Whoa Dave! Review

Whoa Dave! by Choice Provisions is a pretty frantic game. Its name alone tries to indicate as much, but it still undersells exactly how busy things get in this action/arcade title. A more appropriate name might be Aaah! Aaah! AAAAAAH!!

Whoa Dave! plays like a weird but wonderful mix of Joust, Super Mario Bros. 2, and something that’s wholly its own ingredient. Players control Dave (whoa!), a tiny pixel-man thrust into an 8-bit world of falling eggs and bombs. The eggs collect on platforms, hatch, and produce a small mutant after a bit of time passes. Likewise, the skull-shaped bombs go off in a few seconds and take out anything surrounding them – Dave included.

To stay alive, Dave must dispose of the eggs and mutants using the bombs provided. When he runs into an object, he automatically lifts it above his head. The player can then throw the object – preferably into an explosion. Dave can also dispatch a hatched mutant by throwing an egg in its face.

Here’s where things get tricky. Dave isn’t simply rewarded according to his body count. He must collect the coins left behind by the exploded eggs and mutants, or else his labors don’t count. All that murder for nothing. But coins disappear after a time, and collecting them is easier said than done when platforms are teeming with mutants, live bombs, and eggs on the verge of hatching.

Whoa Dave! is intensely engaging. The action starts off slowly, but doesn’t take its time in ramping up and thrusting the player into a world of hungry mutants and constant egg-rain. There is hope: The “Whoa!” block that falls from the ceiling on occasion lets players ice everything on-screen in a single move. It feels oh-so good to lob that sucker and collect the coins left behind.

Fans of chaotic arcade games shouldn’t leave Dave behind, though. He’s a good pal.