From Dust

 PC
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 382 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 382
  2. Mixed: 118 out of 382
  3. Negative: 165 out of 382

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  1. Dco326
    Jun 11, 2023
    8
    Skroz korektna igrica, zanimljiva bas i uzivao sam dok sam je igrao, da nema replay value realno nema, da je moglo bolje realno moglo je tako da 8 ali stv sam se dobro zabavio :D
  2. MatikTheSeventh
    Oct 11, 2020
    9
    I loved the idea very much. It is incredible to control the fate of your believers without affecting them in a direct way. You can manipulate elements and land to create ways for them to get to new places and populate them. All the levels were cleverly designed and each challenged me in its own way.
  3. Rowanwaters
    Oct 12, 2018
    7
    The difficulty level is quite high for this game, but it is beautifully rendered and if you take the time to play around with the controls of each new breath, it can be fun. I had a very hard time finishing the game but I enjoyed it when I finally did.
  4. Deothor
    Oct 6, 2017
    8
    I think the score is just people hating on Ubisoft. They sure suck as hell, but c'mon people. Game is great! Don't bombard innocent game that was unlucky to have Ubisoft as a parent.
  5. Broyax
    Apr 16, 2017
    0
    Le seul point positif de From Dust, c'est qu'il donne envie de (re)jouer à un Black & White ou un Lemmings, parce qu'il n'est aucun des deux et qu'il fait tout mal : l'interface ? imbitable que ce soit à la manette ou à la souris, l'imprécision est notoire ; une vue réglable comme on l'entend peut-être ? que nenni, deux vues seulement, l'une trop près, l'autre trop éloignée. Est-ce joli auLe seul point positif de From Dust, c'est qu'il donne envie de (re)jouer à un Black & White ou un Lemmings, parce qu'il n'est aucun des deux et qu'il fait tout mal : l'interface ? imbitable que ce soit à la manette ou à la souris, l'imprécision est notoire ; une vue réglable comme on l'entend peut-être ? que nenni, deux vues seulement, l'une trop près, l'autre trop éloignée. Est-ce joli au moins ?... plus ou moins... et la direction artistique de mauvais goût n'arrange rien, sans compter que le jeu est bloqué à 30 im/s...

    L'intelligence des lemmings indigènes ? ils sont débiles ! et on ne peut même pas les faire exploser pour se défouler. Enfin, la version Steam vous redirige sur Uplay, bon sang de bois ! mais de qui se moque-t'on à la fin ? Dommage, le principe était intéressant mais ici tellement mal exploité que c'est un calvaire à jouer. Allez hop poubelle !    … Expand
  6. everin
    Oct 1, 2015
    7
    Tier 2
    + Incredibly unique gameplay driven by awesome visuals and game feel
    + Gameplay, story, and themes interplay well together
    ? Solutions to challenges are sometimes oblique or oddly difficult to accomplish
    - Gameplay and environment variety is lacking
  7. Hazzard65
    Mar 21, 2015
    8
    I love this game. Such an incredible experience. You can tell the developers really poured a lot of love into this. Nothing out there quite like it, charming, lovely pacing and unique. In my opinion an total anomaly that deserves a far better score than it has. And people wonder why publishers aren't willing to experiment more when people react like this.
  8. SJLPHI
    Dec 29, 2014
    0
    Concept is great but UI is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE, friend bought this for me because I like Black and White 1 and 2. Warnings regarding From Dust: 1. Cannot Skip intro or cutscenes 2. No "graphical options", so unless if you have top of the line computer (even them capped at 30fps), avoid this game.

    This is by far the most horribly designed game I've ever played, with great concept with    Concept is great but UI is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE, friend bought this for me because I like Black and White 1 and 2. Warnings regarding From Dust: 1. Cannot Skip intro or cutscenes 2. No "graphical options", so unless if you have top of the line computer (even them capped at 30fps), avoid this game.

