From Dust Review
Platform Tested: XBLA
Platform Available: XBLA, PSN, PC
God game/Strategy
In the days of endless arcade releases, From Dust is a breath of fresh air. Coming in at 1200MS points [~£11] the strategy/god game sees you in charge of 'the breath'; a moveable sphere capable of sucking water, sand and even lava to sculpt the land your way. Before you get busy creating gigantic chasms, it's worth noting the entire point is to help the tribes reclaim the land - which was once theirs. Moving the tribal gatherings from point A to the next totem pole B is the crux of the gameplay, allowing you to acquire new powers as you gain new totems. The simplicity of the play combined with the sheer unique idea is a truly fun success.
However, parts of the game are a let down; the general user interface and HUD is dull, basic and just not at a high enough level expected from Ubisoft. We then come to an area which is seldom a perfect success, the AI. When creating paths for the tribe, spectating is all the can be done while the tribe take some good and some bizarre paths to the obvious goal; when under pressure from time this can ruin all hope of completing the level. Repetition is a true killer of fun, when will some developers realise this! After each level completed, the same cutscene is played - why bother? We've seen it before and before that and even before that...
From Dust features nothing in the multiplayer region, perhaps a disappointment considering other titles with successful co-operative play, but we can but hope for an improved sequel. Graphically the game is beautiful, not Viva Pinata beautiful, but benefits from realistic dust, water and lava simulations. As mentioned the fonts and general interface comes short but we can't hold that against the title. Nonetheless, UI aside, the game can be completed in a number of ways keeping you [if you can bothered!] very busy, but in fairness the game will be genrally played once and left to dust.
I won't claim the game is breathtaking... but it's by far one of the best on the arcade if you enjoy the genre.
Rating:
Audio: 7/10 [Fitting to the game but nothing to write home about]
Graphics: 8/10 [Superb water, liquid and sand effects]
Gameplay: 8/10 [Simple, quick to pick up, great fun, but short and the AI?]
Multiplayer: -
Presentation: 4/10 [UI system is interesting, repetitive cutscenes...]
Lasting Appeal: 6/10 [Great fun and many ways to solve the same problem]
Story: 5/10 [Predictable, serves its purpose - don't expect an RPG story here!]
Overall: 7/10
Better than Outpost Kaloki X - Worse than A World of Keflings
Like this? Try A Kingdom of Keflings
Pick this up if you love strategy games, well worth a look and works well on a console.
Ram
