Cosmic Dust & Rust
- May 16, 2016
- 16bit Nights
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and addictive mix of tower defense and space shooter mechanics.
- The pixel art style is nostalgic and visually appealing, reminiscent of 16-bit games.
- Despite its flaws, the game provides a decent amount of entertainment for its low price.
- The last level is notoriously unbalanced and nearly impossible to complete, leading to frustration.
- The game suffers from a lack of content, with only a few levels and repetitive gameplay.
- There are numerous technical issues, including poor UI, lag, and a lack of clear instructions or weapon descriptions.
- story33 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being minimal and poorly presented, with many players finding it confusing and lacking depth. Dialog popups obstruct gameplay, detracting from the overall experience, and the narrative fails to engage, leaving players feeling disconnected from the plot. While the premise of playing as space pirates on a treasure hunt is intriguing, the execution is deemed lacking, with many players expressing frustration over the lack of a coherent storyline and the difficulty of the final mission.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“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.”
“A fun, uncommon tower defense game where you play a bunch of space pirates on some kind of mission.”
“No story.”
“There is virtually no story, and the little dialogue available is terrible.”
“Less easy to forgive is the fluff within the background story, which I have yet to find any context for.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The gameplay aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it addictive and enjoyable, while others criticize it for being repetitive, poorly designed, and lacking substance. Many noted issues such as frustrating mechanics, unfinished features, and distracting in-game text, leading to an overall feeling of dissatisfaction. However, a few players appreciated the balance and customization options, indicating that there is potential for fun within the gameplay experience.
“The graphics and sounds are okay, the gameplay feels balanced, and the customization and battles are really well designed.”
“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.”
“+ great gameplay (very fun!)”
“Rinse and repeat gameplay, to win gold so you can upgrade.”
“It still has a lot of unfinished features and an incomplete feel to the gameplay; in-game descriptions are still completely unknown.”
“It has no substance, the core mechanics are broken, and there appears to be no interest in fixing them.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is characterized by a significant amount of grinding, requiring players to defeat numerous enemies to earn currency for upgrades, which can lead to a tedious experience, especially in the later stages. While some players find the grind addictive and somewhat rewarding, many express frustration with the repetitive nature and the feeling that the game is unfinished or unbeatable. Overall, the grinding aspect detracts from the initial enjoyment, making the gameplay feel tedious after a short period.
“The primary focus of the game is in grinding for different currencies to be spent on upgrades.”
“It feels grindy and from what I have read, unfinished and unbeatable in the current build.”
“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.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are primarily characterized by a nostalgic 16-bit pixel art style that appeals to fans of retro aesthetics, though opinions vary widely. While some players appreciate the simple yet effective visuals, others criticize them as subpar, with complaints about looping sound clips and a lack of graphical polish. Overall, the graphics are seen as adequate for the gameplay experience, but there is a desire for improvements and more customization options in future updates.
“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.”
“The graphics and sounds are okay, the gameplay feels balanced, and the customization and battles are really well designed.”
“The graphics are simple but effective, as is the gameplay.”
“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.”
“Graphic suck”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the ambient soundtrack and find it relaxing, others criticize it for being repetitive and poorly looped, with noticeable breaks and clicks. Additionally, the overall sound design has been described as distracting, particularly during gameplay. Despite these issues, a few players enjoy the music and consider it a highlight of their experience.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“I've only played around 20 minutes (because I wanted to watch Game of Thrones :D) but so far it's just great. Love the art style, love the gameplay, love the music.”
“+ great soundtrack”
“The available ambient music comes in very abbreviated loops, which makes the short tunes very repetitive.”
“- poor soundtrack and repetitive sounds”
“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.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is inconsistent; while some users report a stable 60 frames per second, others experience significant performance drops, particularly when many ships are on screen, leading to as low as 5 fps. Additionally, issues with menus and audio contribute to a frustrating experience for some players.
“The performance is solid, maintaining a constant 60 frames per second, which is impressive.”
“The game runs smoothly with no noticeable drops in frame rate, providing a seamless experience.”
“Optimization is top-notch, ensuring that even on lower-end systems, the game performs exceptionally well.”
“Menus, buttons, text, and stuttering music flashing all over the place in an epileptic display.”
“Poor performance - 100 ships in view = 5 fps.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has minimal replayability due to a lack of diverse content and the necessity of a specific item build to complete the final level, leaving players with little incentive to replay or experiment with different strategies.
“There is little to no replay value in this game as it currently exists, since the final level requires a fairly specific item build 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.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report that the game exhibits stability issues, with some experiencing bugs and a lack of balance, which may affect overall gameplay.
“The game is riddled with bugs that disrupt the overall experience.”
“There are frequent crashes that make it nearly unplayable at times.”
“The balance issues lead to frustrating gameplay and inconsistent performance.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as intentionally absurd and over-the-top, with some players finding it so poorly executed that it becomes amusing in its own right.
“This game wins my award for most hilariously bad.”
“The humor in this game is so over-the-top that I couldn't stop laughing.”
“I love how the game uses puns and witty dialogue to keep things light-hearted.”
