🔵 Pros
+ Flawless old-school FPS gameplay: fluid, very fast paced, and challenging.
+ Excellent art direction, level design and environments, in a purposefully low-res style.
+ Great quality of soundtrack and effects.
+ Arena PvP and Endless Survival modes are well-made and fun on their own.
+ Good variety of weapons, enemies and settings, making the experience never boring.
+ Tons of very well-hidden secrets to discover, including secret bosses or achievement locations.

🔴 Cons
- The low-res graphical style might not be liked by everyone.


If there is a game that really impressed me this year, that would be this one. Playing DUSK is like traveling back in time straight to twenty or so years ago, when FPS were made in a completely different, arguably better, way. Forget all the shiny graphics with billions of triangles, mind-boggling light effects, and gigabyte-sized textures: in this game you will find none of that, but instead a low-res looks, that will appeal nostalgics and possibly turn back younger gamers.

Fact is, this is one of those titles where "gameplay is king" - and it shows: flawlessly polished levels without even a minor bug to be found, blazing fast combat where only a few hits (at higher difficulties) mean certain death, a good variety of weapons, while an excellent variety of enemies, ensure continuous fun and not a single boring moment. If the campaign was not amazing enough, and damn it is, there are also a PvP Arena mode, in the style Quake 3 and Serious Sam made famous, and aswell an Endless Survival mode in close-quarters maps, where players can try to beat waves of more and more lethal enemies before inevitably dying.

The secrets. The damn secrets. They are everywhere in each level and some of them are so well-hidden, it will take a long time to find em all. Truly, this game could very well rival Doom or Quake 2 as far as secrets placement and quantity goes.

Overall, DUSK is truly a gem of modern times, that blends new elements like physics-based gore, or draggable items, and some crazy power-ups possible only with modern programming, with some of the best old-school FPS gameplay around. It is really a title for everyone who even remotely likes FPS in general, as it's made so well that everyone will love it after trying.

Liked this review, and want to see more of the same quality? Check out Tamaster's Review Archive to see all my Reviews in a single, convenient location.

🎮 Gameplay
The gameplay of DUSK is divided into Exploration and Combat.

Exploration of maps is pretty much straightforward, moving around fairly complex and convoluted levels to find Keys unlocking doors, ammo, weapons, and of course mauling dozens of enemies in the process. The main thing about exploration are of course Secrets, present in the most remote nooks and crannies of each level, needing a very sharp eye and attention to detail to be found. Many of them hide powerful weapons or upgrades, while a few others, the most difficult ones to reach, may even hide Secret Bosses... or whole secret levels perhaps.

Each level has specific Awards to be gained at the end of it, such as Completionist for finding all secrets, or Pacifist for finishing the level without killing a single enemy. Of course also Time is a factor, as each level has a Par Time to be beaten for an additional award. These awards are purely for achievements' sake and do not provide any tangible bonus.


📖 Story
The story of DUSK, as it is to be expected for this genre, is minimalist, and quite obscure at that too. The protagonist is called "The Intruder" by enemies, and his mission seems to be slaughtering every possessed along the way, to finally reach the source of this evil and root it for good. Some clues as to what happened and why can be found written on walls or from some dialogues, but don't expect much in terms of story.


👊 Combat System
Combat is the core of DUSK's gameplay: it is very fast paced, highly skill based and challenging, depending on the difficulty of course. The fact difficulties are scalable allow this game to be accessible for all skill levels.

Enemies in DUSK will typically have a single attack pattern, usually ranged, or two at most. Strafing left and right is a core mechanic and fundamental to dodge attacks, but some enemies have un-dodgeable attacks and so other ways to deal with them have to be found. The arsenal features a dozen or so weapons, ranging from shotguns and pistols to more exotic ones like energy crossbows or enchanted swords. Expect to fight multiple enemies in most encounters, if not dozens of them at once in some cases. A few hits are all is needed to die, so each dodged bullet, fireball, or energy bolt is important, as it is saving ammo of more powerful weapons for when really needed.

The combat is definitely a masterpiece and delivers the full old-school FPS experience. It can stand up fully to the classics of old without any relevant downside.


