DUSK may have a bit of a renaissance ahead, as the developer New Blood Interactive announced it's released the optional DUSK HD remaster of the game. Its purpose is twofold: to celebrate the game's fifth anniversary, and the release of its software development kit and the accompanying Steam Workshop support?.

"What started as a fun way to beef up the DUSK Steam Workshop," says the announcement from New Blood Interactive, "soon evolved into a full-blow?n visual remaster thanks to the hard work of a group of very talented developers at New Blood under the supervision of David Szymanski, myself (Dave), our QA Lead Cam, Dev Support Lead Scott, and the rest of the New Blood crew."

Citing extremely positive responses from the DUSK community, New Blood explains that the studio decided to take DUSK HD a step further than initially planned. The end result? DUSK HD is no longer just a Steam Workshop download, but a free DLC with its own Steam Store page.

DUSK's modding scene is about to kick off

Even though the release of the DUSK software development kit, DUSK HD, and Dusk's official Steam Workshop are huge steps forward for the game's modding scene, New Blood Interactive promises that there's lots more where that came from. Notably, the current version of the DUSK SDK is, indeed, available for anyone to peruse and build custom maps (to the point where the game supports Quake and Half-Life?? levels b??y default), including custom texturework and audio.

However, modders can expect an even more comprehensive version of the SDK to come out in a few weeks' time, allowing them to implement custom enemies, weapons, and entities into the game. This means that classic shooter fans have much to look forward to in the context of DUSK and its Workshop.

What's really neat here is that New Blood Interactive did not fail to highlight the efforts of Ben "Zombie" Moir and David "Garumin" Bonin, who have rewritten DUSK from the ground up and remade the game's visual assets, respectively. "Unbeknownst to [Zombie and Garumin], all the profits from DUSK for the?? month of December 2023 will be split?? between David and Ben," says the blog.

Finally, the blog also points out that New Blood Interactive has hired three new developers as a result of their efforts in producing DUSK HD:?? Cody Lambert, Dom Antonazzo, and Lachlan Milne. The three will contin??ue working for New Blood "across all [their] games" in the future, signing off on a very promising future for the studio.

The post DUSK HD and its expansive Steam Worksho??p are now out appeared first on Destructoid.

Many indie titles in the past several years have taken visual inspiration from previous generations. Some draw from the NES and SNES eras, but lately more a?re taking cues from the PS1/N64 generation.

These distinctive visual echoes from years past have undoubtedly made it far easier to appreciate the aesthetic while playing somethin??g notably contemporary. At least, that's how I view many of these games, since occasional visits to previous generations can sometimes be painful.

That said, some of? the best games from the last several years have retro games to thank, be they platformers, survival horror, or RPGs. Some of these are the best in their respective years with others being quite underrated gems.

CrossCode

CrossCode is an ARPG with a 16-bit artstyle while retaining smoother combat and exploration. The store page makes its Zelda inspiration clear concerning how dungeons are designed around puzzle-solving and new equipment. Something that distinguishes itself from games like Link to the Past is the focus on ranged combat.

Protagonist Lea can attack at both close and long distances, with either method having a significantly faster pace than its inspirations. Couple this with a breadth of customization options for Lea's build, and combat always stays satisfying?? as the player's skill grows alongside Lea's strength.

The story can be hit or miss as CrossCode follows the amnesiac protagonist throughout her journey across the CrossWorlds MMORPG, but the gameplay always remains engaging. Clocking in at around 30 hours for the main story, CrossCode is a lengthy and memorable retro adventure.

Dusk

Titles taking inspiration from '90s FPS's have gained traction, but arguably none do it better than Dusk. On top of being one of the best retro shoote?rs in recent memory, it's potentially one of the greatest shooters? ever.

It takes visual cues from games like Blood but plays like an improved version of Quake. Players practically glide across levels using a mix of mid-20th??-century?? weapons along with some more fantastical inclusions to decimate cultists and eldritch evils.

Each weapon is exhilarating to use, and I argue movement is better than even Doom Eternal still. At around 10 hours long, Dusk doesn't overstay its welcome and leaves a better impression of boomer shooters than even its inspirations can offer. Despite only being around five years old, its popularity helped earn it a free HD remaster.

Katana Zero

Continuing my trend of focusing on titles released in the last five years is Katana Zero, a slick action-platformer with several interesting gimmicks. It plays almost like a 2D Ghostrunner, as the protagonist only dies in one hit and primarily uses a katana. What Ghostrunner doesn't have is a dedicated slowdown me?chanic that ties into the story.

What makes Katana Zero great is not only its mix of brutal and fas??t combat, but a genuinely intriguing story about identity, reliving traumatizing memories, and memory manipulation. It lives up to its neo-noir tag as an intertwining web of conspira??cies forms with protagonist Zero in the middle.

It's a surprisingly tragic and heart??breaking narrative that also happens to be one of the best indie platformers. A free DLC has been in production for years to conclude the story, and I still need it?.

