her stone shell and make her friendly. In gratitude, she will force the maws of the Hidden Realms open with her roots, allowing Dandara to enter them.
* DespairEventHorizon: Due to Eldar and his army's attempts to destroy the Creation side of the Salt, a lot of its inhabitants have crossed it. Some have even [[DeathByDespair died of it]]. [[spoiler:Bélia crossed it before the game's events, when Nara disappeared due to Eldar's actions. She hardened herself and went mad with grief.]]
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Dandara is always barefoot, though she does wear several ankle bracelets on each foot.

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Tormenta, the TrueFinalBoss. The living manifestation of the Salt's fear of change. A monstrous creature shaped like a human head, with glowing eyes and throat, but with large amounts of tentacles protruding from its neck. Its sheer wrongness [[NonStandardCharacterDesign can be seen in its appearance]], as Tormenta's main body is a three-dimensional model, instead of the two-dimensional sprites of everything else in the game.]]
* FallenHero: The Old Crone was once like Dandara, and fought Eldar when he was weaker, but she ended up trapped in the Ephemeral Station and fell into despair, deciding Freedom was nothing but an illusion. She's so far gone, that whenever she meets Dandara, she tries to convince her to give up and let Eldar win. [[spoiler:When the Salt grows hesitant over Eldar's death, she tries to convince Dandara one more time. Accepting reverts the Salt to the moment before Eldar died, allowing you to access normal gameplay again.]]

* TheGeneralissimo: Augustus, Eldar's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. He leads the Eldarian Army against Dandara and Lazúli, and wants to [[DeadlyEuphemism purge]] the Village of Artists by throwing it into Oblivion.

* MalevolentMaskedMan: Eldar, the BigBad, wears a golden mask.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Lazúli is Dandara's guide throughout the game, but the Salt's fear over Nara's freedom and Eldar's death leads to her brutal death by Tormenta's hands.]]

* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:Eldar's second form, "Them, Eldar, the Relentless Choir", is a massive ovum-like ball covered by a shell of golden masks. Inside the ball are five naked Eldars with different expressions and strange protrusions embracing a pink orb. As he gets more damaged, he launches more masks and sperm-like arrows.]]
* PlotTunnel: Once Dandara crosses to the Intention side of the Salt, she cannot go back until she either obtains the [[WarpWhistle Pearl of Dreams]] or traverses [[DarkWorld the Hidden Realms]].
* PointOfNoReturn: Averted, a rarity in Metroidvanias. Dandara can return to any place she has been. [[spoiler:Even though defeating Eldar after freeing Nara warps the world in horrific ways, the Old Crone can help Dandara return things to normal.]]

* ShoutOut:
** The design and position of the character Tarsila is an homage to Brazilian modernist painter Creator/TarsilaDoAmaral, being based on her most famous painting Art/{{Abaporu}}.
** The Hidden Realms' trial Masters are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] with the face of Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistent One" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and "The Noble One" is Koji Igarashi dressed as [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] (you even need to turn his level [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight upside down]]).

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Eldar wanted the Salt to be greater than it was and sought to take over the realm and protect it with his golden walls. Unfortunately, he utterly rejected the Creation half of the Salt, considering it a poison that had to be destroyed, and in doing so, he brought upon his own downfall and death.]]

* WorldTree: Bélia's roots extend throughout the entire Salt, including the Hidden Realms. She can feel and perceive everything near them.

* CreativeSterility: The inhabitants of the Intention side of the Salt suffer from this. They consider anything that might be a distraction, like art and the past, to be useless and in need of destruction.

* FinalDeathMode: After beating the game once, Johnny B. creates 4 Challenge Machines that make the game harder. The third activates a Permadeath mode that traps Dandara in Oblivion if she dies once. Although it's a cozy place, there is no escape and the game is effectively over.

* FlunkyBoss: All of the game's bosses, except for Bélia, summon smaller enemies.

* OneHitKill: There is only one thing that can kill Dandara in one hit, and it's by getting crushed by moving walls. Eldar can also do this[[note]]Fortunately, he uses it far less after the ''Trials of Fear'' update[[/note]], but Augustus's fists cannot.