    This is by far the most horribly designed game I've ever played, with great concept with very horrible design of User Interface.    … Expand
  9. llamayarmybar
    Jul 16, 2014
    0
    One word: "Botched."

    Could've been great just from judging the opening and its overall presentation. That is until it introduces its primary gameplay: "Pick up stuff and drop it over onto other stuff!" Un-freaking-believable, an entire game designed around an activity like playing in a sandbox, scooping up sand in one hand and then dropping your handful over onto another patch of    One word: "Botched."

    Could've been great just from judging the opening and its overall presentation. That is until it introduces its primary gameplay: "Pick up stuff and drop it over onto other stuff!"

    Un-freaking-believable, an entire game designed around an activity like playing in a sandbox, scooping up sand in one hand and then dropping your handful over onto another patch of sand somewhere else in your sandbox.

    Its disappointing to say the least, but not only that, its poorly implemented and frustrating. When controls should be responsive, they're barely responsive (keep in mind this was all designed with the Xbox controller in mind). Missions start off simple enough, guiding a small band of native proto-human "things" to different objectives by changing the geographical surface or shifting elements that would normally block most anythings progression i.e. huge bodies of water or mountains or lava. Then we start getting into some ticking-timer missions that are just unbelievably infuriating and this is when you'll realize just how stupid the actual AI system is for the little natives. They complain about everything or will outright refuse to go somewhere because:
    A. You didn't quite manage to pick up and move enough water, mud, sand, rocks or whatever for them to walk to where they want to go.
    B. They legitimately still complain even when everything is totally fine and their route is completely clear to fulfill some level objective.

    Finally I arrived at a level where a Tsunami was supposedly coming to wipe out everything and I had to essentially get people to leave one spot to get to safety. I'm guessing this is about the point where people just give up on the game because of how poorly the mechanics were executed.

    15 minutes later I was treated to a hilarious in-game cinematic explosion of water wiping out a coastal tribe-town and I even felt a little bad about it, but also at how shockingly bad the game was till this point.

    Beautiful design, aesthetics, concept, and visuals, but it fails in every other way mechanically and functionally as a "game." Which is kind of a big selling point these days.    … Expand
  10. jmhoffer
    Jul 10, 2014
    9
    A rare gem amongst games, the low score given to it only fueling my misanthropy in general and my disdain for gamers in particular.

    Far better than the average puzzle game, this god game is easy to learn but difficult to master. I had few if any problems with the controls even on the PC and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I'd love to see the genre expand upon From Dust. I would    A rare gem amongst games, the low score given to it only fueling my misanthropy in general and my disdain for gamers in particular.

    Far better than the average puzzle game, this god game is easy to learn but difficult to master. I had few if any problems with the controls even on the PC and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I'd love to see the genre expand upon From Dust. I would honestly like to see a mix of From Dust and Black and White, although leaning more towards From Dust. Indirect control is the gem of the god game - you shouldn't be controlling people as a god, you should be shaping the land to your whim and aiding your people in that way!    … Expand
  11. Zegu
    Jun 12, 2014
    2
    My reasoning for giving this game a 2:
    I bought it on sale on steam, but all the download did was give me a uplay launcher and cd key. I had to enter it there and launch from it, adding another account on top of what I had already. I bought the game well after it was released but authentication issues kept me from playing about 10% of the time.
    The game itself was interesting at first,    My reasoning for giving this game a 2:
    I bought it on sale on steam, but all the download did was give me a uplay launcher and cd key. I had to enter it there and launch from it, adding another account on top of what I had already. I bought the game well after it was released but authentication issues kept me from playing about 10% of the time.
    The game itself was interesting at first, but ubisoft crippled themselves on drm. You play as 'god' and have a tribe that the goal is to help avoid disasters, but you do that by indirectly interacting with them, by doing stuff such as mold the environment.
    If the uplay requirement was removed I would give this a 7.    … Expand
  12. fartheststar
    May 1, 2014
    7
    There is fun here, but you kindof have to let the game get out of it's own way to enjoy it. There are sandbox elements, but there's also often a lack of control of the environment around you that's typically expected. In the later levels with lava you're going to be dealing issues that you can't really fix, you're just working around problems, which isn't always fun. For a game w/There is fun here, but you kindof have to let the game get out of it's own way to enjoy it. There are sandbox elements, but there's also often a lack of control of the environment around you that's typically expected. In the later levels with lava you're going to be dealing issues that you can't really fix, you're just working around problems, which isn't always fun. For a game w/ sandbox elements this can be frustrating - often I just want the game to leave me alone and let me do what I want. I got to one of the later levels and just got tired of dealing with lava on several successive levels and quit playing because of that. The game started feeling more like a chore than fun for me.

