Dustborn

About

"Dustborn is a single-player, action-adventure game with an intriguing story set in a Neo-Western alternate history America. As Pax, an exile with the power to weaponize language, transport a valuable package across the Republic while building a crew, managing relationships, and facing challenges. With stunning landscapes, a robot-driven tour bus, and a looming threat from those who want the package back, Dustborn offers a unique and thrilling experience."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 446 reviews

story118 positive mentions

stability18 negative mentions

The game features a unique and engaging story that explores themes of diversity and social issues.
The art style is visually stunning, reminiscent of comic books, and enhances the overall experience.
Character development is well-executed, with choices that significantly impact relationships and story outcomes.

The combat mechanics are clunky and unrefined, making battles feel tedious and unchallenging.
The dialogue can be overly verbose and cringeworthy, detracting from the immersion and pacing of the story.
The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, which can disrupt gameplay.

story
506 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
72%
5%
The story of "Dustborn" is a mixed bag, featuring a road trip narrative set in a dystopian America where players navigate complex character relationships and significant choices that impact the outcome. While some praise its engaging characters and unique storytelling mechanics, others criticize the pacing, convoluted plot, and lack of depth in certain character arcs. Overall, it appeals to fans of narrative-driven games, though its execution may not resonate with everyone.
- “Amazing story, dynamic characters, and significant choices that deeply affect the game.”
- “Dustborn is a whole mix of games - a little bit visual novel, a bit adventure - a little bit point and click - a bunch of mechanics that for the most part never get in the way of the story - which is most definitely the best part of the game.”
- “The story revolves around Pax, an 'anomal' with the power to influence people with her words, and her 'ragtag' friends on a road trip to deliver a package to New Pacifica in a divided America. In this world, JFK wasn’t assassinated, but his wife was, leading to a semi-fascist regime with Marilyn Monroe as his widow, protected by law enforcement robots.”
- “The story is a clusterfuck of plots that are seemingly going nowhere.”
- “There are just too many issues that make going through the story a drag that I can't imagine the ending of it being satisfying enough to be worth it.”
- “The result is a story lacking genuine connection or relatable moments.”
gameplay
168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
61%
14%
The gameplay of *Dustborn* is a mixed bag, combining elements of visual novels, rhythm mechanics, and simple combat, which some players find engaging while others criticize as shallow and poorly executed. While the narrative and character interactions are praised for their depth and charm, many reviewers note that the combat is overly simplistic and lacks challenge, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on storytelling than on delivering a cohesive and polished gameplay experience.
- “At times, it feels like they made a story-driven game and tried to mash in some Guitar Hero gameplay and Yakuza-style fights, which may sound weird at first but works astonishingly well.”
- “Dustborn is a whole mix of games - a little bit visual novel, a bit adventure - a little bit point and click - a bunch of mechanics that for the most part never get in the way of the story - which is most definitely the best part of the game.”
- “The soundtrack is great and all parts of gameplay feel amazing.”
- “Awful gameplay, world, characters, and writing.”
- “The gameplay is atrocious and the game feels like it was written by a 14 year old.”
- “I want to love Dustborn so much, but its abysmal combat, inconsistent voice line delivery, and horrendous rhythm game mechanics make it hard to look past its faults and enjoy the experience it so desperately wants you to have.”
music
164 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
62%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack and its integration into gameplay, particularly in the rhythm mini-games, while others criticize the quality of the songs and their lyrics as unpolished and cringeworthy. Players appreciate the narrative context of the characters posing as a band, but many find the music sections frustrating due to clunky interfaces and lackluster song quality. Overall, while the background music and environmental scores are generally well-received, the performance songs often detract from the experience.
- “The soundtrack is great and all parts of gameplay feel amazing.”
- “Music mini-games are fun and fit well within the narrative.”
- “Really enjoying the visuals and the soundtrack, and so far it's definitely worth the price!”
- “The music in the rhythm game sections is pretty weak.”
- “Music, unfortunately, is extremely horrible, and it's especially sad that it's been stuck in my head for days.”
- “The worst, most on-the-nose, terrible music I've heard in a video game.”
graphics
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
8%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a vibrant, comic book-inspired art style that many players find stunning and enjoyable, enhancing the overall experience. While some critiques mention that the visuals can feel derivative or poorly executed at times, the majority appreciate the colorful aesthetics and smooth performance, which contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Overall, the art direction is a highlight for many, blending well with the game's themes and humor.
- “The art style is absolutely stunning.”
- “The comic book art style and themes, along with the character diversity (allowing for some hilarious moments since the game does not take itself seriously) made it a ton of fun to experience.”
- “The aesthetics are on point too, with excellent comic-book styling layered over every inch, from the shaded lighting to the outlines to the panelled UI and font.”
- “Also, the art style is blatantly ripped off of a 90's cartoon called 'The Big Guy and Rusty' right down to the new US flag, and I don't see anyone talking about it.”
- “Game is damn boring, graphics are worse than 2013-2014 Telltale games, and actually for that price, just get GTA.”
- “The game is aesthetically repulsive and an insult to the entire project of world civilization; playing it for only three hours, I developed a terrible headache within the first.”
humor
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it genuinely funny and filled with laugh-out-loud moments, particularly in character interactions and absurd scenarios. However, some critiques highlight an overabundance of cringeworthy quips and forced political commentary that detracts from the overall comedic experience. The comic book art style and diverse character dynamics contribute positively to the humor, but opinions vary on the effectiveness of the writing and its ability to balance humor with more serious themes.
- “I never had so many moments where I burst out laughing while playing a video game.”
- “The comic book art style and themes, along with the character diversity (allowing for some hilarious moments since the game does not take itself seriously) made it a ton of fun to experience.”
