if ultrakill didnt exist this would be my favorite fps
Auteur theory level design
whatever
i love boomer shooters
On the surface, it’s a suitably reverent “boomer shooter” stuffed with referential jokes and design from the good old days. Under the hood, it’s a blistering action FPS and a buckshot of gruesome horror that stands out regardless of the nostalgia.
J0HN DUSKKK.......
this is honestly one of the best fps games I've ever played, truly a masterclass of level design and fps horror. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the first 10 levels were not as good as the other two sets of levels. The other chapters are wonderfully crafted and a joy to play.
First two episodes were okay, but the third one is just perfection.
very solid core and level design, but I found it punishing in a not fun way. Getting two-shot by one of those tall lady and having to replay the entire level just wasnt enjoyable for me, and got really old by the end of episode 2.
Dusk is one of the first boomer shooters I ever touched. The day I purchased it was a watershed moment that defines my taste in shooters to this day. These two statements aren't connected. I purchased Dusk in a double pack with Ultrakill. After a couple of hours of enjoying the former, I decided to try out the other game I bought that day. I never looked back. It's hard to say I gave Dusk a proper shake, and I had nothing but fond memories of the few hours I saw, so I thought I'd finally get around to seeing what I missed.
Imagine my surprise when I was bored to tears by the first act, a real Darkest Dungeon. Its gorgeous Gothic horror atmosphere, genuinely uneasy in its constant industrial scraping and thumping, is in service of nothing. I'd imagine my fond memories of this section have more to do with my first time b-hopping at Mach 10 speeds because I have no other explanation for how I didn't see the flat open areas and dull labyrinths for what they are. Lame as hell. Then, to compliment the overcooked levels, I found a swathe of oddly unexciting weapons (They fucked up the rocket jump! A cardinal sin) and a critical mass of great-looking but mostly unthreatening enemies. It's never unfun to blast through these zones at top speed with these weapons, I am biologically presupposed to enjoy this (and the addition of boss fights helps break up the pace a little). I've just seen all of its gimmicks done much better in the years since I first saw them.
This got even worse with the first half of episode 2, at which point I started to wonder if I'd been the victim of some kind of psychological attack, tricking me into remembering this as a fun game. Until the labs. I won't spoil where the game goes from the second half of episode 2 on, but it gets much headier, much weirder and much pulpier than I'd expected. I loved it. Genuinely, unabashedly. The level design (while retaining some fundamentally dumb idiosyncracies) got better, the enemies got better, the powerups started being fun, a whole new world opened up before me.
But when we get down to brass tacks, Quake's neo-gothic funhouse is unquestionably more appealing than this game's portentous sludge. Dusk is pulling too much from its predecessors and offering little in return. It's such a shame it takes so long to find its footing. By the back half the decision to take the material so deathly seriously starts paying serious dividends. The ending is euphoric in its pulp indulgence. But the good comes far too late and at the expense of its first half. Many boomer shooter aficionados have and will rightly drop this after its terrible opening act. Who can blame them, all they'll see is a bland copycat desperately smashing its influences together. Even if it eventually carves its niche, I find it hard to argue with that assessment.
Imagine my surprise when I was bored to tears by the first act, a real Darkest Dungeon. Its gorgeous Gothic horror atmosphere, genuinely uneasy in its constant industrial scraping and thumping, is in service of nothing. I'd imagine my fond memories of this section have more to do with my first time b-hopping at Mach 10 speeds because I have no other explanation for how I didn't see the flat open areas and dull labyrinths for what they are. Lame as hell. Then, to compliment the overcooked levels, I found a swathe of oddly unexciting weapons (They fucked up the rocket jump! A cardinal sin) and a critical mass of great-looking but mostly unthreatening enemies. It's never unfun to blast through these zones at top speed with these weapons, I am biologically presupposed to enjoy this (and the addition of boss fights helps break up the pace a little). I've just seen all of its gimmicks done much better in the years since I first saw them.
This got even worse with the first half of episode 2, at which point I started to wonder if I'd been the victim of some kind of psychological attack, tricking me into remembering this as a fun game. Until the labs. I won't spoil where the game goes from the second half of episode 2 on, but it gets much headier, much weirder and much pulpier than I'd expected. I loved it. Genuinely, unabashedly. The level design (while retaining some fundamentally dumb idiosyncracies) got better, the enemies got better, the powerups started being fun, a whole new world opened up before me.
