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Narrative video games have become a really popular genre in recent years. Although these types of story-oriented adventures have always existed, since the arrival of games like Life is Strange There has been a certain tendency to try to recreate what Don't Nod achieved with Max Caulfield's adventure (let it be said, he will be back this year).
Although perhaps less known, the Red Thread Games studio is also an exponent of this type of adventure, as we were able to see in its day. Dreamfall Chapters, and now it is back with a game that went unnoticed in its day, but that has generated great interest in recent months, especially for that graphic style that is reminiscent of Hi-Fi Rush. We are talking about Dustborn, a game that I have had the pleasure of playing in advance thanks to Meridiem, and below I am going to give you my first impressions of Dustborn.
First impressions of Dustborn
An artistic style that makes you fall in love
The first thing I encountered with Dustborn once I started playing was a game that bet on an artistic style that knows how to enter the eyes. As I said before, the game shares certain similarities with the latest work from Tango Gameworks, by making use of a finish that imitates comic book pages, at the same time that it makes use of a quite contrasting color palette, leaving a visual section with quite a bit of personality. In this sense, the game does not present any drawbacks, since the performance was also really good throughout the entire test.
However, what I did miss to draw a clear conclusion is to see another scenario. In the chapter that I had the opportunity to try, we were faced with a desert that, as happens in real life, did not exactly stand out for being the most full of elements. In fact, The locations where the first mission takes place are quite emptyalthough as I say it is something that responds to a design decision, so it is still too early to know if it will be a problem that the game suffers.
On a sound level, the game features a “cool” soundtrack at certain times. This fits perfectly with the protagonists, since their main objective is none other than to go “from gig to gig”, to earn a living. Also, one thing I want to highlight is the commitment to accessibility, since Dustborn will arrive completely located in several languages, among which is Spanish.
Same destination, different route
As a general rule, one of the bases of any narrative title is the possibility of reaching the same point through different ways, and Dustborn is no exception. Almost from the first moment I took control of Pax, it was clear to me that the game was going to propose different ways to try to achieve my goal. In this first mission, we had to leave an abandoned gas station, after our vehicle decided to leave on its own. In this case, the title offers two different ways to escape from there. One, facing a large group of enemies (which I will tell you about later), and another, repairing an old abandoned truck, without having to engage in any type of confrontation.
Precisely in these two ways of solving the problem is what could be one of Dustborn's strong points. It's still too early to know, but it would be really positive if the studio has managed to create a title in which the greatest number of problems can be solved both by going to the action and simply by racking your brain a little more. Although as I have already said, it is still early to reach a clear conclusion on the matter.
A narrative that hits harder than fists
From the first moment, Dustborn does not hide that it is a game with an important narrative background. The game begins by presenting a conversation between some of the members of the group of protagonists, so that we would later begin a round of contacts to become familiar with the group. A detail that stands out from the beginning is that the relationship with the rest of the characters will be important. We will have to carefully control what we talk about with each of them, since being insistent about something negative could end up triggering a loss of relationship with one of those characters. For now, I don't know very well how it will affect in the long run, but it is logical that it will have some influence, either at a playable or narrative level.
Speaking of the latter, precisely what is related to the conversations and the development of the story has been the point to highlight during this first contact. It is interesting how it presents the way to interact with other characters, and although we are not facing a game with dozens of dialogue options, the truth is that it offers some alternatives. Furthermore, another thing that I found curious is how we must interact with the members of our band to overcome certain obstacles. It presents a very light cooperative aspect, but it adds variety and a certain strategic component about which character we should use, although the game helps if we find ourselves lost.
What has convinced me the least of all is its combat system. The fights feel too crude, and it feels like they have been included so as not to go all-in on a proposal based on dialogue and puzzles. It is true that there are some other interesting aspects, such as the special actions that are used by holding RT, or the definitive attacks by pressing Y, but the truth is that It is not a game that is very satisfying when it comes to mashing buttons. In fact, the phases that were the hardest for me were those in which combat was involved. That said, it is still early to reach a clear conclusion, and it is possible that if there is some polish to its animations and the feeling of hitting, the experience will improve considerably.
Either way, My first impressions of Dustborn have been positive. As far as a narrative game is concerned, especially for that flash that suggests that some situations can be overcome without having to resort to fists, and it is something to be appreciated. Not only because this variety will attract more players, especially lovers of the genre; but also because, precisely, the combat is the least satisfying part of the game.