Unending Dusk

About

In "Unending Dusk," embark on a mission as an elite mercenary in a post-apocalyptic world shrouded in eternal dusk, battling a sinister force. Engage in solo or online co-op combat, unlocking deadly attacks through powerful enhancements. The recent arcade mode addition offers local or online co-op, while updates bring new enemy types, environments, and interactables, all melded with cyberpunk aesthetics.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

grinding17 negative mentions

The game features great sprite work and animations, showcasing the developers' effort in design.
Unending Dusk offers a unique blend of beat 'em up and RPG mechanics, providing depth through character customization and skill trees.
The game has a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic 90s beat 'em ups, with a compelling soundtrack that enhances the experience.

The gameplay is highly repetitive and grind-heavy, requiring players to replay levels multiple times to progress.
Controls and animations feel stiff and unresponsive, making combat less fluid and enjoyable.
Enemy AI and attack patterns can be frustratingly unpredictable, leading to a lack of effective blocking and overall balance issues.

grinding
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often described as repetitive and tedious, particularly in the story mode where players must level up and upgrade their characters. While some players find enjoyment in the grind and appreciate the updates aimed at reducing its intensity, others express frustration with the necessity of grinding to progress, especially when facing challenging bosses and expensive upgrades. Overall, the game offers a mix of fun and frustration, with grinding being a central, albeit polarizing, element of the experience.
- “However, later stages must be played on higher difficulties and these have a recommended minimum level exceeding what you would be on a first playthrough, unfortunately necessitating some grinding.”
- “I'm not grinding the boring maps 20 times to buy stats I don't know the effect of in the hope the stat I bought makes these enemies not nearly instakill and not take 20 years to die, per wave, 3 times per area, 10 times per stage, only to end up at a boss that's completely immune to hitstun, knocks me back every hit and either heals or spends half the fight invincible, again.”
- “I clocked in a total of 40 hours of grinding to beat the game.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Unending Dusk offers a nostalgic beat-em-up experience enhanced by ARPG mechanics, featuring cooperative play and a variety of character progression options. While the gameplay can become monotonous and occasionally sluggish, regular updates have improved its overall quality, making it a fun yet challenging title for fans of the genre. The game successfully captures the retro aesthetic, though some players may find the presentation and difficulty balance lacking.
- “Unending Dusk is an old-school beat-em-up with ARPG mechanics and a pretty decent, darksynth-esque soundtrack that was admittedly rough around the edges in its early days, but regular updates have smoothed a lot of those edges and made for a compelling cooperative experience whenever I can rope friends into playing it.”
- “There's some added depth in the RPG mechanics: every five levels up to the cap of 50, you can choose one of three passive skills flavored to your class, and each level increases your mod capacity.”
- “It's an underrated gem of a side-scrolling fighter with greasy good Genesis graphics and music wrapping up the tight gameplay in just the kind of blood-dripping bow that a knuckle-sandwicher of a game like this deserves.”
- “However, the gameplay loop stays the same and it gets monotonous eventually.”
- “This waltz slows down everything and the gameplay can feel sluggish as you clear out each screen of enemies.”
- “Gameplay is ok, but presentation and music so far is kinda blah and difficulty feels a little unbalanced.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The story is set in a cyberpunk world dominated by mega-corporations, featuring a basic yet engaging narrative that adds context to the gameplay grind. Players experience a beat 'em up RPG style, with missions that vary each time, although the overall story may feel repetitive after completing it. While the game offers online co-op, it lacks local multiplayer in story mode, which may detract from the experience for some players.
- “The story is funny, and repeating missions is canon to the story because missions are different each time you play them.”
- “It has the same cyberpunk aesthetic, the same RPG elements where you can customize your character with cybernetic enhancements, and a story about mega corporations destroying the world.”
- “An interesting (if somewhat basic) storyline that adds flavor to the grind.”
- “I wasn't able to power through unending dusk like a lot of other games, and completing the story mode took many hours of play, via grinding for levels and upgrading mods.”
- “Once you've beaten one mission of this, you have, as far as I can tell, seen everything it has to offer.”
- “Heavy duty grinding is required to beat story mode.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The graphics of the game are described as reminiscent of higher-end SNES and Genesis titles, featuring solid pixel art that effectively captures a unique apocalyptic aesthetic. While some players appreciate the art style and character customization, others note that the visuals can hinder gameplay by obscuring enemies and traps. Overall, the graphics contribute to a nostalgic feel, aligning well with the game's retro-inspired design and engaging soundtrack.
- “The solid, pixel-bred graphics, apocalyptic wasteland settings, and mixture of demonic enemies, mad max rejects, and unrelenting robots give it a feel that's completely its own.”
- “It's an underrated gem of a side-scrolling fighter with greasy good Genesis graphics and music wrapping up the tight gameplay in just the kind of blood-dripping bow that a knuckle-sandwicher of a game like this deserves.”
- “Art style and pixels look good (a lot of games in the same genre botch that).”
- “The graphics look like a higher end SNES game, and the music is awesome and keeps you pumped as you blast your way through hordes of androids and cultists.”
- “On top of that, some rooms have stage graphics in front of the room, which can hide things like enemies and traps.”
- “There are definitely some modern features added to the formula such as character levels and different damage types, but overall it truly feels like a game that could be on Genesis - mainly due to aesthetic.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
10%
20%
The music in "Unending Dusk" is widely praised for its darksynth and synthwave influences, enhancing the game's retro aesthetic and cyberpunk atmosphere. Players appreciate the compelling soundtrack that keeps them engaged during gameplay, with many noting its ability to evoke nostalgia while complementing the action. Despite some initial roughness, regular updates have improved the overall experience, making the music a standout feature in this side-scrolling beat-em-up.
- “The graphics look like a higher-end SNES game, and the music is awesome and keeps you pumped as you blast your way through hordes of androids and cultists.”
- “On top of that, there's great music in several of the levels that's stuck with me long after my 50 hours of fighting.”
- “- Synthwave soundtrack, very good and adds to the cyberpunk ambience.”
- “The music is like a techno remix of Doom.”
- “Gameplay is okay, but the presentation and music so far are kind of blah, and the difficulty feels a little unbalanced.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game offers significant replayability through its six customizable characters and various upgrade paths, appealing to players who enjoy exploration and grinding. However, some users note that the experience may become repetitive after several runs, particularly due to limitations in the combat system.
- “There are six different characters to choose from and almost endless ways to customize them, so there is a ton of replayability.”
- “Obviously the game will get a little repetitive after the first few runs, but if you enjoy finding rare attack upgrades, I think you can get a lot of replay value.”
- “While the core combat system is not great due to lack of grabs, this game has a lot of replay value if you like grinding.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its hilariously unbalanced nature and a comedic storyline that remains engaging through varied mission repetitions. Players appreciate the inclusion of randomized events that often provide humorous references and additional experience, enhancing the overall comedic experience.
- “This game is hilariously unbalanced.”
- “The story is funny, and repeating missions is canon to the story because missions are different each time you play them.”
- “Most of the randomized events just give some extra experience or make a funny reference.”