(Yes: we know it's April, the patch notes are coming in very late! No: this isn't an April Fool's post.)

Our latest content update is a relatively minor one, but addresses something we’ve wanted to do for a long time: more Herald, more context to the Puritans storyline. We’re not done with this yet — we have some additional plans for the game’s ending — but the new Pax-meets-the-Herald scenes in issues #4, #7 and #10 add important details and context to a part of the story we weren’t completely happy with.

Aside from that, there’s now an alternate way to enter the New Jerusalem mall, using Ziggy; the first of hopefully many radio broadcasts; and a couple of important bug fixes and optimisations.

We hope you enjoy this (minor) update! We have something really special planned for our next big content update, scheduled for “spring 2025”. (Norwegian spring, that is. Our summer doesn’t really begin until June.)

• New and updated Herald scenes in issues #4, #7, and #10.
  
• The first of several planned radio broadcasts added to the bus after leaving Liberty (issue #2).
  
• Alternate path to entering the New Jerusalem mall, using Ziggy. This path is Coda-dependent.

• Fixed checkpoint saving for key moments.
  
• Resolved ME-EM “jiggle” issues on low frame-rates.
  
• Addressed several memory-related crashes.

"Dustborn is perhaps 2024’s most misunderstood game. Upon its release in August, an unfortunate barrage of online criticisms quickly usurped any opportunity for meaningful discourse about it. But having actually played the game, we wholeheartedly believe that its twisting story and vibrant world are worth experiencing."

This description from GLAAD, featured in their list of standout titles from 2024, is an affirmation of what the development team set out to achieve. Dustborn is a heartfelt story about inclusion and diversity in a world that often feels hostile to those ideals.

"Being nominated for a GLAAD Media Award means so much to me, both as a creator and as a gay man," writes Christoffer Grav, Senior Art Director at Red Thread Games. "With Dustborn, we set out to celebrate diversity and give a voice to those who often feel unseen. This recognition is a reminder of why representation in media matters and inspires me to keep telling stories that make a difference."

We are incredibly honoured and grateful for the nomination, and proud to be in such inspiring company.

You can read about the other nominees here:

https://glaad.org/glaad-celebrates-outstanding-video-game-nominees-at-the-36th-annual-glaad-media-awards-glaadawards/

We've released a new demo!

But wait…WHY a new demo when the game's been out for FIVE (!) months?

We removed the old demo before Christmas. It was very outdated; developed for Steam's Next Fest in June 2024, it included none of the important and game-changing updates and upgrades from the past seven (!!) months.

The old demo also didn't, uh, demonstrate what Dustborn is all about. It was too disjointed and fragmented, which made it hard to understand the story and characters. It dropped you into combat without a proper tutorial, and you didn't get enough time to hang with the crew — a big part of the Dustborn experience. This is, after all, a game about people and relationships…and only occasionally and tangentially about fighting zombie robots. (There's some of that, sure. But there's a lot more branching dialogue and emotional choices.)

The new demo is very much THE GAME. If you enjoy this, you'll probably enjoy the rest of it.

(Conversely, and importantly, if you DON'T like the demo…well, Dustborn isn't for you. You don't have to buy it and return it and we can all go our separate ways, no hard feelings. It's one of them win-win scenarios!)

So what does this new demo do differently?

It contains the FULL first two chapters (we call them "issues", like in comic-books) and your progress carries over to the purchased game. Depending on your pace and patience, that's potentially two hours of FREE playtime — more than enough to decide if you vibe with it (or not).

One caveat: we update the game on a regular basis, and the demo will most likely not get those updates, so over time the two will diverge — but that shouldn't affect the experience TOO much. Most of the patches and content updates focus on later chapters (sorry, issues) and gameplay features like the combat system.

On that note: we do have some cool updates in store for this year, so keep an eye out for that, if you're interested!

If you haven't played Dustborn yet, here's your chance to do so for REAL, no strings attached! (It certainly beats watching those carefully edited YouTube videos.) If you played the old demo and didn't like it, maybe give this one a shot to see if you feel differently?

And if you already own the game… THANK YOU! There's nothing here for you. Nothing. Sorry.

Just in time for the holidays, version 1.10 — our second major update since launch — brings performance improvements, bug fixes, and new content to Dustborn.

As always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback, suggestions, and bug reports — both in the Steam discussion forum and on Discord.

We hope you enjoy our latest update…and this is still just the beginning! We have more exciting and surprising game updates planned for next year — including features and content suggested by our community.

Players on other platforms: this version will be available through alternative PC storefronts (Epic/GOG) and on consoles next week.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, thanks for playing Dustborn, and we'll see you all in 2025!

• Optimisations and improved performance in multiple scenes, including La Torre in issue #1 and Betty's Diner in issue #10.
  
• Occlusion/LOD fixes in several locations (including the first dream sequence) to improve performance and reduce popping.
  
• Full-screen overlays (e.g. character introduction screens) previously hid subtitles; this has now been fixed.
  
• Some inventory item textures were blurry when the visual quality was set to low or medium. Those textures are now higher resolution.
  