NORCO

I'm not much of a point-and-click adventure game fan, but NORCO enthralled me. Inspired by neo-noir adventure titles like Snatcher, NORCO takes the cyberpunk genre into Southern Gothic territory. It al??so happens to be one of the most melancholy games I've played recently.??

The perpetually dimly lit Louisiana atmosphere, slow jazzy soundtrack, and contemplative dream-like story create a genuinely moving experience. Its pixel art style greatly adds to this, coming to life in the way '90s graphic adventures did.

NORCO tapers off slightl?y toward the end of its four-to-six-hour adventure, but that does little to spoil the package. Its simple p??uzzles also make it approachable enough for non-gamer sci-fi and Southern Gothic fans.

Pseudoregalia

Pseudoregalia has some of the best movement I've ever seen in a platformer, and it stars a goat-rabbit girl. This 3D platformer takes visual cues from fifth-generation systems, namely the N64, while remaining structured as a Metroidvania.

?Its structure is like any other as players guide protagonist Sybil across Castle Sansa to collect new abilities and powers. Almost every area is available to some degree at the start, but the setting only shines once some more abilities are acquired.

The entire movelist in Pseudoregalia is snappy and satisfying, doing a wonderful job at showing Sybil's skills as an expert acrobat who is drip-fed upgrades througho??ut her roughly five-hour journey. What it ultimately does best is emulate a retro platformer's aesthetics while outclassing its contemporaries.

Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars is among the more recent titles on this list, since it came out in August. Still, it made a splash in the same month Baldur's Gate 3 launched for being a lov??ing tribute to 16-bit RPGs while standing on its own as a solid game.

Combat takes place in turn-based battles, taking cues from Super Mario RPG's timing-based attack system. It'?s honestly an underrated method for implementing?? turn-based combat, as it keeps encounters interesting when done right.

The art and narrative are arguably two of Sea of Stars' biggest draws. Its pixel art environments give the world an inviting feeling and lively portraits bring the cast to l??ife. Helping is the story itself featuring an endearing set of characters who fit perfectly into a grand RPG ad??venture.

Signalis

Signalis is studio rose-engine's debut title and is a remarkable work of retro sci-fi horror. It takes cues from various works ranging from Kubrick and Anno to create a PS1-styled nightmare with a heartbreaking narrati?ve.

The basic premise sees Elster, a Replika who cra??shes on an icy planet and whose human partner is missing. Her only option is to venture into a nearby facility overrun by berserk Replikas and horrors beyond comprehension.

Despite taking visual inspiration from various anime and films alongside gameplay from retro games, Signalis is almost entirely its own beast narratively speaking. Elster's tale of finding her partner is as surreal as it is soul-wrenching and unabashedly queer. This is a must-play f?or any fan of cosmic horror and dystopia sci-fi.

Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors was one of 2022's biggest hits for a reason. At an incredibly cheap price, players get a simple but compel?ling action game. Its minimal graphics also help make it accessible to pretty much anyone who has a computer made in the last decade.

It also has an interesting premise for how simple it is. Vampire Survivors is a time-based survival title where players get the power to ??become stronger than a bullet hell boss. The only active thing you do is move around as progressively more projectiles and enemies flood the screen.

The number of enemies on screen is staggering by the end of a run and would feel overwhelming if not for the player's scaling abilities. The incredibly engaging loop?? also helps as it's impossible to resist? trying at least one more time.

World of Horror

World of Horror officially launched this October, but f??ans have enjoyed the horror RPG for years in its Early Access builds. Taking cues from Junji Ito manga and 1-bit computer games, this horrifyin??g title looks and plays like a cursed adventure title from the '80s.

Despite its monochromatic color scheme, World of Horror's excellent art direction captures what?? makes Ito's art so unnerving. Its structure of short runs with randomiz??ed adventures also emphasizes valuing every resource and every moment as all continuously dwindle.

As frustrating as randomization can be, it works in World of Horror's case as it helps furt??her cement how hopeless the player's fight is. They are facing off against incomprehensible cosmic horrors, and they aren't going down without a fight.

The post Nin?e great retro-inspired indies you can play today appeared first on Destructoid.

420 blazin!

The indie FPS throwback DUSK ha??s been doing pretty well for itself. New Blood Interactive producer Dave Oshry took to Twitter to announce that the hit game has sold exactly 69,420 copies since la??unch. While that doesn't seem like a massive amount, it does have one benefit: it's completely awesome!

I don't think I need to explain ?the significance of those number??s to our fine audience. I'll just let Mr. Oshry's words do the talking.

If you haven't checked out DUSK, why not give my review a read? I considered it my favorite game of 2018, as well, so that should tell you just how good the game is. Maybe buying a copy will break that incredible sales figure, but I'm? sure New Blood wouldn't mind shifting ??a few more units.

Dave Oshry [Twitter]

The post DUSK has sold 69,420 copies appeared first on Destructoid.

