Developer(s): Humble Hearts
Publisher(s): Microsoft Studios
Platform(s):
Xbox Live Arcade
Release Date: August 15, 2012
If there’s still a single
person that believes video games are not an art form, they should be slapped. You don’t need to label something as art
only if it hangs on a gallery wall or because it has historical value and
significance, art is be the product of passion, unimaginable sacrifice, and
commitment – sometimes it’s a painting, sometimes a sculpture, and sometimes
it’s a video game. When someone
like Dean Dodrill comes along, a man that single
handedly creates a video game that usually requires an entire team of
people, it becomes clear that video games, as art, transcend the medium. It took Dodrill three years to complete
Dust: An Elysian Tail, and while he had support with the soundtrack and voice
acting, he is solely responsible for everything else. Dust is an amalgamation of traditional action-adventure
platformers like Super Metroid and Castlevania, and while it doesn’t bring anything
conceptually new to the genre, it combines bits and pieces of those classics
into one of the best XBLA titles this summer.
- Beautiful art style
- Amazing animations
- Fluid, responsive, and flawless controls
- Fun dialogue and a surprisingly engrossing narrative
- Furries everywhere
- Imbalanced difficulty
- Unimpressive boss fights
Your journey begins in a
beautifully painted forest where Dust wakes up to a talking sword, Ahrah, and
its flying squirrel-like guardian, Fidget. Dust has no recollection of his past and Ahrah reveals that
he needs to take a journey of self-discovery to find his true self. While the initial premise is trite and
unoriginal, you’re going to be surprised by how engrossing Dust’s journey
becomes as you progress through the story. The witty dialogue and colorful supporting characters are
irresistibly charming, and the narrative adds layers of depth as you explore
this gorgeously rendered world.
Don’t be fooled by the cutesy and furry art style of the game, its
visuals are a stark contrast to the brutal, sword-wielding combat, and while
there’s no blood painting the screen, Dust is as badass as Bucky O’Hare.
The gameplay is reminiscent
of Atlus’ classic Odin Sphere. It
starts off as an easy to pick up hack and slash sidescroller, but quickly turns
into a parade of dazzling combos and special moves. You’re constantly learning new abilities, some that enhance combat
and others that allow you to reach new areas on the map. Dust moves with fluidity and grace and
each button press responds with unprecedented precision. But even with the visually impressive
choreography, the flawlessly responsive and fast controls fall into the trap of
repetitiveness. Defeating enemies usually requires nothing more than quick reflexes, but to call this game
a simple button masher would be unfair.
Despite its simple nature, experts can still strive for that x-hit combo
and cool special maneuvers.
The sense of discovery and
exploration keeps the game intriguing throughout. Each town holds new opportunities for venturing out. Figures
with hovering leaves above their heads hold quests, and it won’t be long before
you’ve queued up your log with new adventures. Similar to Metroid, there’s a lot of backtracking
involved, but it never feels like a chore since each new area is filled with
secrets. Your companion Fidget
hints at nearby treasures and possible secondary paths, and she can even help
out during combat by firing projectiles.
Fidget is very much like Link’s fairy, but she certainly doesn’t
practice the same code of silence.
Her high-pitched voice would typically annoy me, but the cleverly
written dialogue is surprisingly humorous and enchanting.
As the duo battles waves of
monsters, you occasionally run into boss fights. Unfortunately, most of these brutes are pushovers and they
pose little threat to your deadly combos.
On the other hand, overall difficulty throughout the game feels
unbalanced. Difficulty spikes
occur at random and catch you off guard, but luckily, there’s a fantastic check
point system that regularly saves your progress.
Dust: And Elysian Tail has
astonishing visuals. The
screenshots don’t do the game any justice and you have to experience it in
motion to appreciate its esthetics.
Dodrill did a fantastic job of drawing the characters, painting the
backgrounds, and more notably, animating Dust with sublime delicacy - the game
looks better than most Saturday morning cartoons. Accompanying the stellar graphics is the surprisingly strong
voice acting. When I say stellar,
I mean it’s superior to what you’d expect from most AAA titles. Who are these voice actors, Dodrill’s
friends and neighbors?
As you discover new villages
and towns, you’re greeted to an array of whacky personalities. Every
conversation brings Dodrill’s universe to life with hilarious dialogue and
charm. By the time you’ve
completed your fifteen-hour journey, you’ll feel emotionally invested in Dodrill’s
colorful world and characters. I won’t spoil any surprises, but let’s just say
that you’ll cross some familiar faces and collectibles from the olden days of
gaming.
| Final Score | “A Legendary Accomplishment” | 9.0 |
| Graphics |
Beautifully painted backgrounds that are accompanied by superb animations and fight choreography. The game looks better than most TV cartoons these days, although the Furries might be a bit too much for some.
|
8.5 |
| Gameplay |
You simply cannot make gameplay more fluid than this. It's fast, responsive, and fun, albeit somewhat repetitive. The controls are old fashioned, but they fit the style of the game perfectly.
|
9.0 |
| Value |
Surprisingly engrossing narrative with likable characters, a ton of quests, and a vast world to explore. It'll take you a good fifteen hours to complete, which is more than what most full priced AAA titles offer these days.
|
9.0 |
| Sound |
If a single developer was able to find such talented voice actors, then no other major studio should have an excuse for poor voice acting. The characters you meet are lovable, memorable, and your companion Fidget is surprisingly charming - despite her high pitched voice.
|
8.5 |
Review by Tin Salamunic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted in: 
0 comments:
Post a Comment