Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 4, 2019
    100
    Dusk is a mixture of everything good that the 1990s gave to action games. The fun returns in a form of a straightforward retro shooter, which is intense and dynamic like a ride in a sport car with manual gearbox. Great experience not only because of nostalgia. [Issue#293]
  2. Dec 11, 2018
    100
    DUSK is a devilishly good game. It will frustrate you, yes, but that’s the point. The game wants you to claw at victory and feel as though you’ve actually accomplished something when you obtain it.
  3. Dec 10, 2018
    95
    This is shooter perfection and something fans of the classics need to experience. Maybe it doesn't redefine what is possible with video games, but it beats out basically every other shooter I've ever played. I know I'll be replaying this for years to come and I look forward to seeing what fans are capable of with mod tools.
  4. Dec 14, 2018
    92
    It’s the closest you’ll get to that feeling of shooters from yesteryear, and you’d do yourself a disservice as a shooter fan by missing it. Buy Dusk. Beat Dusk. Then ramp up the difficulty or dive into the Endless mode or multiplayer to get your fill. It’s been too long, my friend. Far too long.
  5. Dec 31, 2018
    90
    Possibly the best return to the FPS games of the early 90s, DUSK is an excellent homage to a genre and an era that manages to not only recapture but improve on what made those games great.
  6. Dec 18, 2018
    90
    Full of memorable moments, fast-paced action, moody set pieces and surprising narrative twists and turns - Dusk may look like a long-lost gem from 1998, when it’s actually one of 2018’s best.
  7. Dec 14, 2018
    90
    While Dusk is a throwback to an older type of game, it’s excellent in its own right, loaded with content and an absolute blast to tear through from start to finish.
  8. Dec 10, 2018
    90
    DUSK is love story written about 90s FPS games that perfectly encapsulates everything that was great about the genre in the 90s. From the pixilated graphics to the classic weapons and gameplay, DUSK is a must have for any older gamer seeking a taste of childhood nostalgia.
  9. Dec 10, 2018
    90
    Even while calling back to a previous era, Dusk adds on top of those legacies. This is retro first-person shooter perfection, the next evolution in a genre once frozen in time. Long may it reign once again.
  10. Sep 29, 2017
    90
    Dusk has the backwoods setting of Blood and Redneck Rampage, the forbidding atmosphere and murky palette of Quake, the tight, sharp action of Doom, and the subtle sense of place and interactivity of Duke Nukem 3D. Essentially, Dusk is a retro shooter fan’s dream come true.
  11. Jan 11, 2019
    89
    Dusk offers a tribute to old-school shooters with a fantastic level design, frantic gameplay and an excellent OST.
  12. Dec 12, 2018
    89
    A obsessively tuned, finely crafted shooter that more than recreates the speed and pure joy of '90s classics.
  13. Dec 13, 2018
    88
    The first-person shooter has evolved a great deal since Doom popularized the genre in 1993, but, in spite 25 years of innovations, Dusk proves that many of the old tricks still work incredibly well. Dusk might look and feel like a Quake mod, but it's so polished it feels modern. Anyone with even a hint of nostalgia in their bones for classic shooters should dive headfirst into Dusk.
  14. Dec 26, 2018
    85
    The game offers incredible shooting sensations along with great OST and excellent atmosphere. We could have criticized the lack of scenario or the anecdotic multiplayer, but is it really important for this kind of game? We don’t think so…
  15. Jan 4, 2019
    83
    Fantastically playable old-school FPS with great soundtrack and well-emulated retro graphics that even works as a horror game.
  16. Jan 11, 2019
    80
    Dusk does not reinvent the wheel and has no intention to do so. It offers wonderfully fast-paced and robust first person action that mostly lives up to classics like Doom or Quake. Add some great level design and a bold art style, and you get a retro experience that would have been an instant classic, if it had been released 23 years ago.
  17. Dec 20, 2018
    80
    A fantastic game. More than just a repeat of what has come before, Dusk is its own entity, taking what worked well about classics and boiling those aspects down into a frantic, concentrated burst of action. A wonderful homage to the era where the FPS was king.
  18. Feb 1, 2018
    80
    Dusk's core gameplay is just what you'd expect: a zippy shoot and strafe loop with minimal story and lots of little secrets to find. Lots of games have tried this before, but Dusk realizes that the appeal of those early 90s shooters was largely in the level design and environmental details. They made the worlds seem more real than you might imagine, given their primitive processing. Although it isn't quite yet a complete package (additional chapters are coming later), Dusk comes eerily close to feeling like an undiscovered sibling of the classic shooters.
  19. CD-Action
    Mar 25, 2019
    65
    Dusk does a decent job at recreating elements that were fun in Doom, Quake or Wolfenstein 3D, but as a whole it lacks a direction other than being a love letter to classic FPS games, a homage assembled out of components that do not always fit together well. [02/2019, p.42]
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  1. All this for £13! Honestly, this is purist FPS as good as it gets, just a constantly stunning game. Don’t miss this. [RPS Bestest Bests]
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 246 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 17 out of 246
  1. Dec 12, 2018
    7
    What are the critics smoking? Evolution of genre frozen in time? Ok lets see what we have:
    Game which feels like hd mod of Quake 1/Duke Nukem
    What are the critics smoking? Evolution of genre frozen in time? Ok lets see what we have:
    Game which feels like hd mod of Quake 1/Duke Nukem 3D. So nothing new/special. On one hand it has amazing atmosphere (which is made mostly by awesome sounds and creepy concept of cultists devilish goats scarecrows) on second - its plain ugly. Weapons looks well just awfull. Enemies too. Its fast and fluid like Quake 1 but how is it any better than well Quake 1? It isnt.
    Genre did evolve, we have story packed games with awesome graphics memorable protagonists (even blood had cool Caleb and Duke Nukem 3D - Duke Nukem :D, hell Wolfenstein had Blazkowitch) like Halo, Half Life, Call of Duty, Destiny, Bioshock, Metroid Prime, Wolfenstein, Doom etc. In terms of pure fps mayhem I can compare this to for example recent Shadow Warrior 1/2 or Doom - and Dusk is definitelly worse game than any of them.
    So is it a bad game? No. But without much trouble You can find as good mods to Quake 1 as Dusk is.
    Full Review »
  2. Mar 7, 2019
    10
    The first episode was pretty good. It took me a while to get into it, but I was quite excited by around the 5th level. From there, the gameThe first episode was pretty good. It took me a while to get into it, but I was quite excited by around the 5th level. From there, the game just continues to grow.

