Dustborn

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Dustborn
This game should certainly be left in the dust.
Genre(s): Action-adventure
Platform(s): PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Xbox One
Xbox Series X/S
Microsoft Windows
Release Date: August 20, 2024
Developer(s): Red Thread Games
Publisher(s): Quantic Dreams


Dustborn is an action-adventure game released on August 20, 2024, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Plot

Pax joins a ragtag group of friends masquerading as a punk rock band while being pursued by the police force Justice.

Why It Should Be Left In The Dust

  1. While the comic book visuals for Dustborn aren't a bad idea on paper, the execution is less than stellar. It almost looks like the developers attempted to blend realism with a comic aesthetic, making everything look creepy.
    • There are also minor graphical mistakes like an officer getting hit by traffic heading in the wrong direction, Pax eating pineapple when her mouth isn't connected to the fruit, an a bizarre art piece of the POW effect you see in other comics.
  2. The taunts themselves are extremely cringeworthy, along with the idea of literally being attacks.
  3. Horrible camera. The camera is slow and feels unresponsive. It also seemingly has a mind of its own, snapping into angles you don't want it at.
  4. The game is riddled with bugs, such as Theo instantly warping in front of Pax in one cutscene.
  5. Horrible music. The lyrics are offbeat and the lyrics contain cringy lines such as "We're the new porn, our kind is newborn."
  6. Speaking of the gameplay, a majority of the gameplay relies on slow-paced interactions with your crew. Given how forgettable to unlikable they are, it's very questionable to call this an action-adventure game.
  7. Awful combat that plays out like a wannabe copycat of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order or Survivor. Pax's bat lacks impact and feels more like she's slapping enemies with a wiffle bat. The bat is the only weapon you get in the game, and it doesn't come with light or heavy attacks, nor does it have combos.
    • Taunt, which allows Pax to deal heavy damage, feels stiff, has poor attack animation, and leaves you open for getting hit.
    • Pax's powers, the ability to her words as a weapon, feels like a poor man's dragon shouts from Skyrim. Push, for instance, is a weaker variant of the Fus Roh Dah shout.
    • For some reason, the combat suddenly switches into a turn-based RPG for a section near the end of the game. Not only is this out of place, but adds nothing to the plot other than filler.
  8. Atrocious voice acting. Everyone sounds like they're phoning it in for a paycheck.
  9. As mentioned above, the characters are unlikable or forgettable.
    • Pax is annoying and causes problems rather than helps.
    • Sai frequently curses to prove she's a complete edge lord.
    • Noam doesn't have much character in them, with their only trait is that they're non-binary.
    • Theo doesn't have much personality other than that he's the only guy in the band.
  10. The plot is also so uninteresting that you wouldn't even be bothered to understand what's going on.
  11. After the game came out, Red Thread Games released a statement condemning the harassment they received for this game. Needless to say, this didn't help in their case.
  12. The character designs look atrocious and unappealing, especially Sai and Pax.

Redeeming Qualities

  1. The graphics are passable, despite looking off.
  2. Some voice actors are okay, despite the voice acting is atrocious.
  3. The concept of an action-adventure game with a comic book asthetic is very interesting, but the execution is very horrible.

Reception

Dustborn received mixed reviews from critics and it was panned by gamers.

It is so bad that this game has become a commercial failure. Only 82 players had been playing this game at its peak.

The Steam reviews had been 7/10, meaning this game is mostly positive reviews. However, it revealed that users who gave mostly positive reviews were just bots who gave such a rating score.

Videos

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