Duskers
- May 18, 2016
- Misfits Attic
- 10h median play time
I grew attached to Duskers through fuzzy, real-time surveillance footage
Get on Steam"Duskers is a single-player Horror Strategy game with a good story, exceptional gameplay, and dense atmosphere. As a drone operator, you explore derelict spaceships using only remote microphones, motion sensors, and a command line interface to survive and uncover the universe's fate. Scavenge for upgrades, evade dangerous creatures, and adapt to broken equipment to piece together how the universe became a graveyard."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Unique and immersive gameplay that combines strategy and horror elements.
- Atmospheric design that effectively conveys a sense of isolation and dread.
- Engaging command-line interface that adds depth and challenge to the experience.
- High difficulty level can be frustrating, especially for new players.
- Randomness in enemy encounters and resource availability can lead to unfair situations.
- Lack of a clear ending or progression can make the game feel repetitive over time.
- story780 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily conveyed through fragmented logs and clues that players must piece together, creating an atmosphere of mystery and exploration. While the narrative hints at humanity's downfall and engages players' curiosity, many reviewers express frustration over its unfinished nature and lack of a conclusive ending, leading to a sense of repetitiveness. Overall, the storytelling is immersive and intriguing, but it suffers from disjointed elements and a need for more structured progression.
“The fragmented storytelling through scavenged logs and clues hints at humanity's downfall, engaging your curiosity and encouraging deeper engagement with the game world.”
“Amazing immersion and replayability; every playthrough reveals more of the story.”
“The story is delivered via text communications retrieved when exploring these wrecks.”
“Definitely hampered by its unfinished story - don't play this game if you actually want an ending (very sadly)!”
“The story 'progression' is gathered at such a crawl too, it doesn't feel worth doing whatever you would consider finishing this game as.”
“But the story seems hinted at but then you realize there isn't one, and the game feels repetitive after a day or two.”
- gameplay718 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Duskers is characterized by its unique command-line interface and strategic drone management, creating a tense atmosphere that immerses players in a survival horror experience. While the mechanics are innovative and engaging, many players note that the gameplay can become repetitive over time, with a steep learning curve and punishing difficulty that may frustrate some. Overall, the game is praised for its originality and depth, but it may not appeal to those seeking a more traditional or forgiving gameplay experience.
“The gameplay, the art style, the atmosphere, all of it is so well put together, and I loved playing it.”
“Excellent and unique gameplay loop, making you feel like a horror survivor initially and as a cool operator eventually.”
“Duskers is an incredibly immersive strategy rogue-like that offers unique, challenging gameplay, though it may be held back by the somewhat repetitive ship layouts.”
“Additionally, people put off by the graphics might as well find another game, and people looking for a highly responsive, active gameplay experience will also be disappointed.”
“It's very hard and unforgiving to learn; the gameplay becomes quite repetitive and it feels like it takes forever to get some scraps and upgrades.”
“The gameplay lacks meaningful progression on a few levels.”
- atmosphere518 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Duskers" is widely praised for its immersive and tense qualities, effectively evoking feelings of isolation and dread as players navigate derelict spaceships using a retro command-line interface. Reviewers highlight the game's haunting sound design and minimalist graphics, which together create a gripping experience reminiscent of classic sci-fi horror films. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, drawing players into its unique blend of strategy, exploration, and survival.
“The tension in Duskers hangs heavy as you move from one moment to the next, the atmosphere reminiscent of an old sci-fi movie at its most tense and mysterious.”
“Duskers is an incredibly atmospheric one-of-a-kind game where you use a squad of drones to explore spaceships that may or may not contain angry aliens.”
“The atmosphere is amazing and the sense of dread when you enter a room with a vent and just hear that buzzing - incredibly well done.”
“The lore and atmosphere are gripping and depressing.”
“The game keeps you tense, alert, and paranoid while blanketing you in a bleak, hopeless atmosphere.”
“A game with an atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife.”
- graphics372 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of Duskers are intentionally minimalistic, evoking a retro aesthetic reminiscent of early DOS games, which many players find enhances the game's immersive atmosphere. While some may be put off by the simplistic visuals, reviewers emphasize that the graphics effectively contribute to the tension and overall experience, proving that engaging gameplay can outweigh the need for high-end graphics. Overall, the unique art style and sound design are praised for creating a compelling and atmospheric environment that draws players into its world.
“The atmosphere it creates is unlike any other and for such a simple game, its visuals are stunning.”
“Duskers does an amazing job tying the theme of the game, its aesthetic, and its gameplay mechanics.”
“The graphics are simple but I like the way how it makes me feel like I am actually a droid operator.”
“Additionally, people put off by the graphics might as well find another game, and people looking for a highly responsive, active gameplay experience will also be disappointed.”
“All in all, the graphics didn't feel all that atmospheric, despite the filters, and after a short time, all the corridors and rooms started to look alike.”
