Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash review

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash review

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I have seen my fair share of peculiar gaming experiences, but none quite like Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash. This game is a wild ride that’s as unpredictable as a racehorse on a sugar high!


Video games have introduced me to all sorts of weird and wonderful things over the years, but nothing quite like Umamusume. This anime might look like a fairly normal show about schoolgirls competing in sports, but these characters aren’t ordinary girls. These girls are the reincarnated souls of famous and successful race horses (yes really). In their new life these horse girls are still fiercely competitive and want to be the greatest racer of all, and so attend schools dedicated to training reincarnated horse girls. Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash features all your favourite horse girls competing in video game form, and might just be the party game you’ve been looking for.

In the series Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash, each character aims for a fresh objective: triumphing in the Slapdash Grand Prix. This tournament allows teams of five contestants, yet the four events that constitute the Grand Prix are somewhat unconventional. To claim victory, Special Week, Silence Suzuka, and their teammates will need exceptional skills in eating competitions, basketball, and dodging balls.

In Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash, there are several play modes available, but chances are you’ll start with the story mode first. This mode delves into the narrative of each of the four teams participating in the Grand Prix, and can be likened to a visual novel with periodic mini-games for added variety. In this mode, you’ll get insights into the rivalries among horse girl characters, overhear them debate about who excels at competitive eating, and if you’re new to the series, find yourself utterly perplexed by most of it due to its unique premise.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash review

Beyond the visual novel setting, the primary gameplay of Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash revolves around four competitions you’ll participate in. Blazing Baskets is essentially a chaotic basketball match where you aim to score a specified number of points, allowing fouls, special abilities, and unusual ball types and hindrances to spice things up. Dodgeball Demolition shares the ball theme but with a more aggressive tone, as you must knock out other characters using powerful throws and skillfully catch incoming balls to dodge the barrage. While these ball games are entertaining, they may not bring anything truly groundbreaking to the table.

My preferred event has got to be Gourmet Gauntlet, where you find yourself serving food in an intense stomach war. Food flies everywhere during this event! If your diner gets matching-colored dishes, they can create a combo, eating faster as a result. With four horse girls vying for plates and special abilities being utilized nonstop, it’s complete madness but oh so enjoyable!

While many events showcase an enchanting X factor, unfortunately, Hurtling Hurdles does not possess this charm. This fundamental race involves multiple girls sprinting on tracks, interchanging lanes to avoid obstacles. There are numerous chaotic elements and unique abilities designed to add excitement, but the gameplay often feels disjointed and, in the end, leaves players feeling annoyed whether they’re competing against AI or another player.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash review

Just as you’d anticipate for party-style games, Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash can be played both offline with local players and online against others worldwide. Whether it’s with a bunch of friends or strangers from around the globe, these entertaining games promise laughter and excitement!

Participating in various game modes will earn you a significant amount of cash and tickets. These can be utilized for creating a clubhouse and inviting some equine characters to join your squad, residing within. If arranging decorative items to enhance the appearance of a room appeals to you, then you’ll probably find this feature enjoyable; however, it is also completely optional if it doesn’t interest you.

As a devoted fan, I must say that the primary party games in Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash are generally enjoyable, but they didn’t quite grab me as I had hoped. However, my interest was ignited when I acquired a gaming console for my virtual clubroom. To my delight, a hidden gem emerged – Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2, a peculiar blend of Vampire Survivors and Excitebike that has kept me captivated!

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash review

In the role of Gold Shop, you’re thrown into an intense battle against waves of adversaries, using my auto-firing arsenal while dodging obstacles by navigating between four distinct tracks that I autonomously traverse. As I gather enough experience gems, I level up and gain access to fresh weapons to wield and enhance, such as a bouncing dodge ball that hops between foes or a drone that maintains a steady barrage of gunfire in adjacent lanes. To be honest, I might not revisit most aspects of Umamusume, but I’ll hang onto Golshi’s Grand Adventure 2 for a few more playthroughs.

Pretty Derby – Party Dash appears to be a game with both positive and negative aspects, but there’s one point I haven’t discussed yet. The mini-games are not very clearly explained, leading to confusion during the initial playthroughs. It’s quite unusual for a game to lack proper instructions, which could potentially discourage some players from continuing due to initial frustration. However, this issue tends to resolve itself after a short while.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash is an odd yet entertaining party game that offers a rich visual novel mode, which fans of the series are sure to appreciate. Although not all mini-games may be standouts, the hidden survival Roguelike could very well be one of the best secret games I’ve ever played. If you’re a fan of horse girls, there’s plenty to delight in this Umamusume festival, but remember that it’s not aiming to dethrone Mario Party.

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2024-08-29 18:16