One of the most unique and magical releases for the Xbox 360. All designed by one really talented man!

User Rating: 10 | Dust: An Elysian Tail X360

During the Xbox live gold free game offers, i would get each one and play it. most of them were pretty good, a couple were Ok, but one of them really told me to keep getting each free game.

Dust: An Elysian Tale, to be completely honest, didn't seem like the kind of game i would play at first glance, but giving it a go leads into how much i have been proven wrong. *SPOILERS INBOUND*

"Hey, look, it's a beautiful deer in a beautiful forest!"

Looking at Dust's overall appearance, it proves that games don't need to look like real life to be gorgeous. This is creating a fantasy world at it's best, because each area in the game was handled with extreme care to make sure the graphics stayed as fresh as possible. From the forest to the insides of a raging volcano, each environment has been crafted to feel as vibrant as the last one. All the colours used are so bright and eye-catching that I couldn't help but stop and look at the world I've been pulled into. Believe it or not, Dust has certainly delivered in the visual department. And i don't really need to say anything about the sound effects, because they are just as good as the visuals: Very well created, don't need to be real life to be excellent, and they help bring a fantasy world to life. Sure, they aren't the most unique sound effects, but they still work really well.

The game is a side-scrolling RPG with a surprising well designed hack and slash engine. Most of the RPG elements are pretty good, like collecting items to make new equitable items, purchasing stuff from stores around the world, a nice handful of quests to do, and the leveling system being that if you choose to select what skill you increase, you have to upgrade each one at least once before you can upgrade even further for each one. It is unfortunate for it to be a bit shallow, because for a strange reason, the first time you talk to someone, you get a large amount of experience, which seems a bit pointless, but far from annoying, but it can be hard to get experience when you are much more powerful than enemies in certain areas, because enemy strength doesn't increase as yours does, which can make it hard for you to level up more.

The battles can be surprisingly intense from time to time.
The battles can be surprisingly intense from time to time.

The hack and slash combat, though, is completely flawless. It's incredibly smooth and responsive, and the controls and combat are easy to get used to, and whats better is that it doesn't even matter how you play, because the game immediately breaks the forth wall and says you can "Mash the buttons" instead of learning all the combos. There isn't much more to say about it, because it really is crafted that well.

I will admit that the bosses are simple and easy to beat as long as you dodge the few attacks they have. They do fit into the story brilliantly, but they are a bit disappointing. In my opinion, only the final boss uses these problems and turns it into something incredibly epic.

"No, no! Mash the buttons! DO SOMETHING!"

Now, the story. The story involves Dust, a blue figure (with a hat that covers his entire face), who has a magical talking sword called Ahrah and a Nimbat called Fidget. (who really increases the game's enjoyment with her forth wall breaking humour) Dust, who has no memory of who he is or why he is in the world. The main part of the story involves Dust trying to discover his purpose: To kill General Gaius, who is killing off a race called Moon bloods, who have "created" him with the souls of 2 completely opposite people (1 who wants to protect people, 1 who is skilled at killing people), and one of those people had fought for General Gaius, and one against them. (That's enough spoilers)

The story seems to follow the cliche that is the protagonist having amnesia, but for some it seems so fresh because it has been used better than almost all RPGs. That and the actual storyline and script are really good. Sometimes the the voice acting is cracked in places, mainly in the cutscenes, but overall the actual cast is quite talented, and adds life to characters with very little dialogue in the game.

Gaius is surprisingly a calm and kind antagonist . At the same time, very likable.
Gaius is surprisingly a calm and kind antagonist . At the same time, very likable.

But wait. We're missing a part about the music. Oh my goodness gracious! THE music, created by Hyperduck Soundworks. They did a masterful job of recording such marvelous tracks for each area, cutscene and boss fight. Just you wait until you hear the final battle's music, because they are that their best at that point.

Now, to conclude, Dust: An Elysian Tale is one of the best way of creating a 2D side-scrolling RPG. And believe me, if you look at the title, this whole game really was designed by one man. I mean, the game does have a few flaws, but it doesn't really scratch the surface on what a marvelous game this is. Yes, some of the bosses are letdown by being quite simple, but the music can make up for it. The RPG elements weren't handled perfectly, either, but ignoring the few little problems, this is awesome. I completely recommend it.