Dust: An Elysian Tail

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 538 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 440 out of 538
  2. Mixed: 67 out of 538
  3. Negative: 31 out of 538

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  1. gamedefy
    Aug 23, 2015
    8
    Dust An Elysian Tail developed by HumbleHearts is a action adventure RPG set in the hand painted word of Falana. Falana is a world full of lore, surprises, and danger. Most areas of the game are large enough to encourage exploration, full of enemies of varying types and attributes. While the enemies are not the most challenging you definitely cannot let your guard down. Snow Dust

    You    Dust An Elysian Tail developed by HumbleHearts is a action adventure RPG set in the hand painted word of Falana. Falana is a world full of lore, surprises, and danger. Most areas of the game are large enough to encourage exploration, full of enemies of varying types and attributes. While the enemies are not the most challenging you definitely cannot let your guard down. Snow Dust

    You play through the game as the character named Dust. Who finds himself without an identity or much recollection of his past. He is aided by Ahrah a majestical talking sword, and Fidget, a squeaky orange Nimbat with her own set of powers, both of which aid Dust in finding purpose. As the story progresses the main objective becomes very clear. A tyrannical General named Gaius has been conquering the lands, and performing genocide on a particular species known as Moonbloods. Dust and his companions finds themselves morally compelled to put an end to these monstrous actions. While the plot of the game and its characters in a whole are really nothing new, the presentation and the qualities of the characters, make them endearing and hold your interest until the game’s conclusion.

    The RPG elements are there but are very simple. As you progress Dust will acquire better equipment and weapons, and will also level up. You can use this progress to enhance your health points, attack rating, defense rating, and Fidget’s magic skills as well. The streamlined RPG elements are arguably one of the charms of the game. Some will wish that the RPG elements were more in-depth, while others will be thankful for this more simplistic approach. With each level comes a sense of empowerment, as foes who used to take 5-6 strikes before falling will now take 1-2. Chaining Dust’s attacks into a furious fray is an awesome spectacle and you are the catalyst. As higher combinations are strung together the experience bonuses become significantly greater. What is superb about the gameplay is your control over Dust. You feel agile, responsive, and efficient. Your movements are swift and exact, and it is up to you to put these excellent controls to proper use.

    Primarily everything we have against the gameplay are just small gripes. Arguably the biggest issues are the boss battles and the game’s ending. Bosses are essentially just enemies that have increased health points, and can be easily dispatched by spamming your attacks. It would have been great to have some more added complexity, or more cinematic qualities to these particular battles. It is unfortunate, as most quests lead up to these fights with a sense of urgency, only to be let down that you can spam the bosses to death.

    Also the game’s ending feels rushed, and the ending cinematic adds more confusion than conclusion. In the grand scheme of things the finale does not feel nearly as polished as almost every other aspect of the game. A meaningful conclusion should have been a major focus, as this is a more character driven story than just a straight brawler.

    The quality of the animation will leave you with an appreciation for this style of art design. You can see the weight of the sword as Dust heaves to throw a strike. You feel the weight of an enemy as you grab onto them to slam their body into the ground. All of which leads to a satisfying triumph as you take on hordes and hordes of enemies.

    The game’s score deserves your attention as it was composed by Alexander Brandon and HyderDuck Studios. Each musical composition matches and enhances the tone of the situation being presented to you to great affect.

    Depending upon your skill level and desire to be a completionist makes a determination on how long your playthrough is. The game is roughly 10-20 hours based upon the aforementioned criterion. Each area you visit is re-playable, in that you can complete the main mission for the selected level but come back and grind for better equipment, more experience, or find more secret chests and areas to platform to. At the time of this review the game is currently $14.99 on Steam or GoG.com, with this amount of content the game is indeed a bargain.

    Dust an Elysian Tail is not without it’s faults: the rushed ending, and pacing issues, can definitely pull you out of the moment. However it is an amazing achievement, as one person developed the game over the course of four years. There are games that have full development teams that cannot get the controls to feel this slick or responsive. Throughout the experience I was compelled to keep going forward without feeling like I was just grinding to win, which is a design achievement in itself. Overall games like this are a rarity and should be discussed as a possible classic as experiences like these are timeless.

    An 8 out of 10.