    Pathfinding: The little people seem to have problems with path finding - or at least I can't figure out why they have so much trouble walking from point A to point B. They have quite a bit of trouble with changes in slope and slight changes in elevation that are hard to see. In all - for a game that keeps asking you to do things and get your people from point A to point B - this is frustrating when you can't tell what their problem is.

    Part of the issue with this game is probably my expectation - it seemed like it could be this cool little eco-simulator where I could build worlds, but it turns into a jump-through-hoops puzzle type game too often. That's not to say there's not fun - there is fun - but a true sandbox mode with various maps would've been nice - but like other reviews have said - for some reason you can't just start a map and build like Sim City. There's a cool core idea though - it's just frustrating that it doesn't go where as a player you expect it to.    … Expand
  13. janontour
    Feb 19, 2014
    10
    Unfortunatly most people judge this game because of DRM - which I dislike too - but we should judge the game, not the circumstances. And the game really is fantastic. I often just doodle for hours building great vulcano lakes or crazy rivers that end in huge waterfall. The physics are so well done, the controls minimalistic yet effective - overall i have to say, one of my favorite games!Unfortunatly most people judge this game because of DRM - which I dislike too - but we should judge the game, not the circumstances. And the game really is fantastic. I often just doodle for hours building great vulcano lakes or crazy rivers that end in huge waterfall. The physics are so well done, the controls minimalistic yet effective - overall i have to say, one of my favorite games! The only true criticism I have is that it is too short! the campaign should be longer or they should offer some DLC, I would just love to play another campaign.… Expand
  14. keefbaker
    Nov 13, 2013
    7
    Not a god game, more a map customization puzzle game, which is fine but it wasn't marketed as such. That said it's an enjoyable, easy on the eyes little game that if you can pick up cheap is worth a punt.
  15. Grimmycakes
    Sep 16, 2013
    5
    There are some minor gameplay "spoilers" in this review but nothing fancy that I would really call a spoiler.

    From Dust was quite an interesting game for me. I will say this. The gameplay itself is pretty fun. However each and every level is very easy except maybe for the last level before the final level. The physics for water etc were very nicely done. I definitely enjoyed the    There are some minor gameplay "spoilers" in this review but nothing fancy that I would really call a spoiler.

    From Dust was quite an interesting game for me.

    I will say this. The gameplay itself is pretty fun. However each and every level is very easy except maybe for the last level before the final level.

    The physics for water etc were very nicely done. I definitely enjoyed the visuals from things like tsunamis and the way they interacted with the world itself.

    The big issue though is the game was sooooo very short and easy. There was rarely ever an actual challenge in the game. There was some times where I was required to think. But in a very short amount of time, I was able to figure out just how to overcome each level.

    The AI was for the most part ok, but there were some times where I would say they were pretty stupid and got themselves killed or I would have to be extra generous and help them even more, just to overcome a little "obstacle".

    There were also some times where the tiniest amount of water would prevent me from getting them to build a village, which again was annoying since it's rather hard to find such a small drop of water.