Wash with this if you want to bag me

In a heartfelt post to the Steam community, developer Dave Oshry celebrated the three year anniversary of his '90s-style FPS, DUSK. In the post, Oshry thanks the fans and his team for their love? and support, then announces some new features h?eaded to the double-barreled shooter.

A New Game Plus mode is in the works, along with co-op multiplayer, Steam Workshop support and new language localisations. Oshry also mentions that DUSK will be coming to consoles, though no specif??ic date or platforms were announced in this message. A physical release for the title is planned via a "Big Box Physical Collector's Edition", that will now doubt replicate the classic PC packaging of yore.

Best of all, the Collector's Edition is expected to include one of the weirdest bits of gaming memorabilia in a long time. Bacon-scented soap, emblazoned with the DUSK logo. Wash yourself in that and you have me trailing you around for life, pal. It should be noted, however, that the scent is subect (sic) to change. If you want to jump in on the gun-toting carnage, then DUSK is available now on PC.

DUSK to receive new features and console ports [Official Steam]

The post DUSK ?is coming to consoles and bringing bacon soap appeared first on Destructoid.

Party like it's 1996

It has been an excruciating year for me. When I took a look at DUSK in early-acces??s back in January, I was in l??ove. The game was everything I had wanted from a first-person shooter since the '90s passed. No regenerating health, no hit-scanning enemies and no guided tours through levels that might as well be hallways. This was a replication of the games I cut my teeth on in my youth.

Teases of the content in DUSK's episode three eventually gave way to me playing a very early build in April. After that, I was given a more in-progress build that featured final refinements but lacked the ultimate finale. I kept digging through these levels and finding new secrets, concocting faster paths and honing my skills. I was ready for the conclusion to DUSK, even if I never wanted to stop playing.

I can safely say that this journey has been well worth it. DUSK may just be the best shooter I've ever played.

DUSK (PC [Reviewed], Switch)
Developer: David Szymanski
Publisher: New Blood Interactive
Released: December 10, 2018 (PC), TBA (Switch)
MSRP: $20.00

Plot isn't why you'll be playing DUSK, but I'll try my best to summarize what is going on. Occupying the boots of the aptly titled Dusk Guy, you set off on a journ?ey through a demented farmland to stop some eldritch terror from destroying the world. Getting in your way is a multitude of various enemies from the likes of chainsaw-wielding brutes and cloak wearing c?ultists. Later on, you'll start to see some really messed up shit that wants nothing more than to eviscerate you.

Your quest starts pretty humbly before it gets grander and grander. Using an episodic structure similar to genre classics, DUSK makes sure each segment of gameplay feels distinct from the last. The overarching theme in episode one might be more realistic, bu??t it eventually gives way to wild level designs that defy logic and take first-person exploration to boundaries it hasn't been in a long time.

Unlike classic shooters, DUSK actually saves the best content for last. The first episode is quaint in comparison to what comes later and as such, does a fantastic job of introducing to you how DUSK plays and what you might expect to encounter. DUSK is anything but predictable as each new level focuses on a different concept that ge??ts played up to its fullest extent.

While I could pick any number of levels to highlight, the most exciting one has to be the "Escher Labs" in episode two. Themed after the paintings of M.C. Escher, the level begins like any other scientific themed lab before it starts to screw with your perception of reality. You’ll walk forward only to be greeted with the beginning of the level and everyth?ing tilted on its side. This keeps getting more and more contorted before you're jumping through walls and seemingly goin?g up by dropping down. It's a real brain twister.

Episode three, though, just steals the show. It may feature a horde like level where you do nothing but kill, but the puzzles and eye candy contained are beyond what I imagined DUSK could achieve. Earlier levels start to make a comeback in a Groundhog's Day styled fashion and there is a level set in a "Xen" like universe from Half-Life t??hat really plays with gravity in some interestin??g ways. Unlike "Xen," the level doesn't suck, so it has that going for it.

Let me tell you, I'm surprised at how creepy some of the levels can be. Coupled with the excellent sound design and soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult, DUSK could possibly pass?? as a horror game at times. Arenas will get pitch black, bugs will be crawling around the ground and monsters will be moaning while you're stumbling about in an unfamiliar place. I honestly jumped a little when a certain invisible enemy popped up the first time (despite knowing he was there!).

It is rare you'll ever get lost in DUSK, however. This isn't because the game is easy, but more because levels have specific architecture and set-pieces to keep you from getting confused. Unlike older shooters that had limitations on the number of textures or models that could be used, DUSK has wholly unique level sets that are visually different. While th?e lack of a map screen might put people off, it never feels nec?essary with how well the game organically guides you through its demented corridors.

None of this would really matter if the weaponry was bad, but DUSK has that on lock. All of your weapons feel important and have a use against specific enemies. Big hulking brutes will go down in a single shot of your hunting rifle while the military foes are best picked off with the assault rifle. Hearing the audio cues from your foes and swapping to the appropriate weapon before entering a room is something I'll never get enough of and it's nice that DUSK doesn't make any weapon t?oo powerful. Even the requisite rocket launcher (the Riveter) is better saved for faster foes than being blasted at will.

