Photo Dash Review

Photo Dash is a scavenger hunt photo race that's more entertaining than one might think. It incorporates two concepts that are popular among most of us. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a good scavenger hunt, right? And our smartphone cameras are almost extensions of our bodies, flooding social media with the art of the edible still life and the ubiquitous selfie. Put these two ideas together, add a dash of competition, and we've found a winner!

Play against friends, or play against random folks; it's fun either way. Just be sure not to post any personal information! Don't take a picture of, say, a pay stub, like I almost did. Sheesh. I found myself caught up in the race, and I clicked away with reckless abandon. Use common sense, and all will be well.

The player that initiates the challenge clicks "new dash" and takes the first turn. The only challenge open at first is Home. Players must find the designated items around the house, shoot the picture as quickly as possible, then move on to the next one - for a total of five. Then it's the opposing player's turn. Once the results are in, both can check to see who was the quickest to take each shot. 

The player with the most wins earns the crown for the match and a few coins for the bank. Coins are important for unlocking extras. In this case, extras are types of dashes - Outside (dashes around the neighborhood), Selfie (based around oneself), Doodle (speed drawing), TV, and Web. To earn free coins, players can watch short advertisements. Or, of course, coin packs are available for purchase from $0.99 to $2.99. Dashes only cost 15 coins, but if players buy any of the coin packs ads are removed. 

The pure fun of the game is the Amazing-Race-style atmosphere - a timed "physical" quest against others. I ran up and down my stairs, dug through my freezer and my pantry, took body shots and made funny faces, all as fast as I possibly could. I love to beat my 10 year-old, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Players can also create hilarious custom challenges (make 'em crazy difficult or utterly ridiculous). They may strategically play a joker or use the time rewind to tilt the match in their favor. The funkiest dashes can be shared on Facebook or Twitter.

The app functions fairly well, but did have some lag in results time and some difficulty connecting to friends. The game is honor system based - the app doesn't regulate if the photo is accurate. Players are judged on time only. But photos are seen by both parties... so who wants to be the "cheater?" It's all about fun. And silly pictures. Or searching endlessly for a bar code that ends in nine. UGH!

I can see this one catching on. So give it a "shot" right now!