    Feel free to visit us at GameDEFY    … Expand
  2. Devazrael
    Nov 19, 2018
    8
    Positives: Graphics, music are great. A lot of hours to play for the value. Combos, combos and more combos, its adctive. RPG elements !

    Negative: Sometimes i fell like im in the same map I was before and gets confuse. But its not a big issue.
  3. Lepetitroig
    Nov 15, 2020
    8
    Bonito y emotivo, un beat'em up plataformero con un dibujo que te dejara enamorado. Tanto la jugabilidad como el escalado de nivel se siente fiel al avance del juego, y la historia no queda atrás, que acompaña al arte en una espiral de sentimientos que nos dejarán algo roto.
  4. IRevolution
    Aug 17, 2013
    7
    So after just finishing the game, I feel obligated to write a quick review.
    I thought the game was pretty good in terms of graphics and characters. I felt that the item crafting and combat was a little repetitive and lost it's touch except for a few bosses here and there.
    The story line was great and very interesting. Would rate higher if game had a little more options. I would have    So after just finishing the game, I feel obligated to write a quick review.
    I thought the game was pretty good in terms of graphics and characters. I felt that the item crafting and combat was a little repetitive and lost it's touch except for a few bosses here and there.
    The story line was great and very interesting. Would rate higher if game had a little more options. I would have liked to see dust's clothes change to the different armour and items he was wearing and more Elemental powers for the nimbat. Over all still a good game and worth getting.    … Expand
  5. praXis
    Nov 1, 2013
    7
    Pros: Gameplay is really great, in a classic side-scrolling way. Audio is also fantastic. Artwork is truly gorgeous. Voice work is very well done.

    Cons: Characters and some elements of the game are excessively twee. If you have an aversion to anthropomorphized animals, kawaii characterizations, or Disney-level cheese, you will probably be put off to some degree. Developer(s) put heavy    Pros: Gameplay is really great, in a classic side-scrolling way. Audio is also fantastic. Artwork is truly gorgeous. Voice work is very well done.

    Cons: Characters and some elements of the game are excessively twee. If you have an aversion to anthropomorphized animals, kawaii characterizations, or Disney-level cheese, you will probably be put off to some degree. Developer(s) put heavy emphasis on a storyline that is very linear, naive, cliche, overwrought, and largely unexplained. If you're hoping for a big twist or reveal near the end, you're going to be disappointed. Dodrill's thanking of "an everloving God" in the credits makes me wonder if the story was supposed to be some kind of allegory, and if an agenda is being pushed.    … Expand
  6. Basem101
    Aug 19, 2013
    7
    a great indie game it has a beautiful visuals and great music and highly entertaining game play and it also has great rpg features absolutely beautiful and entertaining game
  7. QuatokyTonberry
    Jan 23, 2019
    7
    Gameplay: - Good
    Story: - Good
    Visual: - Good
    Music and sound: - Good
    Average time: - 12h
    Score: - 7 (Good)
  8. Crescendo
    Jun 14, 2013
    6
    Firstly, Dust: AET is not a bad game. Beautifully crafted sprites and backgrounds, fluid animations. In these aspects, it is very similar to Muramasa for the Wii which I loved. However, it suffers from the same problems. The combat system is very, very simple which isn't bad in itself, but you don't have acess to many comobs and thelike the longer you play it, the more boring itFirstly, Dust: AET is not a bad game. Beautifully crafted sprites and backgrounds, fluid animations. In these aspects, it is very similar to Muramasa for the Wii which I loved. However, it suffers from the same problems. The combat system is very, very simple which isn't bad in itself, but you don't have acess to many comobs and thelike the longer you play it, the more boring it becomes. Items are nice and all, but not really something to think about. Just use the best thing you find. The story is cliché to the point of cringing and the characters are the most basic of archetypes with little to no depth. After all this bad talk, I have to say I still enjoyed playing it. It just could have been a much better game. Oh, and I hate the fact that this game seems to cater to furries, but I won't judge.… Expand
  9. kdamica
    Jun 2, 2013
    6
    Dust is not a bad game. The art is high quality and everything is well-polished. However, it's also not a particularly good or interesting game. The combat and enemies are repetitive, and the story and character archetypes are almost identical to those found in so many RPGs (Quiet, noble protagonist, cutesy sidekick, sage-like mentor, flirty female characters who embarrass protagonist,Dust is not a bad game. The art is high quality and everything is well-polished. However, it's also not a particularly good or interesting game. The combat and enemies are repetitive, and the story and character archetypes are almost identical to those found in so many RPGs (Quiet, noble protagonist, cutesy sidekick, sage-like mentor, flirty female characters who embarrass protagonist, etc.).