But when we get down to brass tacks, Quake's neo-gothic funhouse is unquestionably more appealing than this game's portentous sludge. Dusk is pulling too much from its predecessors and offering little in return. It's such a shame it takes so long to find its footing. By the back half the decision to take the material so deathly seriously starts paying serious dividends. The ending is euphoric in its pulp indulgence. But the good comes far too late and at the expense of its first half. Many boomer shooter aficionados have and will rightly drop this after its terrible opening act. Who can blame them, all they'll see is a bland copycat desperately smashing its influences together. Even if it eventually carves its niche, I find it hard to argue with that assessment.
DUSK is the Uncharted 2 of Quake-likes.
As the enchanting low-poly video game locales give way to demonic machinery, Escheresque mansions, extraplanar cultic horrors, and what I can only describe as a tribute to Minecraft's "The Dropper", DUSK comes to resemble an endearing action-horror parody of itself. The imaginative and increasingly elaborate set pieces bring to mind modern blockbusters. Contrary to my expectations going in, DUSK did not make me yearn for an earlier time in game development history, but rather led me to contemplate how far the medium has come in terms of conveying a sense of place.
DUSK is purportedly a spiritual sequel to the first Quake, and we see this reflected in its visual design and themes. A common praise given to Quake is that it has "good atmosphere" apropos of its charming earth-tone graphics and ambient sound design. I implore those who espouse this to describe to me a single location in that game in concrete terms and without using the word "Lovecraftian." Describe to me what a given level is supposed to be, where you the character are occupying, without referring to the name on the level telling you what it is supposed to be. What I am getting at is: Quake has no sense of place. It is DOOM's abstract representation of Hell, but in 3D and brown. Quake is closer to a video game tone poem about Lovecraftian horror than anything resembling a horror story, and DUSK is the perfect counterpoint to make this case.
I was surprised to learn that David Szymanski's least favorite id Software game is Quake II, when I found DUSK to be FAR more similar to that game. I love them for very similar reasons: the world, the atmosphere, the singular looming threat that the protagonist vies against. Anyway, great game, go play it.
As the enchanting low-poly video game locales give way to demonic machinery, Escheresque mansions, extraplanar cultic horrors, and what I can only describe as a tribute to Minecraft's "The Dropper", DUSK comes to resemble an endearing action-horror parody of itself. The imaginative and increasingly elaborate set pieces bring to mind modern blockbusters. Contrary to my expectations going in, DUSK did not make me yearn for an earlier time in game development history, but rather led me to contemplate how far the medium has come in terms of conveying a sense of place.
DUSK is purportedly a spiritual sequel to the first Quake, and we see this reflected in its visual design and themes. A common praise given to Quake is that it has "good atmosphere" apropos of its charming earth-tone graphics and ambient sound design. I implore those who espouse this to describe to me a single location in that game in concrete terms and without using the word "Lovecraftian." Describe to me what a given level is supposed to be, where you the character are occupying, without referring to the name on the level telling you what it is supposed to be. What I am getting at is: Quake has no sense of place. It is DOOM's abstract representation of Hell, but in 3D and brown. Quake is closer to a video game tone poem about Lovecraftian horror than anything resembling a horror story, and DUSK is the perfect counterpoint to make this case.
I was surprised to learn that David Szymanski's least favorite id Software game is Quake II, when I found DUSK to be FAR more similar to that game. I love them for very similar reasons: the world, the atmosphere, the singular looming threat that the protagonist vies against. Anyway, great game, go play it.
Doesn't do that much new but it gets everything that a shooter should right. On top of that I love the art direction and the aesthetics.
you can bunny hop so its cool but the gameplay is a bit repetitive
All shooters should be this good.
La típica historieta lovecraftiana solo que el protagonista no se anda con gilipolleces. Es frenético de principio a fin pero también sabe dar muy bien tensión cuando es necesario. Me encanta que sea un homenaje tan obvio y al mismo tiempo que tenga un estilo tan único.
the level design is one of the best i've seen out of so much movement shooters it is honestly ridiculous this is my boomer shooter i will defend it at all cost
goes hard as fuck, would highly recommend to anyone looking to get into boomer shooters as a first game. helps that the game has a great sense of humor.
quake more like fake dusk more like bust
DUSK is a pretty good old school shooter. It's fast and silly fun with you bunny hopping around the place while decimating all kinds of enemies in creative levels. I wouldn't agree tho that this game is the best "boomer shooter" there is.