There is, of course, a double barrel shotgun that tears enemies apart. It sounds fantastic, has great animation and can really turn the tides of battle when you’re surrounded by enemies. Whipping that bad boy out and going to town on a crowd is always satisfying. If that isn’t to your liking, you could always stick to the double shotgun setup DUSK has. Nothing is mor?e gratifying than twirling shotguns in each hand and watching gibs fly across the screen.

About the only aspect of the game, I’m not too big on are the boss battles. They aren't bad and don't disrupt the flow of levels. In fact, you can actually skip almost all of them by flicking some switches and dodging attacks while waiting for doors to open. That choice is very much welcomed because the fights are just super basic. The arsenal in DUSK might be a blast to play with, but a big, hulkin?g bullet sponge of an enemy doesn't make for the most taxing of encounters.

Thankfully, the final boss is much better and ends the game on a high note. It involves a little more than just unloading your guns and I appreciate that change of pace. It is very reminiscent of Quake, but I won't spoil?? anything else. You’ll be pleased when you take him?? down and see the end credits.

If you couldn't tell from the screenshots, DUSK employs an old-school blocky graphical style. This looks like the type of games that were being made during the dawn of 3D acceleration and it is charming as hell. Enemies are chunky and move with fewer frames of animation than modern titles, but it all works to complement the specific theming DUSK has going on. This i??s very much a g??ame in the manner of the past.

This final build of DUSK brings in more music, more ambient sound effects, and just a general polish to each level of the game. It feels like a more complete product than back in January, even if the basic level design remains untouched. Paths through levels are telegraphed a little better with enemies? popping up where you need to go and specific lighting drawing your eye to the path forward. Secrets are a little easier to spot thanks to some new textures for breakable walls.

I was surprised at how much easier it was for me to get through levels in episode one and two than before. That could be because I’ve played them about six times now, but the few moments where I did forget how to move forward were only met with a??bout two minutes to exploration. I was able to decipher what I needed to do and get on my way in a very snappy fashion. It prevents the game from ever feeling boring, which even the best of old-school games can devolve into.

DUSK is all action, no filler and I couldn't be happier. The game may be taking us back to the past, but it doesn't ignore the lessons learned about what works in level design. Instead of reusing assets and bloating out the runtime, DUSK is a brisk, four-hour ca??mpaign that never hits the same beat twice. It really is just fantastic.

This is even before delving into the multiplayer component, DUSKWorld. In what is perhaps the only disappointing thing about the final release, DUSKWorld is still very limited. Containing only deathmatch and a handful of levels, this mode is mostly a novelty. It is an entertaini?ng as hell novelty, but there isn’t much else you'll get out of it if you're looking for a brand new multiplayer fix.

I can't harp too much on that point as DUSK is priced accordingly and does its campaign brilliantly. It simply would be nice to have some more options when it comes to playing with friends. At least features like cooperative play and mod support are in the works for the future. That could really elevate DUSK into "Greatest o??f All Time" status because the basic feel is su??blime.

That really explains DUSK well. This is shooter perfection and something fans of the classics need to experience. Maybe it doesn't redefine what is possible with video games, but it beats out basically every other shooter I've ever played?. I know I'll be replaying this for years to come and I look forward to seeing what fans are capable of with mod tools.

It feels great to have the golden age of shooters ba?ck.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: DUSK appeared first on Destructoid.

IT'S HAPPENING!

The absolutely fantastic retro shooter DUSK will be leaving Early Access on December 10, 2018. For a limited time after launch, the game will be available for the special price of $16.66. The game will ship with three episodes of hellish levels and a full multiplayer suite. That isn't the end for DUSK, though, as more updates are planned for?? 2019. The biggest of them is the eventual Switch port.

While this was actually announced around E3, DUSK on Switch is much closer to being a reality now. If you aren't looking to play DUSK on the go, though, you can get ready to bring a friend along as co-op will be coming to the game post-launch. An SDK will also be released along with eventual Mac?? and Linux ports. Publisher New Bloo??d Interactive is teasing more stuff, as well.

If you happen to already own the Early Access build, you'll find the game has been updated with a few new features today. A new endless arena has been unlocked that is based on one of the levels from Episode Three. The first two episodes have also received some tweaks and changes, which should bring them more up to the levels of polish that one would expect from a final product. You can also p??lay as the "Hound of Torment" enemy in multiplayer.

If you're a bit peeved about paying a few extra dollars before launch, fear not! All current owners will be given early access to the final version of Episode Three before launch. You'll also receive the 50-page DUSK graphic novel for completely gratis.

I'm beyond excited for DUSK to finall??y arrive. Ever since playing it earlier this year, I've been dying to get my hands on the final thing. The teasers I've played of Episode Three have me believing this could be one of the best first-person shooters of all time. Now I just have to not die before December.

THE TIME IS NIGH [Steam Community]

The post DUSK leaves Early Access this December appeared first on Destructoid.