    This is a game that executes its limited vision very well, but there was really nothing here to hold my interest. Uninstalled after a couple of hours of play.    … Expand
  10. runner
    Dec 25, 2014
    6
    In Short:
    +Amazing atmosphere
    +Great graphics +Great soundtrack +Addictive gameplay -Yet, gameplay gets repetitive, annoying, and boring, to my taste -Usually not that challanging -Weak attempt to combine RPG elements in Platform game -Plot and storytelling are generally not that good -Soon enough it becomes just smashins buttons and watching the screen goes VOOSHWOOSH    In Short:
    +Amazing atmosphere
    +Great graphics
    +Great soundtrack
    +Addictive gameplay

    -Yet, gameplay gets repetitive, annoying, and boring, to my taste
    -Usually not that challanging
    -Weak attempt to combine RPG elements in Platform game
    -Plot and storytelling are generally not that good
    -Soon enough it becomes just smashins buttons and watching the screen goes VOOSHWOOSH

    Artistically, Dust is truly an amazing button-smasher. Oh, no, whooops, RPG-Platformer, what am I saying...
    Silly me.
    So, yeah, while it feels really (REALLY!) unfortunate to give this game a negative review, I'm going to have to do that, because Dust eventually ends up being, as I just said, a button smasher. Merely and mostly a button-smasher.

    And the sad thing about it, is that this is pretty much the only thing about the game that is actually bad, in my opinion. And so, all of Dust's good aspects are going to waste on the final result....

    At the very beginning of the game, Dust reminded me of Rayman, and in a good way. Meaning that, it reminded me the glory days of platforming games, or at least that glorious series which had somehow managed to keep some of the first installment's magic in it towards the years.
    Dust begins with that magic as well.
    It gives you a feeling of an aspiring Disney film.
    It has lush and colorful graphics, which seems hand drawn, and seems even more terrific in my opinion with the post-effects turned off, in the so-to-speak 'lower' quality.
    It also has a magical soundtrack, combines many sort of genres, catchy and dramatic moments, and it fits the game perfectly.
    The different areas of the game are very immersing and seems like there was much though put in their design.

    So, really, the developers had prepared a great ground for the actual game. Really incredible atmosphere and environment.

    Too bad the game starts to fall short as we reach the actual content.
    The plot is nothing special, it isn't too bad but not much good either. It is mostly predictable, it starts alright but then you see it really isn't anything interesting, with the exception of just a few moving moments.
    Still, it isn't enough to push you forward AND make you enjoy yourself.
    Towards the end, unfortunately, I didn't even care much what the characters were saying, but just kind of wanter to get this over with...

    Of course, a game with terrific gameplay doesn't HAVE to have a good story.
    But sadly enough Dust won't deliver on this aspect as well.
    Dust is mainly a platformer, and therefore its gameplay isn't that complex and you can imagine how it plays out.. Of course, there are some terrific platformers, some mediocre, and some bad ones... Depends on the execution, right?
    Well, here the execution didn't go so well to my taste.

    The gameplay is basically a simple platforming gameplay, and you'd slowly gain some abilities, and yet it becomes incredibly repetitive and boring, and also somewhat annoying. It isn't even too graceful, as as the game progresses you'd find yourself among more and more HORDES of enemies, and not single enemies. It actually becomes the core of the game pretty quickly. And what will you do then? As I said at the very beginning, you start Smashing Button! Three buttons, smash them with all might. At the very beginning of the game you'll learn the different 'moves' you can do with those buttons but soon enough you wouldn't care, as it doesn't make that much difference. Why, you might ask? Because you wouldn't even see much of these moves. As you amash the attack, jump, and moving buttons, pretty much all at ones, at many times you can't really tell for sure what's going on on your screen. You're just watching Dust jumping from point to point as there are lights and bombings and explosions and hurt enemies faltering anywhere, as even you're sidekick says once in the game: "Seriously, have you seen the screen? He goes VOOSHWOOSHSHWOOSHVOOSH". And that's an understatement.

