Dust: An Elysian Tail

« There is no element of Dust: An Elysian Tail that has a negative, from the jaw dropping visuals, to the excellent writing, through to the seamless combat and action. This is a stand out title in more ways than one. In a year that has Trials Evolution, Spelunky, Minecraft and Fez, this is the standalone best game on XBLA. If you only buy one game this year buy Dust: An Elysian Tail, there simply isn't enough superlatives to describe just how good it is. »

« Cramming this many elements into a single downloadable game seems like an audacious move, but Dust pulls it off with confidence, style, and heart, resulting in a game that deserves to be played by a lot of people. »

« It's a great, 2D experience that harkens back to the popular Metroidvania sub-genre of adventures games, but manages to blaze its own path and stand out as a wholly unique experience. There's certainly little like it on XBLA, and I highly suggest picking it up. »

« Crafted with painstaking attention to inventive detail and charm, Dust is never less than an outright joy to experience. »

« Although it can get repetitive at times, Dust is easily the most charming game in the entire Summer of Arcade. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable Metroidvania/action RPG games I've ever played. »

« This is a game you cannot miss. The whole game offers more than many retail titles, for only 1,200 Microsoft Points. The visuals are stunning, the battle system is entertaining and there's many maps for us to explore. We can conclude by saying that it's one of the best games on Xbox Live Arcade. »

« With its supremely satisfying swordplay, enthralling exploration, and a story you'll want to see through to the end, Dust feels like the Xbox homage to Vanillaware's cult classics Odin Sphere and Muramasa. Though its aesthetic may turn some biased gamers away, they'll be missing out on some of the best single-player action that $15 can buy. »

« If you have a passion for action games, the Metroidvania style or just gorgeous animation in general, you need to play this game. It is definitely packed and more than worth the price of admission, and it is quite possibly my favorite XBLA game to come out this year. This is what Summer of Arcade was designed for. »

« It’s hard not to love how it looks — hand-drawn animation with real heart behind it. Combat is flashy and smooth, even if the RPG systems are pretty light. »

« MISTAKE Remove this review never tried on Xbox 360 Cannot find delete button for this review »

« Dust: An Elysian Tail is perfection incarnate. I haven't submitted a game review in years but Dust was so magnificent I just can't help it. Not only is it one of the most visually stunning games ever made, but it has some of the most fluid combat of any video game I've played in my 30 years of life. Instead of a ridiculously huge laundry list of combos that other hack n' slash games possess (God of War, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania ect.), it's just a few different button combinations in conjunction with spamming magic projectiles with the help of your furry flying friend Fidget. The entire feel of the combat is deeply satisfying and addicting, and I found myself always experimenting and changing things up from time to time as opposed to just mashing the X button to get by because I forgot all the combos like in those aforementioned games. On top of all that, Dust: An Elysian Tail had one of the most compelling, and downright heartbreaking stories in gaming history. I'm a 30 year old man, and the ending made me cry like a baby, it's also hilarious at times so it's a great mix. Not only is the storyline emotional, it's incredibly well-written and full of lore to flesh out the world and its inhabitants. With TONS of deep and insightful dialogue, unforgettable characters, and plenty of awesome side quests, Dust draws you into its world every bit as much as any AAA BioWare-esque RPG. With loads of loot and treasures and secrets to find, there's simply no reason not to own this masterpiece! Also, Fidget is my new favorite NPC of all time. »

« An excellent fantasy game with a nicely drawn fairytale world. Fidget, the "Flying Squirrel", the protagonist's fighting friend, is one of the most charming characters I've seen in games. By the way, Dust, Fidget and other main characters were voiced by professional actors. And you can feel it even if you don't understand English fluently and watch subtitles. The actors perfectly convey the feelings and mood of the characters. The fantasy plot has a Japanese theme, although it is not fully typical Japanese. The gameplay is pleasant, the levels want to explore. I will note only a few small disadvantages: 1. There are a lot of monsters in this game, which are quite easy to kill, but time is wasted on it. Moreover, when you leave a game sector, and then enter it again, all the monsters appear anew. So you can accumulate experience and some bonuses, but it's not very interesting. Fortunately, it is not necessary to kill all monsters. Instead, you may jump and fly over them. There are more interesting monsters in the game, but they are in the minority. 2. There is no complete level map. There is only a primitive scheme with squares. The map would not be superfluous, since you have to run there decently. But there is also a plus - train your memory! 3. I would also make an alternative secret ending in this game. The one that I saw, nevertheless, does not quite correspond to the hero whom I recognized during the game. However, everything is not fully disclosed there, and perhaps we will see some sequel (the main author of the game, Dean Dodrill, promised to return to Dust's story, but by that time he had not yet decided when and how it would be). Despite its minor flaws, the game was one of the most enjoyable for me in recent years, and deserves the highest rating. P.S. In the beginning, take a couple of minutes and customize the controls for yourself (or at least figure out if you like the default). I adjusted mine and did not regret it. I played purely with the keyboard, arrows + buttons on the left closer to the top + space. Separately M - map, since Tab was busy. »

« Un juego bastante bueno,pero una vez completada la historia no tienes mucho que hacer,pero lo disfrutas bastante. »

« DO NOT let the 'furry' characters turn you away! To this day I am decidedly not a fan of 'furry' anthropomorphic animal visual works, but (and I do not say this lightly) Dust: An Elysian Tail represents the only exception. History should remember this game as a masterwork of art AND interactive media. Dust's single developer (though this game would be as excellent if produced by a team) accomplished a trifecta with its handpainted visuals, moving sound, and engaging gameplay all tied together by a well-written story with unforgettable characters. One cannot truly understand the experience of Dust's 2D combat through either words or video; neither can represent the complex yet approachable gameplay. Few games deserve a 95+/100 and even fewer perfect scores; Dust overwhelmingly deserves it. The Metacritic User and Critic scores inappropriately underrate this game, an 8.3 and 8.0 are remarkably unfair. Fortunately, the Steam community's 11.2k reviews do Dust justice with a 96% (overall) and 100% (recent). I am so glad I gave Dust a chance. Thank you Xbox for featuring Dust on Games with Gold, it is highly unlikely I would have ever given it a shot otherwise. »

« This game really is an unappreciated masterpiece in game design. Designed by a single man (Dean Dodrill), this game has stunning visuals, amazing RPG gameplay, great characters and an unbelievably good soundtrack to boot. The areas in the game are all unique and everything blends together perfectly to give you one of the most fun combat designs in gaming. I love the protagonist of this game and his cute little sidekick, they are a great duo that I won't soon forget. Pick up a controller and get into it and I guarantee you'll find it very hard to stop. »

« An incredible story, immersive narrative, fun and flashy combat, and being hands down my favorite indie game, combat put Dust up there for one of my favorite games. »