Dyad

It’s not very often that I have to consciously make sure that I’m blinking when playing a video game. Yet that’s Dyad’s claim to fame. Its astounding visual effects combined with its strategic gameplay and surreal background beats meld together to create a completely immersive experience that is easy to pick up, but mind-meltingly hard to master. And that’s important, considering every trophy is hidden behind a stage-specific challenge.

Dyad is, essentially, a very unconventional racing game. It does away with mechanics like accelerate and decelerate in place of puzzle-like mechanics. Weird, I know. Expect a lot of that.

In Dyad you are constantly racing down a psychedelic tube. Throughout the early levels you are slowly introduced to the idea of “hooking” enemies. Hooking enemies of the same color will slingshot you forward, increasing your speed and score. As you blaze through the 26 stages in Dyad, you are introduced to many more mechanics that adds extra layers to the already chaotic gameplay of the game.

Whether you’re “Grazing” enemies to absorb energy that charges up your lances (which give you a speed boost and temporary invincibility), or hooking certain enemies together to form zip lines to maximize your speed, the gameplay in Dyad can get surprisingly deep. It’s not just a racing game, not in the least bit.

Sure, there are plenty of time trial stages in the Dyad, but you will be spending a majority of your time meeting more unorthodox requirements rather than just racing from point A to B. Maybe you’ll be asked to survive as long as possible while the stage slowly speeds up, or you might have to create the longest lance combo you can in the distance provided. Many times I found myself trying to string hooks together to gain more and more speed just to realize that the current challenge isn’t about speed, but surviving. The variation in objectives keeps you on your feet and freshens things up.

“I found all the music very relaxing

and believe it can legitimately serve to reduce stress.”

There is a different music track for every one of the 26 stages in Dyad, and are all procedurally generated as you play the game, reacting and changing as you do things such as hook enemies and use lances. I found all the music very relaxing and believe it can legitimately serve to reduce stress. Unfortunately, the gameplay turns out to be the antithesis of the soothing music. Playing Dyad is fast and stressful at its peak. I didn’t know whether to be on the edge of my seat or lean back in relaxation. I didn’t find any of the music itself to too memorable after the fact, possibly because the majority of your focus is on the road rather than the radio.

The visual effects that Dyad brings to the table can be your enemy and friend (but really, your enemy). Many times the intense visual madness that was going on kept me from seeing what was in front of me, and seriously affected me at times with headaches and such.

“It’s pretty rare that I care about where I stand

on a leaderboard, but Dyad seems to be an exception.”

Dyad offers TONS of replay value. For every stage there is a “Trophy stage”. The Trophy stage gives you the same stage with an extra challenge, like having to hook certain colored enemies together, but now all the enemies are indistinguishable. The catch is that you must complete the original stage with 3/3 stars before you can access the Trophy stage, and completing the Trophy stage is the only way to acquire trophies in the game. You can also opt to remix any stage after you complete it, changing options such as collisions, washed out visuals, distortion, and even controlling the music with L2 and R2. The game also lets you see where you stand on the leaderboards within seconds of completing the stage, which is appreciated. It’s pretty rare that I care about where I stand on a leaderboard, but Dyad seems to be an exception.

I didn’t feel like Dyad hit its stride until the final stages of the game, when it gets freaking insane. I felt like every stage leading up to the final section was just teaching me the ropes. Nevertheless Dyad is a great game that provides a unique experience. It tries new and interesting things with its gameplay mechanics that makes you forget it’s supposed to be considered a racing game. It’s a game that will totally seduce players into relaxation with its music and then completely unravel you with its unexpected depth and difficulty. My only worry is that Dyad won’t get the attention it deserves, because no doubt it will be a gem for many years to come.