Amid Evil's Ep 4, too

I may have already experienced a bit of DUSK's upcoming final episode, but words only go so far. Sometimes you just need to see the insanity to better understand it, so publisher New Blood Interactive has uploaded an extended preview of the game's final act to blow everyone's minds. Also included is a look at the publisher's other upcoming FPS throwback, Amid Evil. That game has a more t?raditional four act structure, of which the early access? release only includes the first three.

Both games are pretty damn great, though, so you could watch the whole video and not be bored. For those that may only be interested in Amid Evil, though, the 23 minute mark is where everything shifts towards the more Heretic inspired cousin.

I know I've stated this before, but getting DUSK, Amid Evil and Ion Maiden all in the same year is just awesome. I've waited so long for old-school FPS games to come back, so you know I'll be singing the praises of DUSK for years to come.

DUSK Episode 3 + AMID EVIL Episode 4 FIRST LOOK [New Blood Interactive via YouTube]

The post An extended look at DUSK’s Episode three appeared first on Destructoid.

From DUSK till dawn

With the release of DUSK onto Steam Early Access last month, old-school first-person shooter fans have been in heaven. The game captures the glory of games like Quake and Doom while providing modern com??patibility and startling creativity. ?What more could you possibly want? How else will this game expand?

To figure out where this modern classic is going, I chatted with New Blood Interactive's producer Dave Oshry and DUSK designer David Szymanski and asked about the upcoming Episode Three, mod support, and the creative process behind building the levels we already have. It turns out that Quake wasn’??t the only thing on David’s mind.

To start off, one of the many tidbits I had read about DUSK prior t??o setting this interview up was that David cam??e up with the inspiration for the game during a period where he didn’t have access to a PC powerful enough to play modern games. Failing to actually relocate the source of this story, I asked David if that story was true.

While it definitely was fact, it didn’t happen immediately prior to DUSK’s development.  “When I was younger around the time people were playing Half-Life 2 and Doom 3,” David recounts, “I didn’t have a computer that could run anything like that. My computer was a decade behind the times.” Due to his outdated PC, David played and replayed things like Doom and Chasm: The Rift. This led to him creating concepts in his head for what would eventually become DUSK.

It took a while for David to start working on DUSK, though. With his outdated PC, David began work on titles in QBasic, but the process didn’t work out so well. While he didn’t give up on ever making the title, he eventually shelved it to hone his craft before returning in the future. In the intervening years, he played a bunch of other games that would eventually come to influence other elements of DUSK.

While the games that had the most impact are obviously Doom and Quake, a lot of the atmosphere in DUSK draws inspiration from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. David also personally admits that Chasm: The Rift played more of role in his design due to him playin?g it more as a teenager.

I sadly admitted that I had never heard of Chasm, but Dave Oshry reassured me that, “Nobody has.” He then went on to explain, “for Episode One, a lot of people have been comparing it to Blood and Redneck Rampage, whereas Episode Two is more S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Half-Life…there’s little bits of all other?? games sprinkled around there.?”

“That’s the dirty secret of DUSK,” David says. “A whole bunch was taken from old immersive sims.” Thief is one game that Dave and David both refer to when saying this, which is definitely felt when playing DUSK. For how immediate the comparison to id Software’s classic titles is, DUSK actually bo?rrows ver??y little from the grandmasters of the genre.

So now that I better understood where DUSK was drawing its influences, what would we be seeing for E??pisode Three? “There’s definitely going to be new enemies,” Oshry says. “There’s going to be flying guys. We haven’t gotten to annoy you with those yet.” New weapons don’t seem to be on the docket, but a slight reworking of some current weapons is on the table.

Oshry specifically points out the sword, which was kind of a novelty in Episode Two. It was neat, but didn’t do enough damage? to really be a viable alternative to the previous melee weapon. “For one level, we take away all your weapons and force you to use the sword in Ep?isode Three,” Oshry outlines. “We’re changing the way the sword works…but definitely new enemies, some new power-ups and more power-ups.”

How will the level design change? “David’s just getting really crazy with the level design,” Oshry gleefully adds. “He’s not constrained by ‘farm area’ or ‘factory area.??’ Now it’s just like fucking bleh-leh-luh-leh-luh-leh-la!” Seeing as how Episode Three is called “The Nameless City,” the limi??tations on what are possible basically don’t exist.

Rewinding a little, I asked where the inspiration for DUSK’s current episodes stemmed from. “For Episode One, that location is completely my wheel house,” David states, “because that’s where I live.” Oshry then jumps in, “He literally lives in DUSK.”

David then elaborated on what he meant. “That was just me driving around, living everyday life and being like ‘that would be a cool place to explore in DUSK.??’ Getting onto Episode Two, that’s when I started with each level having a main gameplay or thematic idea. It wasn’t just ‘here’s a cool location,’ but it was like, ‘here’s a cool gameplay idea.’”