• The crew should now (finally!) respond correctly to Pax's choice of t-shirt at the first campfire.
  
• Smaller bug fixes throughout the game, including dialogue branching corrections and dialogue audio volume improvements.
  
• Save game feature update.

• Additional polish and bug fixes in issues #0-1. The opening hours have received special attention, to improve the quality and pacing of the new player experience. This includes dialogue edits and new animations, staging changes, timing tweaks and fresh content.
  
• New scenes and dialogue lines added throughout the game to better explain the Puritans and Axiom storyline. More to come in future updates!
  
• Improved ultra-widescreen support.
  
• Enhancements to the combat tutorial at the end of issue #1, including new cameras and animations, dialogue tweaks, and a more polished post-combat scene.
  
• Band game: UI tweaks and new comic-book panels during band performances.
  
• New bat-throwing taunt finisher. This finisher is used primarily on airborne enemies.
  
• Prologue comic is now accessible immediately upon unlock. The option to read the prologue is also highlighted on the title screen until the comic-book is accessed.
  
• Camera auto-follow functionality. Available in settings, under "Controls".
  
• New graphics modes: Fidelity, Balanced, and Performance. Available in settings, under "Video".

Thanks for playing the latest content update, and for reporting bugs! The new patch is now live and includes the following fixes:

• Multiple fixes to prevent soft-blocks after skipping dialogue lines
  
• Block counter window has been adjusted, making it easier to counter enemy attacks after blocking
  
• Fixed error in comic book wrap-up panel if C.T. stayed on the bus in issue #6
  
• Fixed a blocker bug in the Adjunct boss fight in issue #10
  
• Pax now wears the correct shirt after the flashback sequence in the mall (issue #4)
  
• Added Ziggy’s missing Coda Moment at the service station in issue #3
  
• Fixed bug blocking player movement if Pax got too close to the bus at the Alpine Visitors Center
  
• Fixed bug with dialogue prematurely cutting off on the bus after the Alpine Visitors Center
  
• Ziggy’s Vox FX no longer permanently enabled during the workshop scene
  
• Fixed a bug with the Acolytes rising from the floor in the mall (issue #4)
  
• Nai-Nai’s lipsync phonemes should now work as expected
  
• Wardrobe fix in the hospital (issue #10)

We’re excited to bring you our latest update, featuring new content, quality of life improvements, and a bunch of bug fixes to make your cross-country road trip aboard the Cougar Cruiser a smoother and more enjoyable ride!

Here are the highlights:


By popular request, you can now skip dialogue lines with the spacebar (game controllers: Ⓑ/Ⓞ).


Ever wonder when your choices impact the story? “Coda Moments” highlight key branching moments linked to your crew's Codas.


The new Story Mode skips all combat encounters automatically — for players who just want the story. You can also skip individual fights in Easy and Normal modes.

Hard Mode has upped the stakes: you can die, which sends you back to the last checkpoint.


We heard your feedback and we've made some changes to combat:

Pax's bat now reacts to walls and obstacles, dealing incidental damage on its way to enemies. Plus, there's a new bat-throw animation and a cooldown for more strategic throws.

We've improved blocking: hold the block button for continuous defence with an increased auto-turn radius.

We've also added three new chain combos to Pax's arsenal of melee bat-attacks.


You can now browse and restore older saves, offering more control over your progress.


Manually exit band rehearsals, find alternate paths through challenges, discover extra lore and environmental details, like movie posters and new arcade machines in the mall.


We’ve polished the wrap-up comics and Coda pages, and added Coda pages for Theo.

(There’s also a new post-credits scene: restore the last checkpoint and rewatch the credits to see it!)


Fixed camera control issues, resolved scene-blocking bugs, and squashed memory leaks.
Additional fixes for specific scenes and combat mechanics have been addressed.

Thanks for your feedback! We'll continue to make improvements, changes and additions based on your comments and input, so please let us know what you think!

• Dialogue line skipping
  
  
  • Use spacebar to skip dialogue lines, when possible
    
  • Not all dialogue lines can be skipped. This is due to scripts and animations that run in the background.
    
  • On Xbox controllers this action is mapped to the Ⓑ button.
    
  • On PlayStation controllers this action is mapped to the Ⓞ button.
• CODA Moments
  
  
  • “Coda Moment” pop-ups have been added throughout the game.
    
  • Coda Moments highlight when the story branches or events happen because of a character’s current Coda.
• Skip combat functionality
  
  
  • For players who want to focus on the story, there’s a new “story mode” that automatically skips all combat encounters.
    
  • Combat difficulty modes renamed to “Easy”, “Normal”, and “Hard”.
    
  • In addition, a “Skip combat” button is displayed when playing in easy/normal modes, enabling players to skip single fights.
• “Hard” combat mode made harder
  
  
  • You can now die when playing on the hard difficulty setting.
    
  • Dying puts you back at the previous checkpoint.
• Versus and victory screens added to all combat scenes
  
  
• Bat updates
  
  
  • Pax’s magnetic bat no longer passes through environmental collision. Instead, if the bat hits a wall or obstacle, it bounces back.
    