** The trial givers are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] with the face of Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistent One" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and "The Noble One" is Koji Igarashi dressed as [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] (you even need to turn his level [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight upside down]]).
* ShownTheirWork: ''Dandara'' is filled with references to Brazilian culture and history, from the graffiti and street culture of the village to the military uniforms of the bosses. Supporting characters refer to famous Brazilian landmarks and works of art, while Dandara herself is named and designed after the famous Afro-Brazilian warrior from the colonial period. Some players have even compared the game's movement mechanism to the martial art of ''capoeira''.

* FallenHero: [[spoiler:The Old Crone was once like Dandara, and fought Eldar when he was weaker, but she ended up trapped in the Ephemeral Station and fell into despair, deciding Freedom was nothing but an illusion. She's so far gone, that whenever she meets Dandara, she tries to convince her to give up and let Eldar win. When Eldar is killed and the Salt grows hesitant, she tries to convince Dandara one more time. If Dandara accepts, the Salt will revert to the moment before Eldar died.]]

''Dandara'' is a UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} {{Metroidvania}} game with aspects of SoulslikeRPG developed by Long Hat House, published by Creator/RawFury, and released in February 2018. The game stars a young explorer who cannot run or jump at all -- instead, she has the ability to zip from one flat white surface to another. Disorientation is common as she moves between walls, ceilings, and any other flat surface within sight. Dandara herself is a supernatural explorer that is awoken one day to a world oppressed by supernatural evil, and is tasked with the role of clearing it all. An ExpansionPack called "Trials of Fear" was released on March 5, 2020.

The game was designed with Ancient Myth/BrazilianFolklore in mind and takes place within a fictional depiction of Ancient Brazil. Dandara herself is loosely based on a real Afro-Brazilian warrior.

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Tormenta, the TrueFinalBoss. The living manifestation of the Salt's fear of change. A monstrous creature shaped like a human head, with glowing eyes and throat, but with large amounts of tentacles protruding from its neck. Its sheer wrongness can be seen in its appearance, as Tormenta's main body is a three-dimensional model, instead of the two-dimensional sprites of everything else in the game.]]
* EldritchLocation: The Hidden Realms are a horrifying place separated from the rest of the Salt by maws that will bite Dandara if she jumps in them. The inside is even freakier, "A realm of crimson caves, where everything's turned rancid", home to large amounts of red, faceless monsters and large eyes attached to tentacles that hurt Dandara of she touches them [[spoiler:without the Shell Mirror.]] The natives of the normal side of the Salt do not speak of that place, and Lazúli has troubles communicating with Dandara while she's there.

* TheGeneralissimo: Augustus, Eldar's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. He lead the Eldarian Army against Dandara and Lazúli, and wanted to [[DeadlyEuphemism purge]] the Village of Artists by throwing it into Oblivion.
* GravityScrew: Dandara can attach herself to any flat surface colored white in the game, and she stands upright related to it after getting there.

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Lazúli is Dandara's guide throughout the game, [[spoiler:but the Salt's fear over Nara's freedom and Eldar's death leads to her brutal death by Tormenta's hands.]]

* OneHitKill: There is only one thing that can kill Dandara in one hit, and it's by getting crushed by moving walls. [[spoiler:Eldar]] in his first form can also crush her. (Fortunately, he uses it far less after the ''Trials of Fear'' update.
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:Eldar's second form, The Relentless Choir, is a massive ovum-like ball covered by a shell of golden masks. Inside the ball are five naked Eldars with different expressions and strange protusions embracing a pink orb. As he gets more damaged, he launches more masks and sperm-like arrows.]]

* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Creation and Intention once respectively coexisted as these in the [[GeniusLoci Salt]].

** The design and position of the character Tarsila is a homage to Brazilian modernist painter Creator/TarsilaDoAmaral, being based on her most famous painting Art/{{Abaporu}}.
** The trial givers are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] with the face of Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistent One" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and "The Noble One" is Creator/KojiIgarashi dressed as [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] (you even need to turn his level [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight upside down]]).

* SoulslikeRPG: It uses several of the genre's mechanics: Dandara can only heal and restore her power from limited-use items that refill at checkpoints, which respawns all the enemies; she also has to stop at a checkpoint to spend Salt to level up and improve her stats (although the game has comparatively limited RPGElements, meaning she can only increase her maximum health, power and the effectiveness of her restoratives); if she dies she drops all her Salt, leaving a spectral afterimage she has to return to and reclaim before dying again or else it's lost. Salt is even the same level-up currency used in the more well-known example of the genre ''VideoGame/SaltAndSanctuary''.
* TeleportInterdiction: Dandara can only move from one white surface to another, and there is a limit to how far she can travel with each jump.