    Moving about the terrain was for the most part good to me. But there were some times where I found it a little annoying. Probably my biggest issue was I could very rarely ever have the camera sit "still" I would always move forwards or backwards even if just slightly. So I had to constantly keep changing my direction just so I can zoom in and focus on an area that needed my attention.

    I was disappointed in the "Story". I wouldn't call it a story at all.
    Every level played the same cutscene. I thought it was going to give us something interesting each level. But to my disappointment, it was the same thing. Over and over again.

    I think the game had a ton of potential to be great. But with the short gameplay, the lack of more powers/abilities to challenge you makes this game kind of a let down. There is very little content in the game.

    I did enjoy the game, but it's not something I would play again due to there not being any real re playability in it..

    For the price I paid, I suppose it was a fair-ish price.

    Overall, if you're looking for a fun and short "godish" game to play for a few hours to pass some time, I would say look into giving this game a shot. Just don't expect too much from it. The lack of more content and short gameplay is its biggest fall.

    Gameplay 6/10
    Graphics 7/10
    Sound 5/10
    Story 1/10    … Expand
  16. jjhill001
    Jul 28, 2013
    8
    Short fun game, absolutely gorgeous game for the price, with neat physics, the AI needs some work and can be frustrating. It's challenging but not absurdly so. I had fun with it.
  17. mexranger
    May 31, 2013
    7
    From Dust is a short, pretty and simple game which I have come across by chance in the bargin bin. I suggest you pick up a copy and kill a few hours. Its a pleasant surprise.
  18. theNILE
    May 9, 2013
    0
    I'm going to forget the DRM/always online stuff because there is a game-breaking bug. I could not even finish the game because at a certain mission, I had a bug where villagers won't die, then I can't do anything. The game still runs, but a villager doesn't die, you cannot complete that mission, you have to start all over again. They'll get washed out to sea, still be swimming, forever. IfI'm going to forget the DRM/always online stuff because there is a game-breaking bug. I could not even finish the game because at a certain mission, I had a bug where villagers won't die, then I can't do anything. The game still runs, but a villager doesn't die, you cannot complete that mission, you have to start all over again. They'll get washed out to sea, still be swimming, forever. If they get out of water, they'll just stand there, forever, they'll be completely submerged in water, just standing there, looking around. It's bad enough I felt that the game itself was mediocre due to the controls being stuttery and delayed, an irritating AI, no pathing control, low frame-rates for the mediocre graphics. I found myself getting frustrated trying to get fire trees to work properly and honestly things such as this ruined the experience when really the trees and stuff shoulda made the game great. This is an unoptimized port of a game which should of been pulled.… Expand
  19. jamezaakub
    May 8, 2013
    0
    again the game from Ubisoft always has a problem with the launcher. i cant even play the game that cost me $15 like are you serious? this is not about the game itself its about the company who released it
  20. Andrew_Paterson
    Apr 25, 2013
    6
    From Dust is an enjoyable little romp through the lands of, well... through various lands. It's short but cheap and scratches a sandbox god game itch that I've had ever since Master of Magic.

    I bought and began playing it long after the DRM debacle had been resolved (although I still have a small gripe that I have to launch it through Uplay). I'm not going to penalise it for that.    From Dust is an enjoyable little romp through the lands of, well... through various lands. It's short but cheap and scratches a sandbox god game itch that I've had ever since Master of Magic.

    I bought and began playing it long after the DRM debacle had been resolved (although I still have a small gripe that I have to launch it through Uplay). I'm not going to penalise it for that.

    It's pretty enough and the campaign will have you scratching your head until you've mastered the breath abilities. Second time around there's little challenge but sculpting the stages into utopias for the tribe is fun.

    And that brings me to the games biggest problem. The tribe. Their path-finding and AI is awful. Particularly in the challenge maps. I'll see men stuck on the one spike in a flat landscape; stop just before they reach a goal and be flummoxed by a tiny puddle. Most annoyingly they will always try and take the shortest straight line which leads to lots of running back and forth as a passable path presents itself around an obstacle and then subsides causing them men to take the shortest path again and run slap into the obstacle. Fix the path and repeat.

