Buy Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dust: An Elysian Tail is a wonderful take on the standard "Metroidvania" formula. You have a large world map that you can openly explore (or travel around with nifty waypoints) much like in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Throughout your adventure you'll visit a variety of different locations, level up your character, and meet a variety of different characters. While the voice acting is satisfactory at best, the combat, graphics, and soundtrack are all phenomenal.

The first item that must be discussed is the art style. While it's not as active and vibrant as other 2D games (like Rayman Origins or Rayman Legends) it still is beautiful enough to hold it's own. Everything has a hand-drawn look to it and the animation is fantastic.

Combat is another area where the game excels. You're given a talking sword as your main weapon but receive several upgrades and combos to fool around with so combat doesn't get stale. Having the option to counter enemies in a 2D game is always a great addition as well.

Getting 100% for this game wasn't particularly difficult. Most are story related and there are a few missable achievements if I recall but nothing too difficult. Overall it was a very fun game to 100% and quite satisfying as well.

I would highly recommend Dust: An Elysian Tail to any Metroidvania fans or 2D side-scrolling fans in general. It's a fun game that looks great and plays very well.

8.5/10

A colourful, characterful, entertaining game. The gameplay is reasonably easy to pick up even for someone not experienced in the genre, the puzzles are often challenging without being overly frustrating, the story is decent and there is a reasonable amount of content.

It is not without its flaws - the ending really falls down a bit both through overblown writing and by turning combat into a confusing mess by flooding it with both allies and enemies, and the game is prone to sharp framerate drops even on a GTX1080 - but the good definitely outweighs the bad.

"Dust: An Elysian Tail" is a Metroidvania style platforming action-RPG in which you play as the protagonist, Dust, accomponied by sidekick Fidget on a mission to save Falana and it's inhabitants from General Gauis' wrath. The game was almost entirely made by Dean Dodrill (the creator) alone. He handpainted the games' visulals and vistas, wrote the story alongside Alex Kain and programmed the game himself.

I played the game on the normal difficulty setting using a keyboard and a mouse and spent about 16 hours completing all the levels and collecting all the collectibles. I made short notes about what I felt was positive and negative about the game. The following are the positives and negatives of my experience of the game.


- You start you adventure with a descriptive tutorial in which you learn the basic controls. The tutorial also features the beginning of the story and is almost perfectly integrated into it.
- The game has smooth and solid platforming. Special skills are aqquired as the story progresses such as, double jump and iron grip, which help you platform better and visit places which you couldn't get to early in the game.
- Platforming is also quite challenging and there are many terrain based puzzles you need to solve to get to some platforms. There are many different types of barriers and obstacles and you often need to find alternative paths or make calculated sacrifices to health to overcome them.
- The game also has a strong RPG aspect to it such as collecting materials for crafting different items, completing main quests and optional side quests and grinding for XP.
- The graphics are really good in the game. The backgrounds are all handpainted and animated meaning they change dynamically as you platform and move. There are different terrains, weather conditions and day cycles which makes the game very immersive and atmospheric.
- This is also an action game in which you need to learn different combos to defeat your enemies. The combat animations are smooth and satisfying. You see different animations while executing different combos which is really important.
- The story is well-written and I personally like how it developed. There are also several reccuring themes and plot twists in the story. There is flow in how the story progresses.
- There are many different characters in the game, each with unique backstories and motivations. Doing quests for these charachters enhances the experience of the game and makes it more fun. Some characters make hilarious jokes.
- The voice acting is phenomenal and one can see the effort put into it by the actors and the director. I watched some uncut youtube videos in which the voice actors recorded their dialouges and man they were funny.
- The sound tracks was made by HyperDuck Soundworks. It is really good. My favourite is the "Abadis Forest" track.
- There are many types of enemies, each with unique traits and charachter models depending on their locations. There is also a learning curve as each type of enemy has it's own combos and attack patterns.
- You can level up from XP by defeating monsters and completing quests. The level cap is 60 as of writing this review. Going up a level rewards you with an ability point which can be used on four different traits such as attack, health, defense and Fidget's magic power.


