Dustwind

About

"Dustwind" is a post-apocalyptic real-time tactics game featuring single-player campaign, multi-player, co-op, and PvP modes. The story campaign includes 16 missions with a playing time of around 10 hours, where you collect weapons, gear, and develop your character. With splendid gameplay and plenty of humor, tactical and clever decisions are necessary to survive in the harsh wasteland.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+18

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 478 reviews

gameplay48 positive mentions

story30 negative mentions

The game captures the essence of classic Fallout Tactics with its tactical gameplay and character customization.
The real-time combat system adds a fresh twist, making battles dynamic and engaging.
The map editor allows for community-created content, enhancing replayability and creativity.

The game suffers from a lack of content, with no campaign mode and a limited number of maps.
The player base is very small, making it difficult to find multiplayer matches.
There are numerous bugs and issues with AI pathfinding and controls that detract from the overall experience.

story
238 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
78%
13%
The game's story is largely criticized for being linear, shallow, and poorly scripted, with many players noting a lack of depth and meaningful narrative. While a recent update introduced a short single-player campaign, it fails to engage players, who often resort to creating their own narratives through custom missions. Overall, the absence of a cohesive story detracts from the experience, making it more of a tactical multiplayer game than a narrative-driven one.
- “There is one story with character progressing from nobody to savior of all.”
- “This is a pretty good setting and a decent story.”
- “While the solo missions were already playable alone before, the last big patch has now finally brought a real 16 mission single-player campaign to the game where you play a woman that got treated badly by some bandits.”
- “The story is as bare bones as it gets and it's tough to find motivation when you don't feel like they have realized a world beyond the relatively interesting areas you're able to explore.”
- “The story is cliche and poorly scripted.”
- “There is not a real story in this game at all.”
gameplay
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
62%
3%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fun mechanics and nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic titles like Fallout Tactics. However, players have also noted significant issues, including bugs, a lack of content, and a sparse player base that hampers the multiplayer experience. While the core gameplay is engaging and offers a variety of tactical options, the real-time mechanics and underdeveloped features have left some players feeling frustrated and unable to fully enjoy the game.
- “The gameplay itself is actually very fun.”
- “Fabulous intuitive game mechanics and the 1990's Fallout atmosphere, which is very brutal, creates a very enjoyable and extremely violent experience.”
- “Really detailed and satisfying gameplay that is reminiscent of old-school top-down RPGs, especially Fallout Tactics.”
- “Unfortunately, little did I know that this game is a horrendously bugged mess and not only that, but also barely any information about gameplay has been provided.”
- “I would not recommend this game if you want any enjoyment outside of about 8-10 hours of solo gameplay/savescumming (the game isn't actually this long, but you will die and reload entire missions due to a lack of save/autosave feature).”
- “The emptiness of the game is absurd; no missions, no content, no community base to play with, and the real-time gameplay ruins all your strategy in a second.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
43%
15%
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with some users praising the detailed art style and effective use of gore during combat, while others criticize the visuals as outdated and reminiscent of older games. The overall aesthetic is described as a gritty, post-apocalyptic vibe that fits the theme, though some find the graphics to be average or lacking polish. Despite these criticisms, many appreciate the unique artistic direction and the clean user interface, which enhances the gameplay experience.
- “Graphics are gruesomely jaw-dropping fantastic when it comes to combat results with extreme gore and blood-curdling death screams as enemies are cut in half, dismembered, burned alive, sent flying into the air from minefields. It's like they are really feeling the pain.”
- “Graphics for the user interface and inventory are pure cold industrial end-of-the-world eye candy, showcasing highly detailed realistic items that were just looted from a dead body.”
- “The visuals are beautiful in a very specific way - they give the impression of old school false-3D (with harsh, yet high detail texturing), but in an actual 3D environment that you can orbit and zoom in on.”
- “Outdated graphics.”
- “The models and graphics look like they were pulled from a game made 20 years ago.”
- “The graphics are cute at first, but look like they're mostly copy-and-pasted from Fallout 2.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its unique and engaging humor, with players enjoying the comedic elements found in both gameplay and tutorials. Glitches and unexpected deaths add to the humor, making failures entertaining rather than frustrating. Overall, the developers' passion and sense of humor contribute to a fun and immersive experience, appealing to those who appreciate a lighthearted approach in action games.
- “A game filled with action, emotion, and humorous moments.”
- “The tutorial will even take you into location-based damage, traps, building turrets and barricades, and driving vehicles, all with pretty hilarious scenarios that let you squish raiders and launch them into the stratosphere with heavy explosives.”
- “Overall, I'd recommend this game; it's unique and the dev has a great sense of humor and passion for their game.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its ability to enhance combat situations and fit the game's atmosphere, while others find it average and limited. The soundtrack is noted for its quality, reminiscent of classic OSTs, but the main menu music reportedly does not align well with the game's theme. Overall, while the music is generally liked, it lacks standout elements that would elevate it further.