💰 Content & Pricing
Priced at 17€, DUSk offers around 6-8 hours of gameplay for the main campaign depending on how much is spent to look for secrets and such, also skill and difficulty of course. Also, a multiplayer arena PvP mode, an Endless Mode, and plenty of hard-to-earn achievements for completionists: Definitely, this price is very good for the achieved quality and quantity of content, and a purchase is absolutely recommended.


🔗 Balance & Challenge
The lower difficulties are suitable for casual or new to FPS players, while the hardest one is only for masochists, as every enemy hit will instantly kill the player. The second-hardest, at which I played, is challenging and brutal at times, but always fair in the end and never frustrating. Balance is finely tuned in every encounter and the result is a marvelous experience whatever your skill level may be. The possibility to save at any point during the level is welcome.




🎥 Graphics
Purposefully low-res models, textures and effects, but in no way low quality. Instead, the art direction quality of environments, enemies, weapons and generally everything is very good, and does exactly what it wants: delivering a retro experience in the modern times.

🔊 Sound
Excellent soundtracks, mostly metal or rock tracks, pumping up the action at the most spot-on times. Effects and voice-overs are aswell of good quality.

🔩 Performance & Stability
Flawelessly smooth without any hiccup, it ran perfectly in 4K resolution and 60FPS. [GTX1080, i7 4820K, 16GB RAM].

💻 Artificial Intelligence
Enemy AI is what is to be expected by a game like this one, following and attacking the player without particular strategies most of the time.

🏠 Quality of Life
No problems to report.

🐛 Bugs & Issues
Didn't see even a single minor bug in the whole Campaign, truly an impressive work of polishing and refinement. This goes the same for Multiplayer and Endless.


DUSK is a true gem of modern times, delivering the best of what modern programming and engines can do now, but maintaining the feel and experience of FPS as they were twenty years ago. The best of both worlds, blending in an awesome experience.

This product was reviewed using a free key provided by the Developers.

