Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dust: An Elysian Tail was by in large made by one man, but perhaps more important than that, it was made as a labour of love. From the biggest AAA titles down to the lowliest freeware games, often the key element to greatness is the sense that it was made with care and attention to detail, and that the heart of its creator, or creators, is present within the final product. That this game was designed and coded by Dean Dodrill pretty much on his own, makes it all the more the case with his delightful 2D action platformer. 

It is a very pretty game; bright and full of colour. The designs are not complicated, but it is very fitting for the cartoony style and animations. The world of Falana has all the things you would come to expect: green fields and forests, snowy mountains, dark caves etc. but they are all rendered beautifully, and use of colour and light is often well implemented to create a compelling aesthetic and atmosphere. 

The story of Dust centres on the eponymous hero and his quest to not only stop the rampaging forces of General Gaius from ravaging the land, but to discover who he in fact is. Amnesia is often an overused trope in games, but here it is deployed in service to a story which actually possesses some emotional heft.  

The characters in An Elysian Tail are what give this story its real power. Dust himself is a very likeable protagonist, displaying humour, wisdom, and a fair degree of reticence, giving him a calm and slightly subdued personality which clashes nicely with his companion Fidget’s more kinetic performance. Fidget herself meanwhile is the game’s heart; a cute ball of emotional energy ranging from bouts of humorous fourth-wall breaking to scenes of genuine sadness and sorrow, made all the more compelling by her relative naivety.  

There is something very un-hip about the game in how it carries itself with such a lack of cynicism. Yet it isn't completely naïve; much of the game’s narrative displays an understanding for the darker heart of people’s emotions, but it is a story which believes in and celebrates the good and the soft of heart. It is sentimental for sure, but crucially it has the charm and the honesty to make you care and invest emotionally in the adventure. All stories in their way attempt to manipulate your emotions, and here it is no different, but you get the sense that the Mr Dodrill truly adores his characters and their world, and loves them in such a way as to make the whole thing feel very honest and open. It is a game which carries its heart on its sleeve. All of this however, might very well have been lost or at least heavily undermined, should the gameplay not be up to it, but it is here where Dust is perhaps even stronger. 

The combat itself is an unmitigated delight; the controls are incredibly responsive, the animations are smooth and crisp, and when you find yourself soaring through the air with enemies catapulted around the screen by your maelstrom of attacks, few things in action gaming are as fun or as thrilling. You can parry, grab enemies in mid-flight and pound them into the floor, and perform a number of moves and combos to out maneuver the game’s various enemy types and bosses. The game very much encourages longer and longer combos, even going so far as to give you an actual side quest to get 1000 hits. But this is for a good reason, as the longer the combo, the more experience Dust will acquire. This experience can then be invested in Health, attack power, defence, or Fidget’s own special attacks as you level up.  

The game also features something of a loot system, where various items can be collected from fallen enemies to be used, sold, or added with others to craft items or gear for Dust to use. A neat feature is the ability to sell items which you were unable to buy earlier, as these items once sold will then become a part of the seller’s normal stock and more of that particular item will then become available as the shops periodically replenish themselves. As a number of side quests require you to find various items, it can be a great help to simply find one of said item and then just sell it so you can return later to buy the amount you need, rather than spend time trying to get a particular enemy to drop it. 
     

Exploration plays another key part in the Dust. It is Metroidvania style game in which each area is compartmentalised into a square on your grid-like map, and many areas will become accessible as you gain different abilities, such as double jumping, the ability to climb vines etc. As the map open ups you are able to find more and more hidden areas with keys and treasure chests to use them on. One of the greater thrills of exploring in Dust however, is the occasional running into of characters from various indie games that have been trapped in cages throughout Falana. Some of them are even hidden in a sort of mini level based around that character and the mechanics you normally associated with their respective game. These encounters are more than a novelty as they bestow permanent bonuses to you, making the effort to seek them out all the more worthwhile.  

One last thing that has to be mentioned is the music. Hyperduck Soundworks have produced a beautiful and stirring set of pieces to accompany the game, and often while playing the game the music will swell at perfect times to not only give the more important moments of the game more impact and emotion, but even lift the simple act of travelling around Falana’s lush scenery into something more significant and immersive.  

That I was in tears when I finally closed the door on this game conceivably says more of me than that of the game, but I’d like to think that it was because of having experienced something that hasn't been constructed by committee or focus-tested into oblivion, but something carefully crafted, with a great deal of love going into its creation. The fact that there are so many large teams of developers who so often fail to produce an experience this compelling, makes Dust all the more astonishing an achievement.