How to out-do Cam Newton in Can You Dab?

Posted by Nick Tylwalk on June 28th, 2016
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

The thing about dance crazes is that you're never really sure when they've run their course. Take the Dab, for instance. Propelled by its adoption as the touchdown celebration of choice for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the Dab seemed like it was so 2015.

And then Can You Dab? came out and suggested that maybe we shouldn't shovel dirt on the Dab's grave just yet. This insanely simple game has seen quite a swell in popularity since its release, even though there's really not that much to it.


Then again, the dance consists of just one move, so maybe this is all weirdly appropriate. We don't Dab too well in the real world, but at least we can help explain the Can You Dab? craze. A bit, anyway.

Two moves to this Dab

This is a game with the simplest of one-touch controls. You make your Dabber jump by tapping on the screen, holding down for a longer jump. He runs automatically, constantly moving forward. And he Dabs every time he jumps.

That's literally all there is to it. Most of the game consists of deciding when a short or long jump is the right one, as well as having quick enough reflexes to jump again the split second you land, which is often necessary.

Can You Dab? is almost like a puzzle game in some ways, since there is often only one right choice on how to tackle certain obstacles. prepare to die often and yell out for a checkpoint. At least your character never gets discouraged enough to stop Dabbing.

Many ways to die

Your character may have moves, but he doesn't have much durability. Plenty of things can cause him to lose the beat.

Running into spikes is obvious death. So is mis-timing a jump and smacking into the side of a platform. Plummeting to your doom is also very possible.

You can, however, bang the guy's head into something hanging above without killing him (as long as there are no spikes there), so thank goodness for small favors. Once you die, the only thing you can do is hit the big reset button and start from the beginning of your current level.

Freshen things up

The coins you earn during play can be spent to unlock other outfits, or possibly completely different characters, depending on how you look at it. They all look more or less the same except for some color swaps, and they all Dab equally well in the face of danger.

You can also spend real money to eliminate ads ($4.99 at the time of this article) or to unlock all the characters and levels (an eye-popping $19.99). Choosing either option is completely a matter of personal preference, but neither affects the gameplay in any way.

So eat your heart out Cam Newton -- though we know you've already moved on to something else. The Dab is here to stay, apparently.

Posted in: News, Howto
Tagged With: Games, Iphone, IPad, Can You Dab?
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