I like shmups. I’m not necessarily good at them, and in comparison to some of my friends (check out my buddy SFKhoa on YouTube to see what I mean) I’m an utter embarrassment. That being said, I’m not too bad at them. I can hold my own in a Cave game for a few levels before the difficulty really ramps up and I can play a Raizing title without credit feeding. But I’m not professional-level good. With that in mind, A Dual Hand Disaster: Trackher made me feel like my hands were just useless lumps of plastic that stuck to a controller like a Lego character.
This game is hard. Hard on a level I barely realized existed. Also, my hands are stupid and useless and I should cut them off. Seriously though, ADHD (and that acronym isn’t an accident) is a unique game that challenges you on multiple levels. It is designed in such a way that it seems like you’re required to use both sides of your brain simultaneously. The screen is divided in half with the left half resembling a traditional vertical shmup and the right similar to a 3/4 perspective Thunderforce 2 top-down level. You control two ships, one with each stick and are simultaneously performing actions with both of them. This is where I realized my hands might as well be stumps.
On the left side of the screen, your ship is invulnerable and killing enemies keeps them off the right half of the screen where the ship is most definitely not invulnerable. Unfortunately, if you just fire willy-nilly, you’ll run out of juice and the screen will black out, essentially obliterating your ability to play and eventually getting you killed. To avoid that, you fly around the right half of the screen, picking up materials and parts you need to both keep your firepower stocked on the left hand side of the screen and complete the level. Simple, right?
There’s no storyline here, no reason for anything other than simple score play. There’s an online leaderboard too, and if you suck bad enough, the game not only tosses your score out the window but also actually deletes your leaderboard standing because, let’s face it, you’re an embarrassment to the entire world. Die in the game? Your score is deleted. Die more? No leaderboard score (assuming you can manage to get one in the first place). This is a challenge pretty much only for the hardest of the hardcore score-based shmup players. If you really are looking for something different, difficult and unique, you’ve certainly come to the right place.
Props to Ask An Enemy Studios out of El Paso, Texas (and hey, my family is from there too! El Paso! Woot!) for making a game that is absolutely and unequivocally uncompromising in its design. There are no divergences here, no silly flags to collect or weird bees floating about. Just one of the most deceiving games I’ve seen in a long time. To call it technical would be a disservice to ADHD. The only other game I’ve seen that comes anywhere close to what ADHD is trying to do is an obscure doujin release from a few years back called Hellsinker, which has one of the most complex scoring and gameplay systems I’ve ever seen. Even then, they’re completely different games, but I suspect fans of one would love the other.
If you want an arcade style challenge with a unique design that slowly reveals its complexity upon multiple playthroughs, ADHD is likely the game for you. The pixel graphics are excellent, the gameplay is tight and well thought out, and the game design is unique. It’s a game that makes people that hate score-based play and leaderboards care about their score. But be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart. On the Switch, ADHD is significantly more playable in docked mode. The undocked Switch does not lend itself well to the sheer amount of things going on at one time during gameplay. It’s just too much and too small (or I’m old and my eyes also hate me).
A Dual Hand Disaster: Trackher is designed to be unforgiving and challenging and is definitely not for the casual player. I’m utterly useless at it, and not for lack of trying. Hopefully, you’re better, because this is the sort of independent hardcore offering that makes indie gaming shine. ADHD is a weird little game for a very niche market, but it fills that niche to its entirety and is simply relentless. A truly fascinating title that bears notice, as does Ask An Enemy Studios.
This review is based on a digital copy of A Dual Hand Disaster: Trackher provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked mode on a 55” Sony LED TV and undocked mode. I still suck at it. Hopefully you’re way more skilled than I am. ADHD is available on Steam as well as the Nintendo Switch. Good luck!