  • The bat does incidental damage if it hits enemies on its way to the target.
    
  • Pax’s bat-throwing animation has been replaced with a better animation.
    
  • The bat has a cooldown before Pax can throw it again.
• Improved combat blocking
  
  
  • Based on player feedback, we’ve improved the block functionality.
    
  • You can now hold the block-button to keep blocking, and Pax’s auto-turn radius has been increased.
    
  • Blocking is interrupted by attacking.
• New chain attacks
  
  
  • Three new chain attacks added to combat.
• Timing pass on banter dialogue
  
  
  • Combat banter dialogue is now paced better, with more pauses in banter, less overlapping dialogue.
    
  • Combat banter can still be switched off in accessibility settings.
• Save-game browser
  
  
  • You can now browse and restore older save games, not just the previous checkpoint.
• Exit band rehearsal
  
  
  • Added functionality for manually exiting band rehearsal scenes.
• Band mini-game calibration
  
  
  • Calibration has been added to the first songwriting scene.
    
  • Calibration is still available from the game settings screen.
• Pax's initial reaction to Robot
  
  
  • Players are no longer forced to use Vox on the robot driver in La Torre.
    
  • Pax will not use Vox if you simply let the dialogue time out.
• Alternate path for getting into The Bad Lands Bar & Grill in Chicago
  
  
  • There’s now an alternate way to get into the bar, which affects branching and the comic book.
• New post-credits scene
  
  
  • There’s a brand new post-credits stinger.
    
  • Tip to players who have completed the game: restore the last checkpoint and watch the credits!
• Noam may sing happy birthday to Mr President in the mall
  
  
  • This only happens if Noam’s current Coda is ████████.
• Noam plays hide-and-seek
  
  
  • Noam will now participate in the hide-and-seek segment in the farmhouse if their current Coda is ████████.
• Visual updates to the wrap-up comic book pages
  
  
  • Many pages have been polished and improved.
• Visual updates to the Coda splash pages at the end of the game
  
  
  • Several of the Coda endings have been polished and improved.
• Added Coda pages for Theo
  
  
  • Theo now gets a post-game Coda.
• Added missing Pax reflection moment in Camp Cedar
  
  
• Movie posters added to the mall cinema
  
  
• New arcade machines (non-playable) added to the mall arcade
  
  
• Added more JFK lore to the opening scenes of the game
  
  
• Added animated icon to the “feat of strength” tapping mini-game (e.g. Pax lifting bus in La Torre)
  
  
• Fixed inertia-issues when using mouse to control camera
  
  
• There’s now a setting to turn on/off camera smoothing.
  
  
• Fixed a problem where the heli-carrier cutscene in issue #10 broke the taunt camera
  
  
• Fixed blocker when using Sai interaction on bus in La Torre immediately after trying to lift bus
  
  
• Fixed bug with saving and reloading during motel escape
  
  
• Fixed bug in a campfire scene where gifting Theo something teleported Pax to another spot in the scene
  
  
• Fixed bugs in combat movement set
  
  
• Fixed multiple memory leaks

Dustborn is releasing today! Only three hours left before you're immersed into the Republic of America with Pax and her crew!


Have a look at the map below to know the exact release timing in your region:




Dustborn will be available on Steam at a launch price of $29.99 / 29.99€.



26 achievements will be available to unlock during your road trip. Keep an eye on the road to get them all!


See you at 4pm UTC+2 for the reveal of our launch trailer. But in the meantime... here's a sneak peak 👀



Join our official Dustborn Discord channel and chat with us and many others!

We're back with our last livestream of this Steam Next Fest! Check out our Steam page to watch Aliya Will (voice of Sai) play the demo, while sharing about her experience cosplaying Dustborn's main character Pax!





Wishlist the game now to stay updated on everything related to Dustborn and be notified when it releases August 20, 2024!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/721180/Dustborn/



Join our official Dustborn Discord channel and chat with us and many others!

Missed Monday's livestream? We got you covered with a recording! Check out our Steam page to watch Katy Bentz and Safiyya Ingar (voice of Sai) play the demo, while sharing some insights about the game.





You all met the main crew, but it's time to reveal a new character who play an important role in the story: The Herald. His gaze is penetrating. When he smiles, pain and death follow. He may not be (entirely) human. See for yourself below!




Wishlist the game now to stay updated on everything related to Dustborn and be notified when it releases August 20, 2024!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/721180/Dustborn/



Join our official Dustborn Discord channel and chat with us and many others!

We are excited to take part in the Steam Next Fest, from June 10 to June 17 with a free hands-on demo. For a full week, you will get the opportunity to discover the world of Dustborn and the crew you'll be a part of.




Celebrate the start of the event June 10 on Twitch with exclusive let's play livestreams featuring creators Katy Bentz, Aliya Will and actor Safiyya Ingar who voices Sai in the game!





Wishlist the game now to stay updated on everything related to Dustborn and be notified when it releases August 20, 2024!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/721180/Dustborn/



Join our official Dustborn Discord channel and chat with us and many others!