This beautiful metroidvania game leaves most other arcade titles in the dust
This tale is about Dust, a mysterious blue fox (or whatever he's supposed to be) who is awaken by a magical sword called the Sword of Ahrah. Dust has no memory of who he is or how he got there but he takes the sword in hopes of getting answers to his past. Now, aided by the Sword of Ahrah and his new companion, a nimbat named Fidget, Dust must find out who he is and what his destiny has in store. Surprisingly, the story has a lot going for it and it proves to be entertaining from beginning to end. The dialog is well written, the characters are likable (especially Fidget, with her wise cracking remarks that will leave you laughing out loud every time), the twist is interesting and the voice acting really brings the characters to life. At the same time, there are some aspects that could have been expanded on (which I won't go too into because of spoilers) but overall, the plot is impressive.
What's even more impressive though are the gorgeous visuals. The world of Elysian is brimming with life thanks to the beautifully painted backgrounds and a nice range of color. Accompanied by the soundtrack, the world around you will have you immersed in no time. The animation is more or less a mixed bag. First off, the animation on Dust and Fidget in-game is nothing short of brilliant. From the walk/fly cycles to slashing through your enemies, the animation is smooth and fluid. For the most part, the animation during dialog scenes looks good too, though that's mainly on Dust and fidget also as other characters beside them don't look nearly as expressive during these scenes. The problem is the cut scenes; they look ok but at the same time, they just look weak compared to the rest. Other than those, which are few and far between anyway, the visuals and animation are crisp and beautiful, making for one of the best looking games on the arcade.
Dust's combat may seem simple and repetitive at first, but as you progress through the game, you will see that it is actually exciting and rewarding. You start out with the basic moves; mashing the X button, tossing enemies into the air and slamming them down into their friends (so satisfying). Then not too long after, you acquire the Dust Storm. This move allows you to spin your blade around quickly to attack your enemies multiple times and even juggle them around, although using it for too long will hurt you instead. What's even better is combined with Fidget's spells, you can create large amounts of magical destruction all across the screen with 3 different elements (you start with one and get the other two later). Dust's combat is fast paced and satisfying and it only gets better as you carry on with your adventure. It only adds to the character progression as you really feel like you are growing stronger as you play, from the very beginning to that final blow on the last boss.
This feeling of growing stronger isn't complete without a level up system. Yes to make combat even better, killing enemies will earn you experience points which will level you up and allow you to improve either your health, attack, defense and Fidget (improves the accuracy and power of Dust Storm). However, you can't just upgrade only one power for you will not be aloud to proceed improving one stat until the others have been upgraded to. For example, you can only upgrade your health 4 times, one for each level up, but you can not proceed with health until you improve every other skill first. This helps balance the game and forces you to at least try improving the other skills. There may be only 4 skills to improve, but they all feel necessary.
You'll get a certain amount for killing each one of course but what is even more important are your combos. When hitting enemies repeatably in a row, you boost your combo count through either just slashing at them or using the dust storm. This will build up a number, usually up to the hundreds depending on how many enemies are on screen, and the total number of your combo determines how much bonus experience you receive (for instance; getting a combo of 182 will earn you 182 bonus experience points). Unfortunately, when you get hit, your combo count will go back to zero and you lose that experience. Building up your combo is intense and fun, and building up one high enough thanks to your crazy fast paced action is all the more satisfying. Especially with the different ways you can build it.
This type of game has earned the reputation of the title "metroidvania", which means the game is based solely on not only action, but exploration and platforming as well. Dust does all of these features well. The map is set like a grid and instead of a world where you run from left to right, the squares on the grid represent smaller areas that you warp between on a world map. Each section is full of different types of enemies (that respawn in that area when you leave and come back), platforming or sometimes treasure or other important items (which are marked with a "O" if there are such items in the area). As you travel through these worlds you will notice at first that there are some areas you cannot reach, which can only mean there are skills you need to learn to come back later, another big feature with the metroidvania sub genre. The platforming segments and action feel tight and are complimented by the game's slick and responsive controls, which is also backed up by the Dust's fluid animation. Exploration never feels like a waste of time, I was surprised at how much I cared about back tracking later and collecting those items that I had to miss earlier. No matter what part of platforming or metroidvania you enjoy, Dust does all really well and each quality feels rewarding.
When you're not out in the wilderness killing badies, you'll be in a town where for once, talking to everybody isn't a complete waste of time like most games. Each NPC you meet will have a side quest or 2 for you to complete and the reward is never a waste (they pay quite handsomely). Furthermore, talking to some characters will earn you bonus experience as well. You can also visit the shops which will sell you augments, amulets, rings (all to help improve your stats), healing items and materials that you can use to create equipment. You don't get any more weapons than what you have, but augmenting them will prove to be just as good.
If I had to make one complaint about this game, besides the weaker animation in the cut scenes, it would be the boss battles are really shallow. It's a shame to say this because each boss is incorporated into the story very well and no encounter feels random or out of place. The problem is there appears to be no pattern or strategy, often times you can just mash buttons and defeat them with little to no problem. You can also keep hitting them without them being able to retaliate.
It truly is amazing that a game with such beauty and quality can all be made by one single man. Besides the soundtrack and the voice acting, Dean Dodrill is responsible for every aspect of this game from the programming to the animation, and all of his long hard work has payed off. Dust an Elysian Tail is an amazing experience from beginning to end, and with over 20 hours of gameplay, it has as much quality and content as most professional games and for just $15. Whether you enjoy fast paced combat, looting, exploration, platforming or a little bit of each, Dust an Elysian Tail is sure to amaze you more ways than one.