[h1] In A Nutshell [/h1] 🔵 [b] Pros [/b] + Flawless old-school FPS gameplay: fluid, very fast paced, and challenging. + Excellent art direction, level design and environments, in a purposefully low-res style. + Great quality of soundtrack and effects. + Arena PvP and Endless Survival modes are well-made and fun on their own. + Good variety of weapons, enemies and settings, making the experience never boring. + Tons of very well-hidden secrets to discover, including secret bosses or achievement locations. 🔴 [b] Cons [/b] - The low-res graphical style might not be liked by everyone. If there is a game that really impressed me this year, that would be this one. Playing DUSK is like traveling back in time straight to twenty or so years ago, when FPS were made in a completely different, arguably better, way. Forget all the shiny graphics with billions of triangles, mind-boggling light effects, and gigabyte-sized textures: in this game you will find none of that, but instead a low-res looks, that will appeal nostalgics and possibly turn back younger gamers. Fact is, this is one of those titles where "gameplay is king" - and it shows: flawlessly polished levels without even a minor bug to be found, blazing fast combat where only a few hits (at higher difficulties) mean certain death, a good variety of weapons, while an excellent variety of enemies, ensure continuous fun and not a single boring moment. If the campaign was not amazing enough, and damn it is, there are also a PvP Arena mode, in the style Quake 3 and Serious Sam made famous, and aswell an Endless Survival mode in close-quarters maps, where players can try to beat waves of more and more lethal enemies before inevitably dying. The secrets. The damn secrets. They are everywhere in each level and some of them are so well-hidden, it will take a long time to find em all. Truly, this game could very well rival Doom or Quake 2 as far as secrets placement and quantity goes. Overall, DUSK is truly a gem of modern times, that blends new elements like physics-based gore, or draggable items, and some crazy power-ups possible only with modern programming, with some of the best old-school FPS gameplay around. It is really a title for everyone who even remotely likes FPS in general, as it's made so well that everyone will love it after trying. [quote]Liked this review, and want to see more of the same quality? Check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/39323490]Tamaster's Review Archive[/url] to see all my Reviews in a single, convenient location.[/quote] [h1] In-depth Feature Analysis [/h1] 🎮 [b] Gameplay [/b] The gameplay of DUSK is divided into Exploration and Combat. Exploration of maps is pretty much straightforward, moving around fairly complex and convoluted levels to find Keys unlocking doors, ammo, weapons, and of course mauling dozens of enemies in the process. The main thing about exploration are of course Secrets, present in the most remote nooks and crannies of each level, needing a very sharp eye and attention to detail to be found. Many of them hide powerful weapons or upgrades, while a few others, the most difficult ones to reach, may even hide Secret Bosses... or whole secret levels perhaps. Each level has specific Awards to be gained at the end of it, such as Completionist for finding all secrets, or Pacifist for finishing the level without killing a single enemy. Of course also Time is a factor, as each level has a Par Time to be beaten for an additional award. These awards are purely for achievements' sake and do not provide any tangible bonus. 📖 [b] Story [/b] The story of DUSK, as it is to be expected for this genre, is minimalist, and quite obscure at that too. The protagonist is called "The Intruder" by enemies, and his mission seems to be slaughtering every possessed along the way, to finally reach the source of this evil and root it for good. Some clues as to what happened and why can be found written on walls or from some dialogues, but don't expect much in terms of story. 👊 [b] Combat System [/b] Combat is the core of DUSK's gameplay: it is very fast paced, highly skill based and challenging, depending on the difficulty of course. The fact difficulties are scalable allow this game to be accessible for all skill levels. Enemies in DUSK will typically have a single attack pattern, usually ranged, or two at most. Strafing left and right is a core mechanic and fundamental to dodge attacks, but some enemies have un-dodgeable attacks and so other ways to deal with them have to be found. The arsenal features a dozen or so weapons, ranging from shotguns and pistols to more exotic ones like energy crossbows or enchanted swords. Expect to fight multiple enemies in most encounters, if not dozens of them at once in some cases. A few hits are all is needed to die, so each dodged bullet, fireball, or energy bolt is important, as it is saving ammo of more powerful weapons for when really needed. The combat is definitely a masterpiece and delivers the full old-school FPS experience. It can stand up fully to the classics of old without any relevant downside. 💰 [b] Content & Pricing [/b] Priced at 17€, DUSk offers around 6-8 hours of gameplay for the main campaign depending on how much is spent to look for secrets and such, also skill and difficulty of course. Also, a multiplayer arena PvP mode, an Endless Mode, and plenty of hard-to-earn achievements for completionists: Definitely, this price is very good for the achieved quality and quantity of content, and a purchase is absolutely recommended. 🔗 [b] Balance & Challenge [/b] The lower difficulties are suitable for casual or new to FPS players, while the hardest one is only for masochists, as every enemy hit will instantly kill the player. The second-hardest, at which I played, is challenging and brutal at times, but always fair in the end and never frustrating. Balance is finely tuned in every encounter and the result is a marvelous experience whatever your skill level may be. The possibility to save at any point during the level is welcome. [h1] Technical Analysis [/h1] 🎥 [b] Graphics [/b] Purposefully low-res models, textures and effects, but in no way low quality. Instead, the art direction quality of environments, enemies, weapons and generally everything is very good, and does exactly what it wants: delivering a retro experience in the modern times. 🔊 [b] Sound [/b] Excellent soundtracks, mostly metal or rock tracks, pumping up the action at the most spot-on times. Effects and voice-overs are aswell of good quality. 🔩 [b] Performance & Stability [/b] Flawelessly smooth without any hiccup, it ran perfectly in 4K resolution and 60FPS. [GTX1080, i7 4820K, 16GB RAM]. 💻 [b] Artificial Intelligence [/b] Enemy AI is what is to be expected by a game like this one, following and attacking the player without particular strategies most of the time. 🏠 [b] Quality of Life [/b] No problems to report. 🐛 [b] Bugs & Issues [/b] Didn't see even a single minor bug in the whole Campaign, truly an impressive work of polishing and refinement. This goes the same for Multiplayer and Endless. [h1] Conclusion [/h1] DUSK is a true gem of modern times, delivering the best of what modern programming and engines can do now, but maintaining the feel and experience of FPS as they were twenty years ago. The best of both worlds, blending in an awesome experience. This product was reviewed using a free key provided by the Developers.