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. 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.
  2. 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
  3. Nemo84
    Feb 12, 2016
    10
    Great game with great gameplay. Good music, good levels, good characters i can't find anything bad about this game. I played it over and over again. All i need to say is play it for sure you will enjoy.
  4. Toalbooth
    Jan 16, 2017
    10
    For a game made by one man who had no experience in coding, and a budget of $40,000 out of his own wallet, this has to be one of the, if not THE best game I have ever played in my life.
    When the game first came out onto Xbox Live in 2012, it later got ported to Steam in 2013: the version I've played, which is also the best PC port of any game I've ever seen, fantastic PC controls which    For a game made by one man who had no experience in coding, and a budget of $40,000 out of his own wallet, this has to be one of the, if not THE best game I have ever played in my life.
    When the game first came out onto Xbox Live in 2012, it later got ported to Steam in 2013: the version I've played, which is also the best PC port of any game I've ever seen, fantastic PC controls which don't require a controller, and even re-recorded lines in some cases for the PC controls, not to mention instant recognition when you hook up a controller to it.
    Dust is a Sidescroller Beat 'em up, you fight to save the Moonlblood race from General Gaius, as you go on, the game is also a form of Metroidvania, a set pathway but will reward you if you're curious to go off the beaten path.
    The visuals are absolutely fantastic, the voice acting is perfect in portraying the characters and the music is ear warming deliciousness.
    I don't want to say more without going into my hype rant mode, but please do buy this game, whether it's on Steam and PS4 for £11 or iOS for £4.99, you will have an amazing time playing it.
    You can thank me later    … Expand
  5. seifershneider
    Feb 16, 2017
    10
    Dust: An Elysian Tail is a fantastyic beat'em all that draws inspiration from the great Muramasa. This game has everything that a player looks for in a video game: poetry, wonder, quality gameplay, smart ideas and fantastic implementation, powerful sensations and great pleasure/satisfaction. I strongly recommend this game for the following reasons:

    Pros: + Both an enchanting and brutal    Dust: An Elysian Tail is a fantastyic beat'em all that draws inspiration from the great Muramasa. This game has everything that a player looks for in a video game: poetry, wonder, quality gameplay, smart ideas and fantastic implementation, powerful sensations and great pleasure/satisfaction. I strongly recommend this game for the following reasons:

    Pros:
    + Both an enchanting and brutal environment/story.
    + A magnificient artistic direction.
    + A speedy and nervous gameplay.
    + Over 10 hours to finish the game.
    + A good soundtrack
    + A low price for the quality of the game. Seriously, there are some garbage games out there for $49+.

    Cons or Tips:
    + Start with higher difficulty if you want a serious challenge.
    + Combos could have been made more complex.
    + I loved the game so much that I didn't want to finish it. I didn't want the story to end... And that's a mark of an outstanding artwork.

    Verdict: A+    … Expand
  6. triptop
    May 29, 2017
    10
    A beautiful example of indie gaming done right. You can see just how much of the creator's soul was poured into this work, from its gorgeous art, diverse environments, tight controls, fun and varied combat, humorous story, and clear direction from beginning to end. You absolutely should not pass this one up, It still runs for $15 on Steam, and it's one of those special exceptions thatA beautiful example of indie gaming done right. You can see just how much of the creator's soul was poured into this work, from its gorgeous art, diverse environments, tight controls, fun and varied combat, humorous story, and clear direction from beginning to end. You absolutely should not pass this one up, It still runs for $15 on Steam, and it's one of those special exceptions that feels like it deserves that price point even years after release. I sincerely hope that the creator's success and profit here results in more games of this caliber down the line.… Expand
  7. 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.
  8. QuatokyTonberry
    Jan 23, 2019
    7
    Gameplay: - Good
    Story: - Good
    Visual: - Good
    Music and sound: - Good
    Average time: - 12h
    Score: - 7 (Good)
  9. Yanarsen
    Apr 11, 2019
    10
    Stunning game! Its beautiful from all aspects. Amazing 2D action RPG. Storyline is so surprising, map is fairly big, soundtrack is complete killer! A lot of different equipment, even achievements on Steam are not just based on "Complete the game and you have all of 'em". Combat system is solid, and all opponents (especially bosses) are quite unique. Boss fights are maybe weak point of thisStunning game! Its beautiful from all aspects. Amazing 2D action RPG. Storyline is so surprising, map is fairly big, soundtrack is complete killer! A lot of different equipment, even achievements on Steam are not just based on "Complete the game and you have all of 'em". Combat system is solid, and all opponents (especially bosses) are quite unique. Boss fights are maybe weak point of this game (they are not that hard, but not so easy neither). And thing that impresses me the most is that this game is entirely made by ONE SINGLE PERSON! Hope we will see some sequel at any point!… Expand
  10. BobTheViking
    Feb 10, 2020
    10
    This game is an excellent 2D Action RPG. It is definitely one of my all time favorites. The gameplay is tons of fun. The graphics are pretty. The soundtrack is AMAZING! And I also really liked the story as well. Given that its a pretty cheap game to buy, I would have to say its a great value for what you are paying!
  11. hileger
    Oct 19, 2022
    6
    Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк
  12. Inuyasha17
    Jun 22, 2020
    10
    It feels like watching an animation.
    It's a well-made game with great care.
    Especially, action and hitting sense are excellent.
    Aside from the story, I recommend this game even if you want to enjoy the action.
    But the story is also a very good game.
    It's probably like a sword fight game set in the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea.
  13. GandalfCzarny
    Jun 2, 2021
    10
    From whatever perpective I look from I see masterpiece. I love everything about this game - story, characters, lore, graphics, music, voice acting, nearly everything is perfect. This is truly one of my top 5 games of all time
  14. SergeiZ
    Oct 22, 2021
    10
    Wonderful Metroidvania. Interesting, albeit predictable, plot, characters. Of the minuses, I note not the smoothest mechanics (sometimes opponents can throw the player into the abyss or lava), and in some places not the most beautiful graphics. But the game was essentially made by one person, so I'm ready to forgive those flaws.
  15. 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.
  16. QAOSbringer
    Feb 25, 2023
    9
    Combination of Metroidvania, RPG, Hack&Slash and Action Platform in a single game. The story feels very childish, but it presents a tale-like atmosphere inside the game. You can choose different difficulty settings, and this gives you a chance to play with your own play-style. You can taste the story, or just challenge yourself to the max. Character movements are smooth enough, and youCombination of Metroidvania, RPG, Hack&Slash and Action Platform in a single game. The story feels very childish, but it presents a tale-like atmosphere inside the game. You can choose different difficulty settings, and this gives you a chance to play with your own play-style. You can taste the story, or just challenge yourself to the max. Character movements are smooth enough, and you regularly get new abilities during the story. You can play the game as a button mashing Hack&Slash, or just an exploring platform game, no matter what is your choice, it gives enough content for that specific purpose.

    9: Must play - One of the best games of the year it came out.    … 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

All reviews »
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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