- There is no enemy scaling and the combat becomes very hack and slash after you obtain decent weapons.
- The boss fights were a major let down. First of all there were not many bosses and second, they were short. Also mini bosses with some sidestory would have made the story much better
- Some characters lacked sidestory and contextualization. I really enjoyed Fidget for example but would have liked more of her lore etc.
- There is no way to obtain some items, except for them randomly dropping from enemies. It was frustraiting grinding and waiting for these random drops, as someone who likes to max their charachters in games.
- There were some minor bugs I encountered and I had to restart the game once due to the screen getting stuck. Apart from that the gameplay was smooth.



Dust: An Elysian Tail has a solid story, combat, platforming, soundtrack and other things it advertises. The game is well optimzed and polished. There is flow in the gameplay and the game has replay value and potential. I would recommend buying this game for an enjoyable 15+ hours experience.




I received this game for review purposes from Steamified. All these reviews are unsponsored, unsolicited meaning that I am not entitled to favor all reviews with either a positive or negative score for any games I am sent for review.
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Best Game Eva.

Dust: An Elysian Tail is a wonderful experience of a Side Scrolling Hack N' Slash game, and I'm here to tell you why.

The game starts off with you playing as Dust, a... furry (?) who woke up in the middle of the forests who dealt with amnesia, and is awfully confused on whom he is, and is confronted by Fidget the Nimbat, and Ahrah the Sword. You set out on a perilious journey to discover Dust's past and face all kinds of wicked monsters across the world.

The game features extremely satisfying and smooth combat despite it being limited to 2D, yet, it plays so well.

The game's combo system works by pressing two buttons, one for slashing, and another for extra combos. You gain new abilities, most likely to help you in enemy confrontrations when you play more of the game.

The game world is absolutely lovely and beautiful to look at, as well as the scenery you come across. It is quite expansive, as you head out to new areas to explore the world.

The combat can sometimes get repetitive and tiring after a while, as the fight mechanics do not change, but the game can make up for this with it's wonderful speed and fluent style of gameplay, that happens so quickly. It is very awesome.

The difficulty is not in any way lacking, unless if you have mastered the combat to the extreme, as it allows you to pick which difficulty you would prefer, easy, moderate, or hard.
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There are many characters and side quests to tackle on if you do not want to try and finish the main game's storyline, as they give you time to explore the world for secrets, treasures, and quests to start on your own time.

It features a nice quick leveling up system, that once you've gained enough experience points, you can choose a stat you'd like to improve, as it keeps the game extremely fresh and impressive.

The game allows you to craft new items to your liking that has stats you'd generally prefer to have and use, such as armor, sword buffs, pendents, rings, etc.

Dust An Elysian Tail may seem short to some who've played and decided to go on a quick speed-through, but it is a fun experience nevertheless and I suggest buying at full price to support the developer 100%, since a lot of love andeffort to making this game. Kudos.

HOPING SEQUEL COMES OUT IN THE FUTURE! MUAAAAAAH!

When it comes to RPG's there are several key factors that often serve to define and disparate each one from every other one. Naming some of these major factors would lead one to include RPG elements like World Lore, Expansiveness , Story ,Quest Design, Side Quests quantity, Exploration, Character Customization, Skill Trees, Crafting , Grinding, The Combat System and just Overall Immersion in the game. In an era where RPG's are trying to Reinvent, Innovate and Push the Boundaries of such thematics to Revolutionize the genre and broadcast their distinctive traits and appeal, Where does a game such as Dust:An Elysian Tail stand? Ultimately the success of every RPG no matter what kind of revolutionary concept they bring to the table boils down to one simple attribute Execution.

Dust:An Elysian Tail is a game that has every one of the aforementioned RPG elements, While none of these elements come of as prodigious or unique, The game however excels in one simple aspect, 'Execution' and that is exactly what makes this game succceed and a joy to play.

