Dadish: A life, a reflection
Written by admin on February 19, 2026
- A radish became a determined dad in 2021
- A mobile mascot platformer, pure and simple
- The Dadish series continues onward with the most recent Dadish 4
The year is 2021, and you’re holding a device that has access to an infinite amount of entertainment. You could kill your time and possibly your brain watching videos, trying to hold on to a waning attention span, rediscovering an old taste in music, or maybe even pledging your allegiance to the second coming of the radio: the podcast. But why do any of those things when you can play a series of games involving a radish?
This never would have been an option without the visionary Thomas K. Young. He looked out one day, saw a radish, and just knew in his heart of hearts that it could be so much more. It could be brave, athletic, determined, but above all… It could be a father. And thus, a below-average popular vegetable achieved one of the most meaningful positions a man can attain, becoming Dadish, a mascot platforming dynamo for the mobile age.
I shall be very transparent and admit that I like mascot platformers. I grew up with them, so I’m a bit nostalgia-blinded, but I see their descendants thrive even now, so I believe they still have a place among all the shooters, RPGs, and simulators that dominate our lives more than actual work. So, why was Dadish an obvious choice for my affections? Well, partly it was because of them… Okay, mainly it was because of the name. Before I even started playing, I had an idea of a clunky little platformer that’d shine a little sunbeam on my passive gaming and vanish just as quickly. But here I am, five years later, having played all of the Dadish games to completion.
What amazes me about it is its sheer simplicity: It’s about a radish that’s also a dad, who has to get through levels to save each of his kids (and sometimes a possum). Even though he’s alive, Dadish’s otherworldly powers are limited. He can’t run very fast and has only one hit to his name. His double-jump is his only saving grace as a platforming hero, but even that has its limitations in terms of height and length. You have as many limitations as a sentient radish could have, save for being able to move. And there’s the sense of challenge! Even the smallest obstacles seemed insurmountable as a little hopping paternal vegetable, and I was determined to get over every single one of them.
Dadish’s mechanical weakness is its strength as a series. It lures you in with a pleasant world in which produce is sentient and ambitious, when all of a sudden, a radish’s kids go missing. All you have to do is jump around a few platforms and rescue them. Easy, right? No, because the limitations of Dadish quickly become apparent as they challenge you as a mascot platform player. Timing is everything, and when Dadish’s hop lacks urgency, but you don’t, it’s a recipe for missed jumps and repeated deaths. The stars hidden around the levels are small nuggets enticing you to prove even further that this is just a silly little game, when it will, in fact, plant the seed of frustration and water it profusely.
What’s more is that each entry is relatively short, so you’re roped in to play even more because it couldn’t possibly take longer each time since you’ve already mastered one of them. But that’s the trap because, like any good sequel, the future Dadish games add more hazards, traps, mechanics, enemy types, and elements with which to platform. The only thing that doesn’t change is Dadish (and more recently, Dadish Jr.) and your belief that you’ve mastered all the platforming quirks this series has to offer.
What rubs salt in the wound is that the series relies on forced ads (though there are ways around them), which will drain your spirit after one too many failures or successes. But Young has poured a lot of his heart into this IP, likely because he is a father himself, and we feel that affection for ourselves as we play through this epic tale of a dad trying his best to rescue his kids. Even though he was the one asleep and let them wander off unsupervised, he accepts responsibility and seeks the help of both his friends-turned-foes and his wife, Momato, to correct his mistakes. The boss fights are presented as a fun little treat compared to the trials and tribulations of all the levels that come before them, offering a laugh as Dadish has no choice but to hop for his life.
It’s rare for a mobile series to be consistent in its story, tone, and, most importantly, its mechanics. While each entry has its problems, Young has improved as he has made and tinkered with them. While not everyone might see why, Dadish can be an experience for everyone, whether it’s for a few seconds or a few hours. It has earned its staying power, and I’m grateful to have stuck around to see it make it this far.
