Duskfade Reviews
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Duskfade stands as nothing more than a competent pretender. There's nothing particularly remarkable here despite a few thought-provoking and alluring biomes, a decent premise, clockpunk USP, and some nice offensive enhancements for Zirian. You will enjoy Duskfade, though its ambitions are mostly encased in nostalgia and it can't tick along with the greats of the genre.
A game inspired by titles like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and (especially) Kingdom Hearts, but one that struggles a bit to find its footing and offer something original. The first half is a bit of a slog, but once a few key mechanics are introduced, the game becomes fun and replayable thanks to its pseudo-3D Metroidvania structure. The platforming mechanics and lock-on system require some getting used to, but overall, Duskfade is enjoyable and suitable for a very wide audience thanks to its multiple difficulty levels.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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Duskfade wears its Kingdom Hearts inspiration proudly, blending fast-paced combat with collectathon platforming and a charming time-themed world. While its slow progression and lack of a map can frustrate, it’s still a fun, brisk adventure that does enough to establish an identity of its own.
Duskfade hits the nail on the head in trying to be a new thing, and not just nostalgia-bait. It’s not afraid to make itself open to new and young players.
Duskfade immediately evokes the charm of classic 3D platformers from the very beginning. However, the game doesn’t rely solely on nostalgia to succeed. Its developers have introduced some genuinely interesting ideas, particularly in the platforming, that keep the overall experience fun and engaging while making exploration across its visually stunning worlds a rewarding experience. The combat system, meanwhile, doesn’t quite manage to be as enjoyable or compelling as the platforming. If you’re a fan of platformers, Duskfade is well worth experiencing and a game you’re unlikely to regret playing.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Duskfade delivers virtually everything you'd expect from an excellent 3D action-platformer: fluid movement, rewarding exploration, fun combat, creative bosses, beautiful art direction, and a narrative that successfully balances fantasy, mystery, and emotion. The game also stands out for respecting the player's pace, offering useful collectibles, good skill progression, and a rhythm that keeps everything consistently interesting. The adventure is incredibly captivating and recaptures the spirit of genre classics while building its own identity.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
In these dark times of game ownership and obsolete disk drives, Duskfade burns brightly as a shining beacon of why we all fell in love with games in the first place. A fantastically fun experience with real heart. Challenging at times, grin inducing most others, here’s hoping this is the first of many. It’s been far too long since titles have been made with this much love and care outside of the big red gaming behemoth and the small moustached plumber.
Duskfade is a charming, enjoyable, and well-made little platformer that falls just short of being a true classic. The platforming and combat are fun, the story is well told, and the game's overall presentation is delightful. It's held back by stiff combat and tedious backtracking, but neither problem is enough to completely undermine the experience. If you're looking for a PS2-style platformer with a Kingdom Hearts flavor, Duskfade hits most of the marks and is absolutely worth checking out. It might not be the most original game on the market, but it is a darn fun one.
That being said, there is certainly room for a little extra optimization in places. Still, it makes very smart use of the hardware to know where best to make compromises. Great visuals, a fun world, inspiring soundtrack, and solid mechanics make this one an easy recommendation.
Duskfade manages to bring back a formula that, fortunately, seems unlikely ever to go out of fashion. Action, platforming and endearing characters. A winning combination
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Duskfade is an action platformer that feels straight out of the PS2 library, with a gorgeous world to explore and loads of skills to unlock.
Duskfade is an indie game oozing with love, beauty, and a passion for action platforming. Featuring meticulously crafted visuals and audio alongside a story that won't leave you indifferent, it is an absolute must-play.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Nothing that you play here is new. But it does not have to be. Airy platforming that reminds you of better times. Active combat that makes you fight faceless enemies. A heartfelt cautionary tale that sneaks up on you. And the secret ingredient, an absolutely gorgeous art style that will often stop you in your tracks. Duskfade has it all. Sometimes, that is what you need to remind you of what is important in life.
There’s no doubting that Duskfade was made with a love for action-adventure games, but the combination of simple, enjoyable combat and platforming that challenges the way you engage with the movement abilities makes it stand out as a shining example of the genre, even if it does adopt some of its flaws along the way.
Duskfade is a glorious blend of noughties platformer ideals and modern-day polish. Offering sublime visuals, satisfying movement tech, and an addictive collect-a-thon experience that keeps on giving. Combat is a little basic, and the story also doesn't exactly push the envelope narratively. But overall, this is the closest thing I've played to a classic mascot platformer since Astro Bot. It's in the same league, and it wholeheartedly deserves to be.
Duskfade has some clear problems. The map design could have been better, especially in the earlier regions, where the lack of a map can make exploration confusing. The camera also has issues during combat, and the target lock does not always select the enemy we want. Regular combat is also quite simple, especially at the beginning, with limited variety in enemy attacks, while progression takes a while to unlock the tools that actually make the gameplay more interesting. To top it all off, the PC version reviewed here offers very few graphics options, almost none, and a port that leaves something to be desired in several technical aspects. Still, it is difficult to ignore the number of things I enjoyed during the campaign. Zirian’s movement is precise and becomes increasingly fun as new abilities are unlocked. The projectile parry mechanic, Chrono Shot, Pendulum, and different devices help transform the experience as we progress, while the bosses make good use of what we have learned throughout the journey. Exploration also has plenty to offer, with collectibles, secrets, upgrades, and areas that encourage players to return after acquiring new abilities. Visually, Duskfade is also very impressive. Its environments are detailed, colorful, and full of personality, while the characters have great animations and expressions. The soundtrack fits the adventure very well, and the voice acting helps make the cast more charismatic. The story is simple, but it works within the game’s premise, especially because of the personalities of Zirian, Allira, Tristan, Cuco, and the various characters we encounter along the way. In the end, Duskfade is an enjoyable adventure that takes a while to show everything it has to offer. It modernizes several characteristics of classic 3D platformers, while also repeating some familiar problems from the genre. I would have liked some systems to be more refined and for the PC version to have received more attention, but the precise movement, bosses, exploration, characters, and art direction make the journey worthwhile. I would mainly recommend it to players who enjoy 3D platformers and do not mind exploring a world that, at times, demands a strong sense of direction.
It is a dated and beautiful game, for worse, and often for better. Can I recommend it to a player without a strong cultural memory of games of the era this was inspired by? That’s a tough one. But for anyone who remembers Jak, Ratchet, iNinja, Sphinx and Tak among others, with Duskfade, Weird Beluga have bottled that nostalgia, warts and all, and it’s not overused or repeated. In short – they don’t make them like this anymore.
Duskfade is an adventure that wins you over through its heart more than the complexity of its systems. Despite some limitations in its combat, progression, and pacing, its delightful exploration, charming art direction, and charismatic characters make the journey worthwhile. It captures that wonderful feeling of classic 3D platformers and proves there is still room for adventures made simply to make us smile, explore, and keep playing. An indie that is absolutely worth your attention.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review