    This has some of the best level design in the genre, building on and in a lot of ways surpassing the old guard. DUSK is sublime. Though the low poly graphics are not the most amazing in the world, there are a few moments in various levels that made me pause because of the visuals.

    The weapons aren't the most exciting, but they are functional and feel nice. The game really has you switching between most of your arsenal throughout each of the levels, which keeps things exciting and varied.

    The music is excellent. The sound is excellent.

    There isn't too much of a story but I did find myself genuinely intrigued by things as the second and third acts unraveled before me. I was downright excited about the little tiny shreds of plot the game threw out at the end of the third (and final) act. The mood and scenery is top notch - while it starts as a romp through slightly uninteresting backwoods areas, things quickly escalate towards the end of the first act and throughout the second and third.

    All in all, DUSK is a phenomenal game and worth every bit of the praise it has received. It truly does bear the torch of the FPS games of yore, and hopefully it inspires plenty of new games in the same vein over the next few years.
    Full Review »
  3. Dec 14, 2018
    9
    From what I see now, the game is a solid 9 / 10. Dusk keeps creating interesting shootouts throughout the levels, filled withFrom what I see now, the game is a solid 9 / 10. Dusk keeps creating interesting shootouts throughout the levels, filled with not-so-challenging but time-consuming secrets, which sometimes appear to be handy. The game freaks you out at first with all the jump scares, but, then again, you get used to them in an hour or so. The soundtrack is very nice (especially those ambient pieces), and the shooting mechanics are very tasty. Acquire this game if you want some old-school experience without strings attached (such as compatibility problems or performance issues). Full Review »