The good:
- The level design is really creative. There is everything here: from hillbilly shacks to otherworldly cities and weird flying islands
- The little horror segments in between are a nice change of pace and were very interesting. They could have even been a bit longer for me personally
- The secrets are very well hidden
- The weapon roster is good. The Riveter in particular feels like this games version of the BFG
- The game lets you use the weapons you would like to use. It doesn't force you to use specific weapons against specific enemies like in Doom Eternal for example
- The graphics have this old school PS1 style about them which I really like
- Nice enemy variety for the length of this game
- The bunny hopping was really fun and even necessary in some tougher fights
- The music really hit the spot
The bad:
- The hit feedback and gore in general could be better. Enemies either just fall to the ground or they explode in blood clouds. Nothing in between
- The "mamas" are a bit too spongy for my taste
- Some levels were a bit too short for me personally
- The majority of the bosses were OK but not very creative, which is especially sad because in contrast to that the levels are so damn creative
The ugly:
- The first half of the game feels way worse than the second half. Especially the first chapter is really bland. Which is a shame because this hillbilly "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" theme has a lot of potential in my opinion.
The good:
- The level design is really creative. There is everything here: from hillbilly shacks to otherworldly cities and weird flying islands
- The little horror segments in between are a nice change of pace and were very interesting. They could have even been a bit longer for me personally
- The secrets are very well hidden
- The weapon roster is good. The Riveter in particular feels like this games version of the BFG
- The game lets you use the weapons you would like to use. It doesn't force you to use specific weapons against specific enemies like in Doom Eternal for example
- The graphics have this old school PS1 style about them which I really like
- Nice enemy variety for the length of this game
- The bunny hopping was really fun and even necessary in some tougher fights
- The music really hit the spot
The bad:
- The hit feedback and gore in general could be better. Enemies either just fall to the ground or they explode in blood clouds. Nothing in between
- The "mamas" are a bit too spongy for my taste
- Some levels were a bit too short for me personally
- The majority of the bosses were OK but not very creative, which is especially sad because in contrast to that the levels are so damn creative
The ugly:
- The first half of the game feels way worse than the second half. Especially the first chapter is really bland. Which is a shame because this hillbilly "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" theme has a lot of potential in my opinion.
THE Boomer Shooter.
Doing most things right, great controls, great atmosphere, okay enemies.
The level design got intentionally confusing near the end I think. I didn't like that too much. Decent score.
But to be brutally honest this game feels redundant.
Doing most things right, great controls, great atmosphere, okay enemies.
The level design got intentionally confusing near the end I think. I didn't like that too much. Decent score.
But to be brutally honest this game feels redundant.
Just find it really uninteresting, if I don't like Quake, makes sense I do not like this.
This review contains spoilers
Fuck Homecoming
going insane
Top tier boomer shooting. The game that helped start the craze, and made me a veteran of the genre.
é um boomershooter divertido, o problema é que em certo ponto esse jogo fica meio enjoativo
Good ass boomer shooter with horror elements.
Played through the original when it released, and played through Dusk HD when it came out recently. Varied weapons that, varied enemies, varied environments all wrapped in a fun little horror wrapper.
Played through the original when it released, and played through Dusk HD when it came out recently. Varied weapons that, varied enemies, varied environments all wrapped in a fun little horror wrapper.
[Cero Miedo difficulty]
Really good level designs and shooting mechanics that allow you to experiment and mess around.
Really good level designs and shooting mechanics that allow you to experiment and mess around.
Stealing this for uncle kenny
The game is just not for me
Is this a 'classic boomershooter' like back in the 90s? No, it's not. This game combines many elements from a variety of old and modern shooters. The atmosphere is a mixe of Blood, Quake, and Doom 1/2. However, the gameplay and story feel like a nice combo of classic boomershooters and more modern games such as Quake 2 ,Half-Life 1/2, Doom 2016, and Wolfenstein 2014 plus , with environments akin to build games. The overall graphical design isn't bad, but it lacks authenticity to the era it's trying to replicate. Is this a bad thing? Hell no. If you're looking for a fun-to-play game and don't want to see Doom, Quake, or Duke Nukem 3D for thecountless time again, this game will not give you something completley new more like a feeling of "Hey, I remember this from gmae X!", but the game is well made and fun to play.