Cosmic Dust & Rust

About

"Cosmic Dust & Rust" is a 2D sci-fi shooter game with retro-style pixel graphics. Explore the cosmos, battle alien enemies, and upgrade your ship while navigating through challenging levels. The game features procedurally generated content, providing a unique experience for each playthrough.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

54%

Audience ScoreBased on 221 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

story6 negative mentions

The game is affordable and provides a decent amount of fun for its price.
The graphics and art style are generally appealing, reminiscent of retro games.
The gameplay is engaging, with a mix of tower defense and space shooter mechanics.

The last level is notoriously difficult and often deemed unbeatable, leading to frustration.
The game is very short, with only six levels, which can feel repetitive and grindy.
There are numerous issues with performance, including frame rate drops and poor enemy design.

story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
82%
12%
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and poorly executed, with many players finding the dialogue intrusive and distracting from gameplay. While some appreciate the concept of playing as space pirates on a treasure hunt, the lack of character development and coherent plot leaves much to be desired. Overall, the narrative elements are seen as a weak point, detracting from the overall experience.
- “And let's not forget the captivating storyline, where you play the role of a dust particle struggling to find its purpose in a world overrun by...more dust.”
- “I really enjoyed this game; you play as a space pirate searching for some legendary treasure in space. You can cover your ship with weapons, upgrade them to max, and customize your ship for any mission.”
- “There is also a plot, shown with you interacting with characters in the cut-scenes, so you are well-endowed with info about the missions and side quests.”
- “The story, characters, dialogue, etc. aren't worth paying attention to, but the simple game mechanics are 'ok'.”
- “There is virtually no story, and the little dialogue available is terrible.”
- “0 context on the story; it feels like jumping in the middle of a bad science fiction space thriller movie.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
55%
25%
Overall, the gameplay has received mixed to negative feedback, with many players criticizing its lack of depth, short length, and repetitive mechanics. While some appreciate the graphics and find the gameplay enjoyable, others describe it as boring, unbalanced, and lacking in variety, leading to a monotonous experience. The absence of tutorials and unfinished features further detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it a mediocre title at best.
- “The graphics and sounds are okay, the gameplay feels balanced, and the customization and battles are really well designed.”
- “Nice game - gameplay wise I experienced no glitches or software issues.”
- “I love the art style, love the gameplay, love the music.”
- “Almost no tutorial or explanation of game mechanics.”
- “Too short, little replay value, and uninspired gameplay mechanics make this a mediocre game at best.”
- “A lack of encounter variety and gameplay balance drives players to a monotonous play style of simply spamming a single action to slowly gain currency in order to progress.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the retro pixel art style reminiscent of the 16-bit era, while others find them simplistic or lacking in detail. Some users highlight the visuals as a strong point, noting their aesthetic appeal and nostalgia, but there are also criticisms regarding the graphics settings and overall quality. Overall, the graphics are generally considered decent, though improvements could enhance the experience further.
- “Pixel art is generally tasteful and representative of the 16-bit era, fulfilling the aesthetic of being equally pleasing to the eyes, as well as nostalgic to the memories.”
- “I'm a fan of retro pixel graphics, so I really enjoyed the look of this, too.”
- “The art style is pretty good; well, what do you expect?”
- “From its inspiring graphics that could make a potato jealous to its innovative gameplay mechanics that resemble a slow-motion snail race...”
- “The graphics settings are deficient.”
- “If it were a two dollar mobile game, you might be able to overlook the annoying sound effects, crummy visuals, terrible UI, and complete lack of tutorial.”
grinding
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its excessive grinding, requiring players to repeatedly play the same levels to earn currency for upgrades, which can quickly become tedious and detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some players find the grind addictive initially, many feel it leads to a lack of content and a sense of unfinished gameplay, making the experience feel more like a chore than fun. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential.
- “The primary focus of the game is in grinding for different currencies to be spent on upgrades.”
- “There are only 6 levels and it's very grindy, so you have to play the same level many times in order to upgrade your ship.”
- “It could be something really fun, but instead it gets tedious after the first hour or so and then you realize 'this is it' and you sort of wonder why it isn't better.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it relaxing and enjoyable, while others criticize it for being repetitive and poorly looped, leading to an annoying experience. While a few users appreciate the soundtrack as "great," many express dissatisfaction with its quality and execution, describing it as "ugly" or "terrible." Overall, the music aspect seems to lack consistency, appealing to some but frustrating others.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The music is fine, and it can be fun for players that like spaceships, like me.”
- “I've only played around 20 minutes (because I wanted to watch Game of Thrones :D) but until now it's just great, love the art style, love the gameplay, love the music.”
- “The available ambient music comes in very abbreviated loops, which makes the short tunes very repetitive.”
- “Background music that doesn't loop properly (there's an annoying click and a break when it loops, and it loops every 10 seconds), annoying gameplay where you die and die and grind and have to collect money just to make it through the first level.”
- “- poor soundtrack and repetitive sounds”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is generally solid, maintaining a steady 60 frames per second under normal conditions. However, performance significantly deteriorates when many elements are on screen, leading to severe slowdowns and visual glitches, particularly noted with high ship counts.
- “The performance is solid, staying at a constant 60 frames per second, which cannot be altered.”
- “The game runs smoothly, maintaining a consistent frame rate even during intense moments.”
- “Menus, buttons, text, and stuttering music flashing all over the place in an epileptic display.”
- “Poor performance - 100 ships in view = 5 fps.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game suffers from low replayability due to its short length, uninspired gameplay mechanics, and a lack of unlockable content or varied strategies. Players find that the final level's specific item requirements further diminish the incentive to replay.
- “Too short, little replay value, and uninspired gameplay mechanics make this a mediocre game at best.”
- “There is little to no replay value in this game as it currently exists, as the final level requires a fairly specific item build in order to beat it.”
- “Not a lot of replay value either, as there is nothing else you need to unlock and no need to change your weapon layout.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
Overall, users have mixed feelings about stability; while some report no glitches or software issues during gameplay, others mention potential bugs and balance problems that could affect the experience.
- “Nice game - gameplay-wise, I experienced no glitches or software issues.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; I've had no performance issues during my playtime.”
- “Maybe it's buggy, maybe it's not balanced.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is minimal, lacking significant quests, story twists, or replayability, which may disappoint players seeking a deeper narrative experience.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Reviewers highlight that the game's colors, environment, and background effects effectively create an immersive space-themed atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The overall colors, environment, and effects presented in the background perfectly suited a space-themed atmosphere.”
- “The haunting sound design and immersive visuals create an atmosphere that pulls you into another world.”
- “Every detail, from the lighting to the ambient sounds, contributes to an incredibly immersive atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
- “The overall colors, environment, and effects presented in the background suited a space-themed atmosphere.”
- “The game lacks a cohesive atmosphere, making it feel disjointed and uninviting.”
- “Despite the potential for a rich atmosphere, the execution falls flat, leaving the world feeling empty and uninspired.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized as intentionally absurd and over-the-top, with some players finding it amusingly poor, leading to a unique comedic experience.
- “This game wins my award for most hilariously bad.”
- “The humor in this game is so over-the-top, it had me laughing out loud!”
- “I love how the game uses puns and witty dialogue to keep things light and fun.”