Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash was released on August 30th this year on the Switch, PS4 and on Steam. The game is the latest installment of a very popular franchise in Japan, the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise. For those who have no first-hand experience of the franchise until this game, the Umamusume franchise is a cross-media hit that includes an anime series, manga, music, and videogames. Its characters are inspired by real-life famous race horses.
The Plot
The central plot of Party Dash focuses on four teams competing at the Slapdash Grand Prix. Choose from the teams such as Team Cosmos, Team Freesia, Team Rose and Team Lily. The Grand Prix would send players competing in four unique challenges throughout the game. The four contests (mini-games) you will encounter here are Hurtling Hurdles, Blazing Baskets, Dodgeball Demolition, and Gourmet Gauntlet.
This is my first time delving into the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise. I like how the player gets a glimpse into specific characters when they play the story mode. While the graphics are just in pixels, the game still gives the player a simple yet effective story to introduce them to the world of the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise. This game just gave a snippet of what the franchise is. It’s good enough to have you jump into the rabbit hole of this fandom.
So how do you start with the story mode? I suggest that you start with Team Cosmos and then go down the list of teams. I assure you, the mini-games will test your aptitude as we progress through the story mode and teams. The difficulty and number of players in the mini-games would grow as you progress through said story mode. The AI difficulty is not that complicated so it will take a few days into the game for you to ace each of these contests.
Four Ways of Fun!
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash focuses in on four types of mini-game throughout the story mode.
Hurtling Hurdles is your standard side-scrolling race-type game in this title. The objective is to make it to the finish line first against 1 or 3 other racers.
Blazing Baskets is like their NBA jam-esque mini-game. Instead of a 2-vs-2 setup, it can be a 1 vs 1 up to a four-way match to score the most baskets. Blazing Baskets is very fun and I recommend this one, especially for basketball fans.
Dodgeball Demolition would be my favorite out of the four mini-games. A simple elimination match to knock out your opponent by throwing dodgeballs at them. This would really be a good game between myself and my friends. Sadly, they don’t have the Steam version of this game (yet).
Gourmet Gauntlet is a very peculiar and fun competition. You have a server-eater duo who would rack up points and dishes at the end of the timer. I also love that you can have power-ups in a food-eating contest. It’s quite amusing and fun to use.
Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash includes Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2. You get to unlock it when you purchase and place a ‘game console’ inside your club room. Clubroom customization is found in the ‘customize’ portion of the game
Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2 is a side-scrolling game that will hook you into more hours of gameplay. Trust me. It hooked me so hard I forgot to finish the story mode for a good couple of weeks.
It’s easier said than done, but my only tip is to level up as fast as possible. You can level up when you get those gems in the map. Leveling up your character through the current map would totally give you more ammo and damage on your opponents. More damage dealt, more points and more progress in said map. Before I forget, try to get those jackets. It unlocks equipment for your character in this game.
The Good
- Very wholesome story – The main chords and themes of the game’s story (albeit short) was pretty wholesome. It really makes one smile or grin from ear to ear the interactions of the characters in the game. The cast really carries this game’s plot.
- Fun mini-games – The four mini-games we play in the story are pretty fun to play. They can be played against fellow players or against CPU opponents.
- Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2 is super awesome! – If you think the main game is a time sink…you will sink your teeth further with Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2!!! I recommend you get to play this mini-game as well. It’s quite easy to unlock as mentioned above.
The Catch
- It’s best played with friends – At one point, however, expect the challenge of the CPU to not be such a challenge at all. You’re gonna need to ask a little help from your friends to reinvigorate that ‘competitive spirit’ within you. There’s always a better feeling when you play with your friends and have fun with playing the four mini games with them. Power of friendship trumps all.
- Too short – Admittedly, Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash is a fun but short game. I believe if you really put mind to it, you could finish the story mode in one whole day. Fortunately for me, I spaced it out due to real-life obligations. Hence, I had something to look forward to after a day at the office.
- No Crossplay – For now, only PS4 and PS5 players can ‘technically’ do crossplay. But if my friend has the Switch version and I have a Steam version, it’s pretty much a no-go. I’m hoping future patches would fix that so we can see who’s the better dodgeball player in this game.
The Verdict
OVERALL: 4.25 of 5 Stars
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash was a game that sent me into the rabbit hole of the Umamusume series. Is it a game for people looking for high-tech graphics for games? Maybe not. You should go elsewhere. Play this game if you are one of the many fans of this famous franchise. You will totally enjoy it. To maximize the fullness of this game, I suggest you grab a friend or two and compete in the four mini-games.
Thank you, SEGA Asia and Cygames for letting us review this fun game.