    Adding way-points or the ability tell tribesmen to move to a spot would have fixed this but as it stands it seems unnecessarily broken. Not game breaking but irritating (and a lot more irritating than mediocre and un-skippable cinematics)     … Expand
  21. Morring
    Apr 23, 2013
    0
    What a great disappointment. You can see that this game has some solid ideas behind it. We could have had an awesome God game, and we got a shallow puzzle game with clumsy controls, low replay value, no sandbox mode, and a poor console port to top it all. And this would have been a 5/10 or 4/10. However, not only ubisoft lied about the DRM, but after its initial removal right now the DRMWhat a great disappointment. You can see that this game has some solid ideas behind it. We could have had an awesome God game, and we got a shallow puzzle game with clumsy controls, low replay value, no sandbox mode, and a poor console port to top it all. And this would have been a 5/10 or 4/10. However, not only ubisoft lied about the DRM, but after its initial removal right now the DRM is back, with their not-so-stable servers. DO NOT SUPPORT DISHONEST BUSINESS, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME.… Expand
  22. StukaJU87c
    Mar 15, 2013
    8
    I just purchased this off steam for something like $4...money well spent. I'm seeing lot of the negative comments are from a bad launch/bugs...it seems a lot of it has been ironed out. The game is original and intriguing. Even for the regular $15 on steam you should check it out.
  23. Vihazur
    Mar 15, 2013
    5
    Looked interesting, but was hoping it'd be more like Populous, and less like that wooden labyrinth board game with the metal ball. Didn't get very far, just seemed like a pretty boring concept to me. I'm not really a fan of puzzle games, though.
  24. dumle
    Feb 2, 2013
    4
    From Dust does a lot of things right. Manipulating the environment is easy and fun and the game can at times be extremely relaxing. There are some cool "power-ups" in the game and there is quite a lot of maps. The game is also really pleasant to look at. The game do however have some problems. The developers have somehow managed to screw up the mouse control and as result controlling theFrom Dust does a lot of things right. Manipulating the environment is easy and fun and the game can at times be extremely relaxing. There are some cool "power-ups" in the game and there is quite a lot of maps. The game is also really pleasant to look at. The game do however have some problems. The developers have somehow managed to screw up the mouse control and as result controlling the game feels really weird. There is also a fps-cap on 30 fps which is a bit annoying. Gameplay-wise the biggest problem are your loyal minions. The AI is terrible and the pathfinding doesnt really work as well as it should. Which gets really annoying when time and manpower is crucial. Combine this with ridiculous fast-spreading fire, timed tides and annoying unforgivable maps and you are in for a nasty treat if rage. None of these faults are really gamebreaking but they do take the game from an above-average game to a below-average game. I would still recommend the game if you are into the genre and can get it for a cheap price since the game is by no means terrible. Just know that it is a little bit rough around the edges.… Expand
  25. OoieGooie
    Jan 1, 2013
    5
    A wonderful atmosphere, art and physics and although there seems to be a lot of fuss about this and that I don't see any issues. I like the game. If only you could ESC the cut scenes before a level. This, by itself, ruined the game for me. I can't watch those cut scenes over and over and over because I failed a level. Such a simple problem that would have a simple fix.

    Fix that one    A wonderful atmosphere, art and physics and although there seems to be a lot of fuss about this and that I don't see any issues. I like the game. If only you could ESC the cut scenes before a level. This, by itself, ruined the game for me. I can't watch those cut scenes over and over and over because I failed a level. Such a simple problem that would have a simple fix.