    Last but not least, let's not forget that's a RPG-Platformer. Of course. The devs tried to add some RPG elements, but personally I found them very weak and not integrated to the game so well.
    Yes, there are side-quests, there are exp points, leveling up, so-to-speak abilities to improve, some 'crafting', some stats, some clothes which would raise those stats....
    All these features just felt very out of place to me, they weren't that interesting or crucial to the game, and didn't add much challange to Dust, which I completed on Normal with all sidequests and most achievements done, and pretty much with ease.

    I can't say this is a BAD game. It does have magic in it, and many good aspects. But only halfway through the game I just felt it was more of an annoyance to me than fun. And that definitely shouldn't be that way, so, no, I wouldn't really recommend on this one.
    Unless smashing-buttons aimlessly and watching your screen goes VOOSHWOOSHVOOSH is you're thing, of course.    … Expand
  11. lexblow
    Dec 11, 2016
    6
    The graphics, they make the game feels like it´s ripped from a flash game, it was very unpleasant to me. It feels very slow, i think it is because of the narrative. Never finished it , got bored out.
  12. hileger
    Oct 19, 2022
    6
    Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк
  13. tufferugli
    Jun 9, 2013
    5
    i was exited to being able to play a game clearly inspired by Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, but after 30 minute of playtime excitement was taken over by disappointment.
    playing dust feels wrong, it seems unfinished and flawed. there is no strategy behind the combat system.
    it's not worth time or money.
  14. Jovuto
    Nov 2, 2014
    4
    Boring, repetative, button-masher with character designs that look like they've been taken from a DeviantArt/Tumblr furry page. Apart from the characters, the overall art style is pretty nice.
  15. PotatoSkull
    Oct 14, 2014
    3
    This game have a satisfying gameplay, that reminds me a little of Muramasa. But, the comparisons end here. Muramasa have a stunning art direction, chilling soundtrack and head twisting story. Dust's art direction looks like it was made for some deviant art furry fan, it looks like a FANART! It is dated and heinous. The voicework is terrible, something you could mistake for a low budgetThis game have a satisfying gameplay, that reminds me a little of Muramasa. But, the comparisons end here. Muramasa have a stunning art direction, chilling soundtrack and head twisting story. Dust's art direction looks like it was made for some deviant art furry fan, it looks like a FANART! It is dated and heinous. The voicework is terrible, something you could mistake for a low budget hentai. I wish I could bypass the terrible aesthetics and enjoy this game by its gameplay, but maybe it's my fault, Im too old for furry sh*t.… Expand
  16. IGF-Pixelspeech
    Jun 17, 2013
    2
    The first 40% of the game is fantastic and original; a very interesting story with an anthropomorphous art-style that seems to be well-worth the 14 euros. However, it then suddenly hits you over the head with a seemingly endless underground level that features large amounts of platforming and enemies that can only be beaten by parrying, whereas the first 40% was a fast-paced and flashyThe first 40% of the game is fantastic and original; a very interesting story with an anthropomorphous art-style that seems to be well-worth the 14 euros. However, it then suddenly hits you over the head with a seemingly endless underground level that features large amounts of platforming and enemies that can only be beaten by parrying, whereas the first 40% was a fast-paced and flashy brawler. It suddenly expects you to have mastered techniques you never before needed, which indicates that the designers didn't really know what made their game fun and put their money on the wrong horse. Even the anthropomorphic stuff gradually disappear to make room for more platforming puzzles and combat all but disappeared from the game, aside from a few tedious encounters with shielded foes.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PC Game of 2013
66
#66 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
79
#79 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Sep 19, 2013
    100
    Dust is energetic like a tornado. It has its artistic touch to it. This gem is like the best of the video games history, to shine upon the present days. [Issue#232]
  2. PC Gamer
    Jul 8, 2013
    79
    Highly entertaining, substantial and a visual treat but with a slight whiff of Gorgonzola in the story department.
    Read full review
  3. GameStar
    Jun 6, 2013
    79
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
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