- “They have, for the most part, a lot of charm and there's a lot of genuinely funny dialogue.”
- “Dialogs have some problems, with too many unfunny quips that the characters make.”
- “There are too many cringey quips that aren't funny or engaging at all.”
- “It's not funny now, and it's going to age like a warm bowl of milk left out in the Arizona sun.”
emotional
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its ability to evoke strong feelings through its story and character development, leading to moments of laughter and tears. However, others criticize the lack of emotional connection and the inconsistency in character interactions, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a wholesome narrative with political themes, it also struggles with pacing and dialogue that can feel forced, leaving some players feeling disconnected despite the potential for a heartfelt journey.
- “I cried in the end and now feel so empty, because I loved how long I could spend in this game and collect fun stuff and make choices and play mini puzzles.”
- “It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I will never forget the journey.”
- “It rewards you for paying attention to the emotional states of the other characters.”
character development
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
43%
10%
Character development is a standout feature in the game, with many players appreciating the depth and variety of character arcs that evoke strong emotional responses. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in character growth and a lack of resolution in the narrative. While the character designs receive mixed reviews, the overall emphasis on storytelling and character interaction makes it appealing for fans of narrative-driven experiences.
- “Seriously, if you like games with good story and character development, this one is for you.”
- “Dustborn is great for narrative enjoyers; I loved the character development of the characters so far. It really feels like being part of a crew going on a road trip!”
- “It's a game heavily leaning on character development of each character, which just gets me all smiley - I am a sucker for character development in games.”
- “The same cannot be said for the character designs.”
- “I feel like more of the lore and character development could've been explored and wrapped up better in the end.”
- “The character designs are... okay.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as buggy combat, poor audio mixing, and frustrating UI elements. Many noted that the coding feels unstable, leading to frequent glitches and collision detection problems. While the art style and some voice performances are praised, the overall experience is marred by these technical shortcomings, suggesting a need for patches to improve stability and performance.
- “First of all, the comic style art is gorgeous; performance-wise, it's pretty steady with some minor bugs here and there.”
- “It just needs a patch to iron out some minor issues and improve performance a bit.”
- “A solid story told in a game that's very rough around the edges; though even with the janky combat and occasionally mixed vocal performances, I had a thoroughly good time learning about this world.”
- “The optimization is horrendous, the coding feels like it’s held together with duct tape, and the collision detection is an absolute mess—constant clipping everywhere.”
- “The game doesn't run well for what it looks like, the way that the audio is mixed is terrible and the fact that you have to look at characters to hear them correctly is incredibly annoying, the overall UI is actually a nuisance, there are misspellings within the subtitles, the combat is buggy, glitchy, clunky, stuttering like crazy, even though the boss fights are actually pretty okay, and the voice acting is sometimes so bad that it's as if I'm hearing a straight-up studio session.”
- “The game isn't exactly optimized and can cause some issues.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability is mixed, with some players reporting a smooth experience with few bugs, while others encounter significant issues such as combat glitches, audio problems, and character model disappearances. Although some users appreciate the overall functionality, many express frustration with technical glitches that disrupt gameplay, particularly during critical moments like auto-saves. Overall, while the game has moments of stability, it is marred by various bugs and inconsistencies that affect the user experience.
- “Runs great on the Ally.”
- “On a positive note: the game actually works and is bug-free.”
- “The game is stable and free of bugs.”
- “The game doesn't run well for what it looks like, the way that the audio is mixed is terrible and the fact that you have to look at characters to hear them correctly is incredibly annoying. The overall UI is actually a nuisance, there are misspellings within the subtitles, the combat is buggy, glitchy, clunky, stuttering like crazy, even though the boss fights are actually pretty okay, and the voice acting is sometimes so bad that it's as if I'm hearing a straight-up studio session.”
- “Also, it has some bugs, like characters repeating the same stuff twice, a couple of animation glitches, and at one point after some fighting my character model just disappeared, so I had to restart the game, but luckily the progress has been maintained.”
- “On the downside: there are some technical glitches where the characters get stuck that are annoying, but I've only seen them happen right after auto-saves, so it wasn't a big deal.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
10%
80%
Reviews indicate that the grinding in Dustborn is perceived as tedious and unengaging, with a combat system that feels like an afterthought. Players find the lack of difficulty scaling in enemies leads to repetitive gameplay, making the experience feel more like a chore than an enjoyable challenge. Overall, the game is seen as not designed for those who enjoy extensive grinding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The combat system was very clearly an afterthought, but also this game seems like it was made for people who consider games small entertainment mediums rather than things you spend hours and hours grinding on.”
- “Dustborn feels more like a tedious life lesson than an actual game, with writing so disconnected it’s as if the writers have never experienced real human interaction.”
- “With the exception of the final boss, they never scale in difficulty as you progress, making them quickly become tedious and stale.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Reviewers suggest that the game's replayability could be significantly improved by implementing more strategic save points, ideally placed after conversations, or by allowing players to manually save their progress.
- “It would also help with replayability if save points were always after conversations ended or if players were able to manually save.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with players expressing strong enjoyment and appreciation for its immersive qualities. Additionally, some users find satisfaction in the game's ability to provoke reactions from certain cultural groups, enhancing their overall experience.
- “Great atmosphere!”
- “Great atmosphere!”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is praised for its monetization model, as it features no microtransactions or digital rights management (DRM), which enhances the overall gaming experience.
- “Judging it as a game, I appreciate that there are no microtransactions or DRM.”