--->As [[BigBad Eldar]] [[KilledOffForReal fell into Oblivion]], the [[GeniusLoci Salt]] felt the changes that were to come...

The game was designed with Ancient Myth/BrazilianFolklore in mind and takes place within a fictional depiction of Ancient Brazil. Dandara herself was loosely based on a real Afro-Brazilian warrior.

!!''Dandara'' provides examples of the following tropes:

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Defeating Bélia will free he from its stone shell and make it friendly. In gratitude, Bélia will force the maws of the Hidden Realms open with its roots, allowing Dandara to enter them.
* DespairEventHorizon: Due to Eldar and his army's attempts to destroy the Creation side of the Salt, a lot of its inhabitants have crossed it. Some have even [[DeathByDespair died of it]].[[spoiler:Bélia crossed it before the game's events, when Nara disappeared due to Eldar's actions. She hardened herself and went mad with grief.]]

* {{Metroidvania}}: Unusually for a game of this genre Dandara cannot run or jump and can only move through the world by zipping her way through from one white surface to another.

''Explore a Directionless World.''

Dandara is a UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} Main/{{Metroidvania}} game with aspects of SoulslikeRPG developed by Long Hat House and released in February 2018. The game stars a young explorer who cannot run or jump at all -- instead, she has the ability to zip from one flat white surface to another. Disorientation is common as she moves between walls, ceilings, and any other flat surface within sight. Dandara herself is a supernatural explorer that is awoken one day to a world oppressed by supernatural evil, and is tasked with the role of clearing it all. An ExpansionPack called "Trials of Fear" was released on Mar 5, 2020.

!! This game provides examples of:

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Tormenta, the TrueFinalBoss. The living manifestation of the Salt's fear of change. A monstrous creature shaped like a human head, with glowing eyes and throat, but with large amounts of tentacles protuding from its neck. Its sheer wrongness can be seen in its appearance, as Tormenta's main body is a three-dimensional model, instead of the two-dimensional sprites of everything else in the game.]]

* ShoutOut: The design and position of the character Tarsila is a homage to Brazilian modernist painter Creator/TarsilaDoAmaral, being based on her most famous painting Art/{{Abaporu}}.

* WorldTree: Bélia's roots extend throughout the entire Salt, including the Hidden Realms. She can feel and perceive everything near them.

** The trial givers are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] with the face of Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistant one" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and The Noble One is Creator/KojiIgarashi dressed as [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] (you even need to turn his level [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight upside down]]).

** The trial givers are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] who looks like Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistant one" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and The Noble One is Creator/KojiIgarashi dressed as [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] (you even need to turn his level [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight upside down]]).

** The trial givers are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] who looks like Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistant one" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and The Noble One is Creator/KojiIgarashi dressed as [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]].

** The trial givers are symbolic of the game's 3 major influences and their creators: "The Adventurous One" is an Expy of [[Franchise/Metroid Samus]] who looks like Creator/YoshioSakamoto. "The Persistant one" is Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki dressed as [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire]] and The Noble One is Creator/KojiIgarashi dressed as [[VideoGame/Castlevania Dracula]].

* AlernateWorldMap: You can switch between viewing the Salt and viewing the Hidden Realms in the map. The two worlds have the same maw door positions.

* FinalDeathMode: [[spoiler:After beating the game once, Johnny B. creates 4 Challenge Machines that make the game harder. The third activates a Permadeath mode that traps Dandara in Oblivion if she dies once. Although it's a cozy place, there is no escape and the game is effectively over.]]

* OneHitKill: There is only one thing that can kill Dandara in one hit, and it's by getting crushed by moving walls. [[spoiler:Eldar in his first form can also crush her. In earlier versions, Eldar used his crushing move far more than he does now.]]

* ShoutOut: The design and position of the character Tarsila is a homage to Brazilian modernist painter Tarsila do Amaral, being based on her most famous painting Art/{{Abaporu}}.

The game was designed with Ancient Brazilian folklore in mind and takes place within a fictional depiction of Ancient Brazil. Dandara herself was loosely based on a real Afro-Brazilian warrior.