Dust: An Elysian Tail
| Dust: An Elysian Tail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Humble Hearts |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Studios |
| Designer(s) | Dean Dodrill |
| Composer(s) | HyperDuck Soundworks |
| Engine | XNA |
| Platform(s) | Xbox Live Arcade |
| Release | August 15, 2012[1] |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Dust: An Elysian Tail is an action role-playing video game developed by independent designer Dean Dodrill and published by Microsoft Studios.
Gameplay
Dust takes place in the open-ended world of Falana, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. Gameplay is presented on a 2D side-scrolling plane. The player controls the titular main character, Dust, as he tries to remember his past. Dust wields a sentient sword, the Blade of Ahrah, as his main weapon. Fidget, the sword's guardian, acts as a companion for Dust and can shoot projectiles.
As the player travels the world, they can acquire power-ups that permanently alter gameplay, such as the ability to double jump or climb to previously unreachable areas. Incorporating elements of role playing games, Dust can gain experience points by defeating enemies, and in turn may level up. These can be used to raise various attributes, such as health, strength or magic. Non-playable characters can be interacted with throughout the game's world to sell items or receive quests.[2]
Development
Aside from voice acting, soundtrack, and some of the writing, Dust was designed and programmed entirely by Dodrill. He assumed it would take three months to complete the game, but took over three-and-a-half years.[3] He originally envisioned an 8-bit-style platformer for the game, similar to earlier entries in the Castlevania series. Inspirations for the final game came from such titles as Metroid, Golden Axe, and Ys I & II, which Dodrill cites as his favorite game.[4]
The game was originally targeted for the Xbox 360 Indie Games channel,[5] but upon winning the 2009 Microsoft Dream.Build.Play Challenge, it was awarded a contract for an Xbox Live Arcade release.[6] Dust: An Elysian Tail was originally expected to be released in late 2011, but was later delayed until Summer 2012.[7][8]
Reception
Dust: An Elysian Tail garnered mostly positive reviews from critics. Aggregating review websites Metacritic and GameRankings gave the ratings 83/100[9] and 83.70%[10] respectively.
The Official Xbox Magazine gave the game 9.5 out of 10, praising the detailed environments and animations and also approving of the combat system. [11]
Vincent Ingenito of IGN gave the game a rating of 8.5 out of 10, saying " The RPG elements could have been stronger, and the boss battles are a bit of a letdown, but if those are the worst things about your game, you're in pretty good shape. ". He approved of the lively and varied backgrounds, game play and the amount of content in comparison to the price.[12]
Gamespot gave the game 7 out of 10, criticising the combat, voice acting and story. However, some other aspects such as the diverse and vivid backgrounds, responsive controls and side content were complimented.[13]
References
- ^ http://majornelson.com/2012/06/19/summer-of-arcade-dates-and-prices-2/
- ^ IGN review,[1]
- ^ Dust: An Elysian Tail: One animator's 3.5 year quest to create his dream game
- ^ A conversation: Ken Lobb and Dean Dodrill
- ^ Sterling, Jim (2009-08-06). "Dust: An Elysian Tail gets new, incredibly beautiful trailer". Destructoid. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- ^ "Microsoft Announces Dream.Build.Play 2011 For Indies". GameDaily. 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- ^ Rose, Mike (2011-01-07). "In-Depth: 10 Indie Games To Watch Out For In 2011". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- ^ "Dust: An Elysian Tail". IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ^ ,http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/dust-an-elysian-tail[2]
- ^ ,http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/609388-dust-an-elysian-tail/index.html[3]
- ^ OXM review
- ^ IGN review,[4]
- ^ Gamespot review[5]