“The promotional game picture as is is pretty misleading since there is no part in the game where you actually see that level of graphical detail.”
- replayability78 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many players highlighting its randomly generated elements and strategic depth that encourage repeated playthroughs. While some reviews note limitations in story progression and a lack of a definitive ending, the engaging gameplay and immersive experience keep players coming back. However, a few critiques mention that after several hours, the replay value may diminish due to the repetitive nature of gameplay mechanics.
“Duskers is an extremely good slow-burn psychological horror, with essentially infinite replayability.”
“The strategic depth and balanced difficulty curve make Duskers highly replayable, with each playthrough offering new challenges and discoveries.”
“Best of all, the game has good replayability due to randomly generated systems, galaxies, ships, and maps.”
“Not much of a story though, so limited replayability.”
“The only downside is the lack of a proper ending / replayability - you do a lot of investigation and the game implies that once you've completed all of your objectives you'll 'win'... or at least know what was going on.”
“There is no replayability here after you've played a few hours.”
- music70 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game is notable for its complete absence of music, relying solely on ambient sounds and eerie sound effects to create an immersive and atmospheric experience. While some players appreciate this design choice for enhancing tension and horror, others feel that the game could benefit from additional ambient music to enrich the experience. Overall, the lack of a traditional soundtrack is intentional, emphasizing sound design and contributing to the game's unique sense of isolation.
“It's atmospheric: simple interface, no music, just sounds of your in-game computer and creepy noises of derelict ships and unknown dangers lurking in the dark.”
“This game atmosphere of horror is perpetuated perfectly by the non-inclusion of a soundtrack, bringing emphasis to sound design and preserving immersion above all else.”
“The abstinence of music and only the very subtle sound effects of the drones give it some kind of 'horror', and with the simple style, most of the scariness is only in the player's head, which is great!”
“The lack of music is frightening as it is only replaced with eerie sounds when searching ships and the mechanical buzzes of drones and beeps of the UI when you do something.”
“There is no music, only the haunting sounds of derelict ships.”
“It lacks things you expect in a game, e.g. music, etc. yet it nails isolation to the point you anthropomorphize the game mechanics you control.”
- grinding52 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging part of gameplay. While some appreciate the challenge and depth it adds, many express frustration with the slow progress and the need for extensive grinding to achieve upgrades and complete objectives. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, leading some to recommend playing in short bursts or waiting for a sale.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“No grindy bits.”
“The fear factor wears off, and the game becomes incredibly grindy and repetitive.”
“The game is also very grindy since everything has durability (that barely lasts anything) and everything costs ammo which means on normal mode you'll barely make a profit (and that's when things go right which they don't).”
“After the novelty of the setting, control, and the basic game mechanics are discovered (all of which are good), the game is pretty much grinding through one spaceship/space station/special location after another.”
- stability38 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 79 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and game-breaking issues that can hinder gameplay. While some players note improvements with community patches and that the game runs well on various systems, the overall consensus is that the game remains quite buggy, particularly on Mac. Despite its potential, these stability issues have led to frustration and a lack of recommendations from many players.
“The game runs great now, and the developers deserve kudos for their assistance!”
“This game is very difficult and has a learning curve, but it is very playable and not buggy.”
“+ runs great and on pretty much anything”
“It would be an amazing game that I would love very much-- but it is buggy and has game-breaking bugs that remain unfixed, so it is largely unplayable for a lot of us.”
“I've lost countless saves when the game freezes and the screen randomly goes into a rainbow hue.”
“Why I can't currently recommend it: this game is very buggy.”
- emotional26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
"Duskers" evokes a strong emotional response from players, blending strategic challenges with feelings of dread and attachment to the game's drones. While some players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and the heart-wrenching moments of loss, others feel a lack of emotional connection to the game's world and characters due to its repetitive nature and minimal content. Overall, the game successfully engages players on an emotional level, making them invest deeply in their robotic companions despite its shortcomings.
“All my roombas were murdered and I cried.”
“Never has a game made me feel dread quite like this one, and this is helped by the game's learning curve and challenge, which is well balanced and thought out.”
“And when you accidentally forget to close that door and you lose your drones, it is quite heartbreaking.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing stuttering and frame-rate issues, even on powerful hardware, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Players feel that these performance problems detract from the overall enjoyment, making command entries cumbersome and turning missions into optimization challenges.
“Every mission, and even your actions between missions, feel like an optimization puzzle - trying to make the best of whatever situation you're in with some time to think.”
“I have a fairly powerful rig and the game still feels like it has stuttering/frame-rate issues.”
“I don't know if this is by design or a symptom of bad optimization, but it makes command entries more tedious and troublesome than they need to be.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and unexpected elements, such as the concept of "funny drone sex," which many players find amusing. The interface is also noted for its exceptional comedic value, contributing to an overall strange yet entertaining experience.
“Cool game and exceptionally funny interface!”
“It's strange, it's funny (well... I find it funny) and it's wonderful.”