    Fix that one thing for me and I will give it an 8.    … Expand
  26. KillJoyKJ
    Dec 18, 2012
    3
    I bought this game during the steam sale for 75% off at $3.75... After playing the game, I realize I paid too much. The game has stunning graphics, but as another reviewer mentioned, this 'From Dust' is simply a showcase for the landscape engine. No replay value, Frustrating Pathfinder AI, No real point to the game... Save your money. Ubisoft has been dissapointing as of late.
  27. Centurion456
    Dec 3, 2012
    7
    A nice puzzle/god wrath game, the power you wield to halt natures advance is fun, but the villager path-finding ability is frustrating to say the least.
  28. dajhorn
    Nov 28, 2012
    5
    From Dust plays like a low-fat version of Populous, which leaves you wanting something more. This game also has a terminal case of console-itus and a bad DRM infection. An Xbox 360 controller should be listed as a requirement for playing.
  29. Viacota
    Oct 7, 2012
    6
    No es lo que pensaba, se trata solo de llevar del punto A al punto B a los primitivos, ya sea arrastrando agua, colocando tierra, solidificando magma,etc.

    Visualmente bello y agradable, entretiene Sí, pero pensaba que tenpia más relación con un juego en el que eres Dios y haber tenido más control y variables que manejar.
  30. AJ6432
    Jul 27, 2012
    8
    Although short, this game left a lasting impression on me. From the breathtaking real-world physics to the simple yet intuitive idea that nature guides the world you shift, this game is a great casual title for almost any person looking for something beyond the simple games like Peggle. You star in the game as nature, err a god who shapes the natural world around a group of natives, andAlthough short, this game left a lasting impression on me. From the breathtaking real-world physics to the simple yet intuitive idea that nature guides the world you shift, this game is a great casual title for almost any person looking for something beyond the simple games like Peggle. You star in the game as nature, err a god who shapes the natural world around a group of natives, and your overall goal is to help the natives spread across the land; it is a simple yet charming story. You can move, create and destroy land, water, and more, and can harness other abilities as well. You can also use some of the plants in the environment to aid you, like water-expelling flowers or fire trees; however, these can also work against you. The mechanics of this game require often a beautiful mastery of balance. Contrary to what some others seem to think, the controls are simple enough - usually just click and drag, but occasionally one can use special powers granted by totems to perform special powers; many of the challenges are easy enough with this set-up. The camera does have a few issues, some of which are programmed a certain way and require getting use to; for example, the reticle that one uses is always to be centered on the screen, so even the slightest movement will cause the player's map view to shift; however, there are a few, though sparse, issues where the camera is just finicky. The most impressive part of this game is the visuals, notably the liquid physics; water, lava, and even sand flow and interact with the environment so well and seamlessly. The plants blow in the wind and burn within a fire, and the villagers have their own unique look (although their models are limited). Really my only major qualm with this game is that the story mode itself is short; it took me about 5-6 hours to complete. After that, there are many challenge maps to complete, but many of these are quick to beat. Overall, I really loved the game, I just wish there were more maps and a longer story mode to it. Also, a full- fledged sandbox mode that can be shared with other players would be nice too.

    To address the DRM, I agree with many of the people, but for me dealing with it and uPlay (Ubisoft's PC game platform) is not a big deal; I just don't like or understand why I have to launch another platform aside from Steam to play From Dust. All that is really required is to set up a uPlay account and you're good.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best PC Game of 2011
41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
69
#69 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 30, 2011
    50
    To truly enjoy playing God you have to beat a few obstacles – technical issues, arguable DRM and user-unfriendly controls. Console-to-PC conversion took its price this time. [Oct 2011]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    84
    From Dust feels like a demo of Populous 4. Tutorial parts (with too much hand helding) ran too long, but couple of levels display the possibilities what From Dust could have been. Still worth the price, though. [Sept 2011]
  3. MEGamers
    Sep 15, 2011
    75
    From Dusk is a very interesting title to play, but could have been a great game if the controls and difficulty were more polished.
    Read full review
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