Oshry continued by adding, “When David was telling me his ideas for episodes, I was like ‘I think we’re making Cabin in the Woods.’” Oshry then told David to go watch the movie, which then became the catalyst for the whole idea of DUSK having a layered world where the first episode starts mun?dane before giving way to a secret military base underneath and then almost literal hell below it.

“’90s shooters were more about this mix of ??atmosphere, environments, and environmental storytelling along with a good mix of cool combat encounters ??and secret hunting,” Oshry told me. “It’s really, really satisfying to kill everything and find everything and learn everything and then move on…When you’ve got stuff that is procedural, or just big open rooms…you miss out on the whole other aspect that made old shooters really, really great.”

“For me,” David adds, “I especially love the idea in a game like Doom, what you are in is actually a space you can backtrack thro?ugh and explore and kind of go at your own leisure. There was a real emphasis on making it feel like you were in an actual space and making it interesting to move around that space and giving you different views and angles.”

Both David and Oshry agree that a modern trend with gaming tends to be on infinite replayability through random generation instead of creating specific levels with identifiable set-pieces. While they admit there is something to be said about how that can create new and unique experiences, it isn’t what they are looking for when it comes to classic shooters. To them, DUSK is m?eant to be memorable and replayable becaus?e you find levels that excite you and invite you to revisit them.

Since DUSK borrows the act structure from classic shooters, one of the things I personally wondered about was an eventual fourth episode coming to the title. Doom re-released as The Ultimate Doom a year after with a brand new fourth chapter, a trend that would continue with Duke Nukem 3D and even things like Tomb Raider Gold on PC, so since DUSK is positioning itself as the return of the golden era of shooters, it would only make sense for an Ultimate DUSK to happen.

“I mean, if DUSK does well,” Oshry says, “we’ll do whatever the hell you want. We’ll make episode four, five, six, DUSK 2: With Graphics This Time.” For the moment, though, development is focused on getting all of the features that the team promised from the start. This means the final release with Episode Three, mod support, Steam workshop integration, a Mac and Linux port, and even a co-op mode for th??e campaign.

Since mod support was the only real “complaint” I had about DUSK in my Early Access review, I definitely inquired more about what that would entail. Turns out the team is taking it very seriously. “We’ve got a dedicated guy who comes from the Doom community work??ing on the SDK,” Oshry mentions, “and people are getting prepared to start using it.” David then added, “I can’t wait for mods. It’s going to be so cool to see what people come?? up with.”

Toward the end of our chat, we began to talk about performance and how DUSK targets a rock solid 144 FPS, but this brought about the idea of console ports. According to Oshry, he is actually starting to finalize a pitch that he’ll be making to Nintendo for a Switch port of DUSK. While Sony and Microsoft haven’t agreed to anything, Oshry d??oesn’t see the??m opposing the game for their platforms.

Since DUSK is such an old-school shooter, you’d think that gamepad support would be flat out terrible, but that actually isn’t the case. The game supports a variety of gamepads on PC and it actually ends up feeling pretty smooth. Oshry explained to me that they worked on figuring out an auto-aim system that would emulate the smoothness that DUSK requires. While it obviously won’t match keyboard and mouse control, it does a remarkable? job of capturing the speed you’d expect f??rom a ‘90s shooter.

To wrap things up, I asked about what some ideas for a potential DUSK 2 would be like. It is obviously far too early to get any concrete details (especially since New Blood Interactive is looking to support DUSK for the next few years), but David did clu??e me in to how the game might look. “I don’t know that I’d ever want to do something completely photo ??realistic, because in five years it’s just going to look like complete garbage. Stylized graphics always age the best.”

The post Talking DUSK’s inspiration and its future with Dave Oshry and David Szymanski appeared first on Destructoid.

The Golden Age is Back

For the last decade or so, the first-person shooter genre has been dominated by the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield. These two behemoths of gaming started a trend of “ultra-realistic” shooters that basically all play the same. You’ve got iron sights for more accurate aiming, regenerating health??, incredibly linear level design, and a strong focus on an RPG-l??ite multiplayer system. This wasn’t always the way things were.

In the days of old, shooters were more focused o??n creating intricate, sprawling levels that required players to remember the location of locked doors as well as providing an arsenal of crazy weapons that had no practical use in real life. Enemies were also varied and required different tactics, unlike the abundance of hit-scanning enemies that populate the ?modern landscape. Multiplayer was more a skill-based affair instead of a measurement of the amount of free time you had.

DUSK harkens back to the golden era of PC shooters were things were blocky and pixelated, but also labyrinthine and absurd. To say I’m in FPS heaven would be an understatement, because I’ve been waiting for a real Quake successor since Quake II came out.

DUSK (PC)
Developer: David Szymanski
Publisher: New Blood Interactive
Released: August, 2017 (Episode One), January 11, 2018 (Episode Two and DUSK World)
MSRP: $20.00

Upon booting up DUSK, you’re greeted with a mock-up DOS prompt that initializes the game. There are old CPU sounds, many random strings of text, and an assurance that DUSK is badass. It takes me back to the days of attempting to figure out obscure commands just to launch Duke Nukem 3D on my old Packard Bell PC.

