DUSK (Review/Analysis)
Developer & Publisher: David Szymanski & Dave Oshry, New Blood Interactive
Release Date: January 2018
Have you ever wondered what you would get if DOOM and Quake had a baby? Well you’d get the unholy indie hell spawn that is - DUSK!
What makes DUSK so great is that even though it clearly takes cues from its grandaddy predecessor kings of FPS games like DOOM, Quake, Blood and Duke Nukem, it manages to stand out as a fantastic blend of what made all these games so good and really push those mechanics to the 9th degree. One thing you will notice straight away is DUSK’s art style, yes the models may look blocky and jagged and the textures aren’t HD but it still has a very strong and pronounced style that it was going for, with clear inspiration drawn from classic horror movies like The Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. This coupled with an absolutely incredible synth-metal soundtrack (composed by the amazingly talented Andrew Hulshult) come together to form a very defined and unique aesthetic that gives off that gritty, grimy, industrial and old-school horror feeling that leaves you feeling just a bit dirty.
From when I first booted up the game till the last bullet I plugged into the final boss, the game delivers non-stop, pedal to the metal, fast paced first person action. You start the game trapped in a dark and dingy basement, with only your starting melee weapons, the dual wielded Sickles. Within seconds you hear an ominous demonic voice say “Kill the Intruder!” then suddenly three chainsaw wielding enemies start attacking you right off the bat. This starting sequence sets up the game for the player, letting them know there will be no hand holding in this game, if you want to survive you need to fight for your life! As you progress through the first handful of levels you will encounter various different enemy types that either have melee or projectile based attacks, with varying levels of health. You will also slowly accumulate more weapons in your arsenal the further you progress. The full list of weapons are the Sickles, Pistols and Pump Shotgun which can all be dual wielded for maximum firepower. The Double Barreled Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Hunting Rifle, Crossbow, Mortar, Riveter and the Sword. Each weapon is unique in the way they function and are all best used in certain situations. The Pistols, Pump Shotguns and Assault Rifle are best used for lower health grunt enemies. The Double Barrel Shotgun is great for higher health tank enemies. The Hunting Rifle is great for picking off enemies at a distance. The Crossbow bolts penetrate through multiple targets and are great for crowd control. Similarly The Mortar is a grenade launcher and is also good for crowd control. The Riveter is your best friend for dealing with boss enemies and The Sword is a high powered melee weapon great for conserving ammo when you are low. DUSK is at its best when you are running and jumping around the map like a mad man, landing crazy shots on enemies and changing weapons on the fly while a killer soundtrack plays to the carnage. The game even has a mechanic where if you press “R” your character will twirl their gun around in a stylish way, further enhancing that feeling of being an unstoppable badass.
The main mechanics in the game include, running, jumping, shooting, health (player and enemy), interacting with objects (like doors and boxes to move around to platform on), collecting items (ammo, health pickups, power ups like dual super fast firing speed, slow motion aiming etc.) and collecting keys to progress through levels. There are three episodes to play through in DUSK and each episode contains ten main levels and one secret level. You will need to navigate through maze-like, labyrinth style levels where you will be finding keys, pressing buttons/flicking switches and of course killing a lot of enemies to get to the end goal of each level. Some levels will have a change of pace and throw a boss type enemy at you which will have its own unique attacks and a very large health pool. The three episode themes are “The Foothills” which is a rural forest/wilderness area that gives off some Evil Dead vibes. “The Facilities” which is a large industrial factory where demonic experiments have gone wrong and finally “The Nameless City” which sends you through a portal to a Lovecraftian esque nightmare realm with demonic cathedrals and castles. The level design in DUSK is immaculate and the creativity and unique design of each level really makes the game shine, making the player excited to see what kind of labyrinth they will be exploring next.
Overall DUSK is a worthy addition to the classic 90’s style FPS catalogue. It shines bright above the rest with its break-neck speed gameplay, intricately crafted and maze-like level design and its gritty, horror themed aesthetic.