- “I have not played enough to form a solid opinion on the music yet, but from what I've heard so far, especially when it is triggered during combat, I am liking it a lot as it takes situations to another level.”
- “-music (along with the name of the game itself, like one of Brian Fargo's OST from Fallout) it's nice and fits perfectly, as it should be.”
- “I do dig the soundtrack, and I will say that the tutorial for this game is absolutely amazing and should be considered the benchmark of how tutorials should be done.”
- “- Main menu picture and music doesn't fit with the game.”
- “Average quality of effects and music without any special praise.”
- “I have not played enough to form a solid opinion on the music yet, but from what I heard so far, along with when it is triggered during combat, I am liking it a lot as it takes situations to another level.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that grinding in the game is less tedious compared to similar titles, offering two main paths to level up: engaging in challenging PvE missions or utilizing player-created maps for efficient XP farming in AFK mode. While some find the inventory management tedious, the overall experience is enhanced by auto-engagement mechanics that reduce micromanagement, leading to a perception of minimal grinding, especially in PvP scenarios.
- “Tedious inventory management.”
- “- **grinding** you have two options to reach max level and unlock some stuff, try hard and get killed on 9999 missions in PvE or.... play a stupid map created by a player which allows you to power farm your XP killing thousands of enemies in AFK mode and get your XP.”
- “Units will auto-engage enemies, which takes some of the tedious micromanagement away.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
Character development in the game is minimal, with a focus on tactical battles rather than plot or narrative depth. While the custom character design system is praised for its balance and creativity, allowing players to tailor their characters' appearance and skills, it does not contribute to a rich character-driven experience. Overall, players seeking intricate character arcs or development may be disappointed.
- “It had an incredibly special character design system and fully utilized its isometric camera angle to create a genuinely tactical experience that forced you to either play carefully or be torn to pieces.”
- “Custom character design is interesting, where points are assigned to increase player stats or equip weapons.”
- “The game can probably entertain you if you're into tactical battles and don't care about plot, writing, intrigue, and character development, because there is none of the above.”
- “Character design is balanced here.”
- “The character design system is something that stood out right from the get-go, allowing you to make your own characters, designing everything from their appearance to their skills.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The game is praised for its high replayability, offering a wealth of content through community-created maps and diverse gameplay modes, including co-op missions and various PvP types. Many users consider it a great value for the price, highlighting its potential for endless replay experiences as long as community engagement continues.
- “I highly recommend this game at its price - it's a steal for the amount of replay value it offers.”
- “As such, the game basically has infinite replayability as long as the community takes interest in it and creates new maps.”
- “The varied experiences between the co-op missions and different PvP types provide depth and enhance replayability.”
- “The varied experiences between the co-op missions and different PvP types give some depth and replayability.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with several users noting it is quite buggy and unpolished. However, some players report that despite these issues, the game runs well overall and offers an engaging core experience.
- “3 hours of gameplay later, I'm not disappointed at all. The game runs great and the core idea is amazing. In my humble opinion, it's a really needed game in the middle of this childish-br massive wave (talking about looks and mechanics).”
- “But this game is too buggy and too unpolished in my opinion.”
- “To start, the game is quite buggy.”
- “Also, pretty buggy.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and good frame rates, others criticize it for being poorly optimized with questionable loading times and excessive resource demands. Overall, it appears to run well for many, but optimization issues remain a concern for others.
- “The FPS is good enough, and I have not noticed performance issues generally.”
- “The game runs smoothly and with no problems whatsoever, so already it has a significant leg up on Fallout: Tactics.”
- “The game is poorly optimized; loading times are questionable, and it is rather resource-hungry for no obvious reason.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game's atmosphere is heavily inspired by the original Fallout series, characterized by a brutal and chaotic post-apocalyptic setting that enhances the experience of tactical gameplay. Players appreciate the combination of intuitive mechanics and a psychopathic intensity that creates a satisfying and enjoyable environment for fans of violent, fast-paced gaming.
- “Fabulous intuitive game mechanics and the 1990s Fallout atmosphere create a very enjoyable, extremely violent, and satisfying experience.”
- “The atmosphere is very akin to the original Fallout.”
- “For everyone who likes quick but tactical gaming with a post-apocalyptic atmosphere.”
- “Fabulous intuitive game mechanics and the 1990s Fallout atmosphere, which is very brutal and maxed up to ten trillion degrees of psychopathic insanity, creates a very enjoyable, extremely violent, and satisfying experience.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy was heavily emphasized during the initial advertising phase, suggesting a strong focus on generating revenue from the outset.

Buy Dustwind

Dustwind
$24.99
See offer on Steam

6h Median play time

6h Average play time

3-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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