Once in the game proper, you have the option of jumping straight into the action or tinkering with some settings. While DUSK is initially optimized to look very similar to the original Quake, you can actually turn on things like bloom lighting, depth of field, tweak the field-of-view, and cap the framerate to your monitor’s refresh rate. On that note, DUSK fully supports 240 hz (and everything in between) and is a fuck???ing trip running that smoothly.

If you really want to replicate the late ‘90s, you can even pixelate the hell out of DUSK and get a pseudo-640x480 resolution going on. DUSK does actually support 4:??3 resolutions, though, so you could always play the game pillarboxed and really get into the spirit.

That attention to detail isn’t lost on the main game. The very structure is separated into episodes, much like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, etc. At present, the first two episodes are the only ones available, but a final epis??ode will ??be ready for when the game officially launches. Both episodes feature wildly different themes, with special mention needing to be given to the second episode’s disregard for conventional level design.

Much like old-school shooters, DUSK is a key-hunting game with an emphasis put on winding pathways. While there aren’t really alternate routes, exploring the nooks and crannies?? will help better prepare you for the challenges ahead. Secret doors, walls, and paths will grant you power-ups like better weapons, extra health, or more ammo that will all be welcomed during the various shootouts you’ll be involved in.

For the first episode, DUSK is actually relatively easy. If you have any kind of familiarity with twitch shooters, you’ll be right at home with the ridiculous physics and amped-up speed. The AI basically just runs straight at you, though you’ll still need to prioritize targets based on their attack range and damage output. DUSK does?? a great job with its enemy design by h??aving each foe be visually and audibly distinct (much like classic shooters).

That being said, nothing in Episode One is ultra-taxing on your skills. The levels are relatively simple, enemies aren’t too plentiful, and there aren’t any trap doors or monster closets to catch you off guard. It is a great introduction to this new breed of old-school shooters. I jumped right in at “Cero Mideo” difficulty (the equivalent to Doom’s Ultra-violence) and it felt like I hadn’t lost a beat from my old Quake days.

Episode Two, on the other hand, ramps things up with more enemies, bigger levels, and even a couple of new enemy types. Sadly, some of the encounters rely on shock tactics to catch you off guard, meaning you’ll walk into a room and get blindsided by a wall dropping with upwards of 10 enemies behind it. It can feel cheap, but since DUSK is so old-school, quic?ksaving and quickloading is a part of the package. That helps miti??gate some of the unfair balancing.

Even with the sometimes overly difficult enemy placement, Episode Two is just pl?ain awesome. All of the levels contained are sprawling and feature some kind of new twist on the architecture. One level is even themed after M.C. Escher’s paintings, which is a real trip visually and spatially. If you thought this old-school style design philosophy got taken to its inevitable conclusions years ago, think again.

What would any of the level design matter if the weapons weren’t good? DUSK delivers on that front, too, with a seriously kick-ass double shotgun combo. While the weapons might be a bit conventional in terms of design, every gun has some great sound effects and different applications that make them stand out. They also really shine in DUSKWorld, the game’s multiplayer component.

One of the things I’ve always loved about old-school games (Unreal Tournament in particular) is that every gun is viable in any situation. While a guy with a rocket launcher might have raw damage output on his side, if he can’t hit you then you’re still able to gun him down with the pistol. DUSK perfe?ctly captures that, since every weapon is pretty vi??able.

Since reloading wasn’t invented until 1998, DUSK doesn’t even feature that. When you press R, your character will just twirl his gun around like he’s a badass action star. I think it fits the atmosphere well and sort of encapsulates just what DUSK is trying?? to be. This is a balls-to-the-wall FPS from the good old ?days, whether you like it or not.

For being in beta, DUSKWorld works pretty well. It isn’t the smoothest experience around, but the maps are well-designed and finding matches is simple. I regularly played in populated lobbies and I found that retro bunny-hopping tactics are effective in avoiding oncoming fire. About the only thing that didn’t work out was the grenade launcher, since it lagged just a bit too m??uch to become accurate.

DUSKWorld does have a lack of different gametypes, though. Currently, deathmatch is the only thing you’ll be playing and there isn’t even support for different teams. That isn’t the worst thing in the world (the original Quake only lau??nched with the same mode)?, but it does highlight my biggest wish.

Mod support is not a part of the package and that has me a little bummed. All of id Software’s greatest games featured modability right out of the box, but DUSK isn’t quite there yet. I’m not sure if mod support is in the works, but that would be the cherry on top of this delicious old-school sundae. Hell, I can already imagine someone remaking Quake within the confines of DUSK and that has me giddy with excitement.

Even in its Early-Access trappings, DUSK is already well worth the price of admission. The multiplayer component works well enough and the current two episodes are so well designed that replaying them is a blast. I can’t wait to get my hands on the final episode and hopefully get some answers about who ??the DUSKguy is.

