Every location had an important piece of story tied to it, and this made visiting each new place all the more exciting.įor the most part, the game’s aesthetic charms are matched by the gameplay itself. There was a level of mystery that had me excited to see where Dust’s quest would take him next, and going somewhere new meant more to me than finding new monsters to kill or loot to collect. A tale of redemption, you awake as Dust, who soon receives the Blade of Ahrah with which he begins his quest to find out who he is (or was). The game has no problems expressing self awareness and when sidekick Fidget (a flying creature that is ironically afraid of heights) says things like “We’re going on a laundry quest?” in response to a fetch quest, I found myself genuinely laughing out loud – showing that games can be humorous and poke fun at convention without it feeling forced (here’s to looking at you Duke Nukem and Matt Hazard). The characters – whose voice work is at best great and at worst serviceable – are all great and the writing was pitch perfect. The gorgeous cel-shaded environments are nothing if not memorable and I found myself wishing I could live in the world in which this game took place.
One of the things that makes Dust so damn great is the amount of charm and character that gushes from every crevice in the game. This game is a labor of designer Dean Doodrill’s love, and it shines through in nearly every aspect of a game that should be experienced by everyone. How often can one say they walk away from a game with a different perspective on life? How often does one come across a game that takes them on not just a journey in a physical sense, but in an emotional one as well? In an age where it is hard to argue that games haven’t started to lose their soul, Dust: An Elysian Tale is one that stands among a very proud few that does not count itself among these ranks.
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