A while ago I announced the upcoming sequel to the Wedding Dash franchise, Wedding Dash 4-Ever. Having only played the iPhone version before, I thought I could easily get through this game without any trouble. Boy was I wrong.
PlayFirst has the time-management genre down to a science. With Diner Dash, Cooking Dash, and more, they really know what it takes to deliver a product that is slightly challenging, but immensely enjoyable. Wedding Dash 4-Ever takes time-management, cranks it up to 11, and really needs to have a warning screen. Upon starting the game, I was given two difficulty options: Casual or Firecracker. Opting to go for something relaxing, I clicked Casual. Now when one thinks about casual gaming, one might picture their Mom or another adult figure either at the computer or potentially on a handheld playing something like a card game, a casino game, or even one with colored tiles. Wedding Dash 4-Ever is frantic, intense, and I was gripping the mouse so hard my hand cramped up a few times. I seriously got that into it.
Carpal tunnel flare-ups aside, I was having a blast. My mind was racing like crazy, my hand was flying all over the place, and I was determined to get Expert on every level. What really made the game challenging was that as the game progressed, more and more kept getting added on to the levels. When starting, everything seems normal. You seat the guests, take the presents, serve them appetizers, serve them dinner, and then you serve them cake so that they can go dancing. Then things are thrown into the mix like the bride and groom wanting to sit with the guests, certain guests taking longer to eat than others, certain guests are not as patient, one guests brings her dog (no joke), some don’t want to sit next to certain people while some really want to sit next to certain people, and more. I found myself getting incredibly stressed out when I had to also balance guests wanting to take pictures with the bride and groom, and also when guests wanted to start giving speeches.
The plot behind Wedding Dash 4-Ever is simple. Quinn was engaged to be married to a guy named Joe, but those plans fell through. Out of nowhere, Quinn’s mother arrives and takes it upon herself to stay for two weeks with Quinn and Flo (of Diner Dash fame) to help Quinn plan her wedding and to help Quinn with her business. Obviously Quinn’s mother is unaware of the fact that Quinn’s wedding is off, but Quinn finds herself having a hard time telling her mother the truth. When a bunch of ladies and weddings are involved, you can be sure that there will be tons of drama. Even though this game isn’t heavy on the story, I think every woman can relate to what Quinn is going through. I remember when I got engaged, and everybody wanted to throw in their two cents or even start to take control over certain aspects of the wedding. It was a tough position to be in. Watching Quinn struggle with her Mom, and having to go along with a lie…it really hit home and I know thousands of other players will identify with that.
I loved how in between levels fun mini-games were mixed in. The Conga Line was a ton of fun, and I liked how each one was different. The ceremony seating was fun as well, but I couldn’t get a perfect score on all of them. Like other DASH games, you get money to level up certain things like how fast Flo or Quinn moves, the amount of food Flo can carry at a time, and things to help increase the patience of the guests. One thing I really wished was that after passing through a section, what you leveled up carried on over. Having to always start back at 3 trays of food while everything else was the same, in terms of crazy guests and extra demands, was enough to raise my blood pressure a few notches out of sheer panic.
What’s really cool, especially for gamers who are into completing a game 100%, is this extra playable called Quinn’s Big Day. In every level throughout the main game, there are a few hidden objects scattered about, and prior to starting the levels you get a rundown of what the items are and why they’re special to the bride and groom. The items can be simple things like blenders thanks to a registry mistake, teddy bears, or harder to find like cell phones. The amount to find varies, but should you get them all before the last person hits the dance floor, the newlyweds will give Quinn a present for her big day. Some of the presents contain decorations for the gazebo, a swan, candles, an aisle runner, and even a horse. I won’t tell you what happens if you get them all, or what happens at the end because you need to play it for yourself and find out.
To sum things up, if you want a fun PC game from a company that has really taken time-management games to a whole new level, definitely get a copy of Wedding Dash 4-Ever. It’s fun, it’s frenzied, but be sure to get a wrist brace!
Download your copy of Wedding Dash 4-Ever from PlayFirsts official website here for only $6.99!