_{[This review is based on an early access build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Early Access Review: DUSK appeared first on Destructoid.

Multiplayer details coming soon

Dusk is a low-poly fever dream of shotguns and the occult. The hyper-fast retro FPS channels Doom, Quake, and other influential shooters to make something so wicked -- and goddamn fun -- that I couldn't take my hands off the keyboard during a demo at PAX East.

Publisher New Blood Interactive recently unleashed a new Dusk trailer that has me all sorts of ex?cited for game's full release. I'd say that it hints at some of Dusk's finest features, but that would imply subtlety, and there's nothing subtle about the shooter. It's violent and snappy in all the right ways, full of enough explosions and backflips to ma??ke every action hero blush. 

All told, Dusk will release with thirty-three levels across three episodes and a boatload of gameplay and display options. I saw a handful of them in action earlier this year, but the trailer sells them better than I ever could. You can change your FOV, play with different filters, tweak screen scaling and plenty of other things. As pointed out in the trailer, Dusk's host of options?? seem un?necessary, but that's a big part of the charm.

While it'll be a little longer until Dusk is fully released, QuakeCon marks a special moment in the game's development. According to the publisher, Dusk's multiplayer reveal will occur at the massive convention. It's fitting, considering that both Quake's and Doom's DNA is a big part of the upcoming shooter.

The post Occult FPS Dusk’s latest trailer is wicked appeared first on Destructoid.

Children of the Cabin in the Corn

I'm always really disappointed when folks cite Drew Goddard's Cabin in the Woods as an influence. For me??, the best part of that movie was its meta-narrative; it played with structure and convention of a specific genre to ultimately tell a story about the relationship between art and audience. That it also doubled as a delightful horror/comedy (my all-time favorite genre!) was a welcome bonus. Nobody ever seems to pull from that, instead homaging the game's admittedly memorable swerve.

Dave Oshry, producer for New Blood Games, pitched Dusk as "Cabin in the Woods meets Quake." I asked him if the Cabin in the Woods influence meant Dusk would be a thoughtful shooter with plenty of gore; a retro shooter with a theme. "No," he responded, and my heart sank. The game is only like Cabin in the Woods in that you start the game killing ??rednecks and end the game fighting the Old Gods, with a military base in between.

I spent most of my time with Dusk with the "killing rednecks" part, and this is where I start praising Dusk for what it is rather than what it isn't. Dusk is not scary. It has moments of tension, but the game's horror trappings? are just that. All the masked hoodlums in the world can't stand up to shotguns akimbo. Instead, the game felt like an under-utilized horror subversion -- the protagonist finally starting to fight back against the horrors. It somehow manages to be self-aware without being obnoxious, containing its genre awareness to mechanics and letting the player make their own ??subversion.

My demo began in media res, almost evoking the opening of the Super Hot demo. Here, you're cornered by some Resident Evil 4-esque murderers wielding chainsaws. Your only recourse is to pick up those dual sickles and just go to work on those fools. It's not all farming equipment all the time, eventually you get flashier weaponry exclusively for some fool workin'. I was able to mess with the game's arsenal thanks to some well-placed cheats, and I'm happy to report that each gun felt great. It's not just the kickback or the sound effects that make Dusk's weaponry so satisfying, it's the way enemies react. I measure every shooter on the strength of its shotgun, and Dusk's shotgun looks l??ike the most painful thing. In a just world, if I shot a couple dude?s in front of their buddies and let the game idle for a week, the rest of the game would be depopulated because those guys would've spread the word about the lunatic with the Hell Weapon.

The demo I was shown felt more like a box of toys than a video game level. I could interact with just about everything in the level, right down to a flushable toilet. (And by "flushable toilet," I mean "you can put giblets on the top of the toilet and it will flush.") There's also a bevy of graphical options designed to make the game look worse, to better emulate Doom and its contemporaries. It's also (yet another) retro shooter, so of course there are secrets to find! All these parts made me feel like the game was having a lot of ??fun with itself and wanted the player to join the party.

That's not a bad thing, but it feels at odds with the game's overall attitude; the sum doesn't quite know what the parts are doing. Dusk isn't mind-blowingly awesome -- it's far too cheeky for that -- but it wants to be. That Quake line Oshry fed me never felt completely accurate, no matter how many rockets I blasted at scarecrows. You fight actual Gods at the end of this game, isn't that bodacious? In fairness, there are few other games that feel like the embodiment of a mean-spirited giggle, so I'm not sure how else you would pitch this. Maybe Serious Sam, but even that game has a lot more going on.

I liked what Dusk was selling and I'll be curious to see if it can hold its momentum for the campaign's full running time. There's a lot to be said for mechanics reflecting a tone, even more to be said for mechanics that manage to be fun all the while. I'm willing to show up and find out for myself if Dusk the final retail product will be as interesting as Dusk th??e PAX show floor demo. That has to count for something, right?

The post Dusk is trying really hard to melt your face off appeared first on Destructoid.