Dust: An Elysian Tail

The game is pretty, maybe to nice and shiny for some. But that's very pleasant, modern. In the "Metroidvania" genre, it's heavier on the fights - tons and tons of ennemies on each screen, a few sub-boss, very few bosses. The plateforming is simple, but present - traps, double jump, etc. And it's efficient, a lot of secrets to find here and there. The "skills" used to unlock new areas are scarce and come late in the game - new areas unlock with the story, not so much your abilities. That's a bit sad, and finally the game fells rather linear for the genre - fight your way to the next area. Fight is not very tactical - you get a lot of skills but can cut your way though with only a few, you get more powerful with XP so it's just a matter of grinding 10 minutes and coming back. It's more a beat-them-all most of the time., but aways fun. The story is about a war, an amnesiac soldier and so on - very standart JRPG stuff. And talking animals. Well, it's children friendly, as long as you don't expect anything else, it's correct. The UI is not perfect, but nothing awful either. In the end, even if I talked about some flaws to be honest, I actually had a lot of fun with this pretty, easy and very enjoyable game. And that's what matters.

This game... after 57 hours of play on Steam , halfway though it on hardest difficulty;watching it numerous times, the trailer still gives me goosebumbs. The game starts a little cliché-ish, plus.. a talking, flying sword? But don't let the first minutes scare you away. The dialogues are great, and as it's hearable from the trailer, the voice-acting is phenomenal. The storyline could be easily described as epic , with a few surprising elements. (like Bopo's story - you'll find it) The characters are living, breathing, feeling : purely by voice-acting and the dialogues' graphic syle( used mostly in JRPGs) the characters are radiating their beliefs, insecurities, eagerness, fear, curiosity towards the player, making the story really intense and easy to live it though. Graphics are also wondorous (don't forget to watch the sketches after the finalee!). And speaking of the finalee: it's just ground-shattering. Two ideologies, two parts of the world fighting eachother. Just the final level of the game worth more than some games. It's a true gem, considering the game was a one-man project (besides music, and voices, ofc). If you like the genre, pick up this game, you won't regret it.

Truly a work of art. Last time I saw such beautiful backgrounds was in Rayman 1 and those were a masterpiece. The music is no worse and I keep listening to the soundtrack even today. Very gripping gameplay and even if I'd like some more attacks in melee it didn't bore me so far. I finished the game 3 times so far and I might go through it again soon. This game gave me platformer/metroidvania craze since I played it. :D

Bought this a while back, and I find myself unable to adequately describe just how much I enjoyed this game. They could invite me to go on Epic Meal Time, play roshambo with johnny knoxville, and go on an extended stay in the playboy mansion... and that may only be slightly better time than playing this game. But seriously, this is why indie games are so freaking great. One guy with volunteers (who I believe were later compensated) manages to put out a masterpiece that I honestly give more f**ks about than the recent AAA crapfests. How great is that? The artwork and environments are good and vary, combat is beautifully fluid, and the story actually engaged my jaded heart. I do wish there were more bosses, and a slightly expanded combo list... but this game is totally worth it, hands down.

The game starts off a bit slow but picks up soon enough. The story is decent as well. The animation is smooth and the graphics are very nice. The steady progression of difficulty is nice although never hard unless set on higher difficulty levels. Tough enemies will become easy once you develop proper strategies. My favorite thing about this game are the menus and the crafting system within. When you're short an item you can buy it from the menu and craft anywhere you want. You always know exactly what you need only a click or two away. Not the most logical thing but it's a 100% frustration-free crafting system. Also it's the kind of game that'll have you looking around for secrets because there are plenty. I hadn't heard of this game before coming to gog and I've got to say it's one of the best "metroidvania" style games I've played. And I own a few of the ones sold here. Probably the best offered on gog in my opinion. 15 dollars is fair. I got half off for 7.50 and that was a steal. Expect to get around 10-15 hours of one playthrough depending on how much you want to complete.