Dust plays an 2D side scroller platformer RPG with a hack n slash variant of combat. As I mentioned above all the elements exist in a very simple form. Combat consists of basic combo chaining and just beating up every mob of enemies you find. Platforming involves basic jumping, Dodging traps and so on. The skill tree consists of 4 simple attributes (HP, Attack, Defence, Magic) and every level gives you the chance to increase any one of them by 1 level. There's the classic RPG inventory system. Questing mostly involves point to point movement and fetching for side quests. Perhaps the most noteworthy element of Dust would be the Crafting system, You only need to accquire a material once after which you can sell it to the shop which will restock the material over time. This saves an enormous amount of grinding which would otherwise be needed,

When it comes to difficulty they game is actually fairly easy since your character is pretty much overpowered but beating up those mobs still feels enjoyable and really cool. I started out on Tough difficulty and pretty much had no trouble at all, Boss Fights are straight forward and easy for the most part.

Supporting all these elements is yet another simple but charming storyline about a man on a search for his identity, His search for himself brings him across diverse beautifully drawn areas(Backgrounds) ranging from underground basins to snowtop mountains,volcanic lands and rustic villages. Accompanied by a small flying sidekick and a talking sword what else do you need in a fantasical story? By far the only complaint I have for the game would be that Voice Acting feels a bit forced at times but it is nowhere near an issue to hinder the game.

If it isn't clear by now, The game is simple but the way all these simplistic elements mesh together to create a feeling of fluidity is nothing sort of excellence. Perhaps this fluidity is the main reason this game is so much fun to play despite it's overly simplistic and straightforward demeanour.

8/10, The game is worth the money you put in.

this game is amazing 14.99 is a steal for the fun youll have, well if you enjoy games like masumora demon blade, no sidegrades though, but it duesnt need them (plus sometimes sidegrades can be a little dumb), amazing story beutiful characters, and a little bit of a feel trip, i recommed playing on tough or higher, HAVE FUN!

Good game,i liked the story,good design,I liked this game a lot and it's a very good game to play

Dust: An Elysian Tail starts off with a very simple concept, yet it stands up to what it promises.

Speaking of the gameplay, it's platforming mixed with action fighting.
The fighting system is rather simple, you have a few skills need to learn to use in the right combination and situation considering the hazards around you and the enemies you're facing. Especially on higher difficulties, you really want to know what enemies can stagger after how many hits, or when you need the energy to dodge instead of using Fidget attacks. Knowing your surroundings is mandatory as you need to manage your movements while fighting. The attacks and combos are limited, but that means you have less to work on, and you need to make the best with what you have.

The platforming parts are fun, but they can get really annoying, especially on higher difficulties: Playing Hardcore from the start, I found myself loading and repeating the same sections lots of times, since the damage the obstacles deal are increased with difficulty. I guess it's my fault for making a mistake if I land on a spike, but when I find myself in front of unpredictable hostacles, I can't really be blamed, since the lack of regular pattern just made me jump towards my own death, or sometimes you'll find yourself stopping a jump in midair to avoid that obstacle falling on other ones (Like Mudpot mushrooms and Mountain icicles). Another annoying thing was the trials: fun challenge, but a restart option would have been nice since you need an almost perfect run to get 4-star ratings, instead of having to clear the whole course just to get another shot at it.

The classic RPG-styled system for EXP, gold and items is nicely managed. Except for the huge boost you get from almost-end game items, the character build up speed is just right to keep a good challenge if one doesn't stop grinding at the first obstacle. The only problem I could find is that you'll need to buy usable health items even if you're in a town, where there could be a classic inn to fill up your health bar (I found myself buying from the town store after clearing a dungeon where the only damage I got was from the last rooms, usually containing bosses).

The game experience in general is quite astonishing. There are some clichés here and there, but the storyline and ambience are what really got me. Trying to understand who the protagonist is during the main quest, how he behaves, Fidget, the rising climax towards the end of the storyline really got me glued to the screen. The variety of landscape, ambients, enemies, and weather are simple yet effective addictions to an original art style. Some sloppy animation during cinematics, but consindering what I just said, it's not a big deal.

Intriguing storyline after the amnesia cliché starts developing, Fidget, exciting gameplay, original art style, Fidget, variety of characters and landscape, Fidget... If you have the chance, give it a go, you won't regret it. I'd say a solid 9/10

This game is a jam-packed adventure game with a great artstyle and story. I'm a personal fan of the character called "Fidget" and their very interesting personality. This game is full of side quests, too. There are many different rewards you can also get form the quests. Many of the NPC's in the gane are interactive and may give you many tasks too complete. I love this game and it's many counter-parts.