Dustborn

"Dustborn grabs the generic modern day adventure game formula and adds a bunch of cliché and often annoying characters, a subpar story, some low-grade music, along with a heavy-handed dose of politics front and center, resulting in a middling and …"

"Overall, it was enjoyable to watch the relationships between the characters unfold. However, the prologue soured it early on for me, as it felt a bit too overexaggerated. The conversations and getting to explore new environments were some of the …"

"Dustborn has great unrealised potential, and that&s;s a shame. The alternate world it sketches out is fascinating, and the cast of characters, with their diversity, adds great value to an otherwise poor experience that fails to shine in any other …"

"Tempered by lackluster combat, Dustborn is a thought-provoking narrative adventure where your actions have lasting impact."

"Ultimately, Dustborn is an amazing tech demo. Red Thread Games could do amazing things if they took the mechanics of the game and applied it to something… ANYTHING else."

"Dustborn loses power when it feels the need to look straight at the camera and make sure you understand it"

"Dustborn tells a story about spreading misinformation and the power of words, with some great ideas despite some frustration."

"Dustborn doesn’t just tell a story—it argues, provokes, and dares you to respond."

"Dustborn attempts to tackle a lot of genres, and it honours most of them very well. This emotional, political road trip reaches its destination, but suffers a few too many bumps along the way."

"Dustborn ultimately left me with mixed feelings. It’s excellent cast and voice acting mixed with a solid story is just what I hope for in an adventure game, however its ho-hum combat and annoying interruptions in the dialogue hold it …"

"Dustborn has noble intentions, but intentions don&s;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."

"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 …"

"Dustborn isn’t a game for everyone. Its slow pace, heavy focus on dialogue, and political themes might turn some players off. But for those who appreciate a well-crafted narrative with complex characters and a world that feels both familiar and …"

"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. …"

"Dustborn is a very strange game: in its narrative and graphic adventure component, the game is of unique beauty. Then every once in a while you get some fighting sessions that are really bad and you wonder why they included …"

"While some of its gameplay diversions miss the mark, Dustborn is an excellent example of how to craft engaging characters and wrap a story around them. The game is filled with surprisingly natural sounding conversations, whether they&s;re serious and detailed …"

"It&s;s a shame that a game with so much potential couldn&s;t find some great mechanics and focus on them. Instead, it focused more on a political statement that it shoves down your throat every chance it gets. Dustborn offers excellent …"

"Dustborn may not be one of the most memorable releases of the year, yet there is some good in the work done by Red Thread Games. The story on the road does not always travel on the right tracks and …"

"While its combat system leaves much to be desired, Dustborn is filled with a variety of fun elements focused on opening up to the people around you that truly helps the game blossom into a powerful experience. Once your trip …"

"Dustborn is an adventure game that offers a mix of genres, catering to a wide range of tastes. It seamlessly transitions from exploration phases in the style of classic graphic adventures with environmental puzzles, to more action-packed moments, and even …"

"When it comes to the execution of its vision, Dustborn might not necessarily score high marks, but at the very least, the approach to gameplay is more than laudable, helping to deliver its messages in fresh and more engaging ways …"

"Dustborn tells a touching tale brimming with personality and political messages with each character offering a unique perspective that enriches the narrative. While these diverse viewpoints occasionally lead to inconsistencies in tone, the game succeeds in delivering a strong, but …"

"Dustborn has solid ideas and phenomenal presentation but fails to do any of its many things well enough to be truly memorable."

"Dustborn is a very intriguing and, in a way, innovative title in the adventure game market. The creators at Red Thread Games should be commended for their willingness to experiment and venture off the beaten path. They&s;ve crafted a solid …"

"Past all of the cringe dialogue and turgid gameplay, perhaps Dustborn’s biggest sin is feeling more like vacuous agitprop than an actual story. Whatever fight against fascism Pax – and by extension Red Thread Games – had in mind, it&s;s …"

"Some people might not enjoy Dustborn. Patience and a passion for storytelling are required due to the game’s slow pace and focus on narrative and intricate dialogue mechanics. Playing Dustborn will force you to interact with the characters on a …"

"I admire a game that is willing to take a risk, and certainly trolling the people who believe that games should be mindless content that doesn’t challenge their intelligence with a “political idea,” is a creative risk I can admire. …"

"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 …"

"Dustborn offers a rich story with compelling characters that drew me in and kept me hooked over the 15-hour adventure. Pax and her gang are down-to-earth and relatable, brought to life through excellent voice acting."

"Dustborn brings angst to a comic book caper about an alternate-reality America, and you&s;ll get an emotional ride with a few exciting punk performances if you stick with it through a slow start."

"Combining dialogue-driven drama, a sprinkling of humour, interesting well-written characters, combat with a baseball bat, and a variety of other distractions, Dustborn emerges as a compelling and memorable schlep across America."

"Dustborn starts as a promising narrative road trip but gets muddled by unnecessary genre-mixing. While the world-building and character interactions shine, the blend of rhythm gameplay, arcade combat, and story elements weakens the overall experience."

"Dustborn is a game that tries to be many things, and in the end does instill some of its charm in the player. However, the grating tone of the game&s;s dialogue, which takes up the bulk of the game&s;s run …"

"Although Dustborn has dubious combat and some technical problems, the game has an excellent and flashy plot, a fact that will make you stay tuned until the last chapter of the story."

"Dustborn is a game that isn’t afraid to be comfortable in its own skin, be thought-provoking and challenge the status quo."

"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 …"