The first thing you’ll notice about the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo is the gorgeous artwork that comes to life on screen. At the end of the demo a bullet point list tells how all the artwork is hand painted. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it myself. In a world of increasingly realistic experiences it’s nice to have a game like this to come back to. It’s 2D world is full of vibrant sprites that never leave you wanting more even though you’re only moving in the x and y directions. Much of the fun to be had in this game is the visual explosion of colors and characters as the main character, Dust, flies around whirling his magical sword. The demo had some tricks up it’s sleeve as it dimmed the lights in sections accenting specific hues. I can see how the developer could easily treat the player by adding in weather effects like rain or lightning to further the enjoyment to be had in the game.
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| (Screenshots don’t really do this game justice in the visual department. You’ll have to try it for yourself.) |
The characters remind me of any assortment of animes that you’ve probably already seen but it doesn’t hinder their quality. Dust is some sort of human fox that sprouts angelic wings for short bursts to double jump. He carries a magical sword, Ahrah, that is also a character. They’re both followed by Fidget, a cute and cuddly flying fox that helps you in battle. They’re all fully voiced. Fidget in particular sticks out because she sounds like your stereotypical anime sidekick, but her dialogue is written and delivered very well. Fidget is also very funny. I found myself smiling at some of the silly things she would say.
In the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo you don’t get enough of the story to see where it’s going, but like many open world games, the environment was tiding me over. They created such a beautiful world that I am excited to learn more about it even though the demo was lacking story beats. In it’s defense, I’m glad they let what the demo does best do the talking.
The music wasn’t anything special. The soundtrack is mostly background, but listening to your enemies get sliced by your sword was quite satisfying. Again, it’s your normal assortment of hack and slash sounds, but they’re very important nonetheless. While playing the game you’re fighting and juggling many characters so the extra emphasis on sonic feedback never hurts. Well, I guess it hurts the antagonists...
Besides the graphics, the real fun of the game lies in the combat. It’s easy to initiate combos, launch enemies into the air, and no matter what you do it’s going to look pretty. Your skill comes into play when you find yourself narrowly dodging an enemies attack or juggling multiple combos for maximum damage and experience. It reminds me of Devil May Cry because your main attack is with your sword but you can extend combos by using your ranged attack.
This demo really showed me a blueprint of what demos should be. They should be short and sweet. I was having fun 19 out of the 20 minutes I played. It only asked me to purchase the game twice; once after receiving an achievement and once after finishing the demo. The end of the demo was quite a treat as well. Instead of just blocking my progress and fading to black, I was met by a specialized demo cutscene, and then it faded to black. It was just a little wink that let me know the developer took the extra time.
Dust: An Elysian Tale receives my first 10/10. As a demo, I couldn’t have asked for more.
I will be buying this game, but not at the $15 price point. Maybe I’m just cheap, but with all the sales going on recently, and how long ago this game came out, I’d be more comfortable picking it up for $5. It’s replayability could be high with it’s many difficulty levels, but I only see myself playing through this game once. I will be waiting for the inevitable price drop.
- lvl 99
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