Dustborn
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Critic Reviews for Dustborn
Dustborn brings angst to a comic book caper about an alternate-reality America, and you'll get an emotional ride with a few exciting punk performances if you stick with it through a slow start.
Dustborn’s rhythm mini-game is just another way the game demonstrates how underdeveloped it all is. Its terribly paced narrative is married to an elementary view of authoritarianism and stars an irritating crew that never stops talking. Combat is woefully simplistic and lacks the necessary smooth controls. None of its systems fit together coherently, either, because they’re all underbaked in one way or another and, in some cases, plagued by glitches. It’s hard for Dustborn to fight the power when it’s too busy fighting with itself at every turn.
Dustborn loses power when it feels the need to look straight at the camera and make sure you understand it
Dustborn delivers a "road movie" story with an interesting and addictive plot that also gives great sensitivity to issues as important as gender identity or the empowerment of women. All this makes you overlook some of its stumbling blocks in terms of gameplay.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It is rare for a game to be about something, to work its themes into every fiber of its being, to ask us to think about the world around us and reflect on who we are, the world we live in, and the things we’ve done to make it what it is. Dustborn does that, and it's special because of it. It doesn’t always work, but what it gets wrong pales in comparison to what it does right. It is a reminder that what we say and do matters. That, to quote Hemingway, “The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.” That a better world is possible, if only we have the courage to build it, if we can find the right words to speak it into existence. Let there be light.
Red Thread Games and Quantic Dream present Dustborn, an action-adventure game focused on the power of words. It has all the ballots to get a great community, especially for its beautiful art style, its varied gameplay and its charismatic characters. The mix is so good that it is positioned as one of the great surprises of 2024.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dustborn tells a story about spreading misinformation and the power of words, with some great ideas despite some frustration.
Dustborn has noble intentions, but intentions don't matter as much as execution and it executes just about everything poorly. There are too many characters and gameplay styles to make any one of them shine, let alone enjoyable.
