Duskfade

We've seen a few studios in recent years attempt what Weird Beluga has with Duskfade, emulating the feeling of old-school action platformers to make games that feel like lost gems from now-distant eras. A Hat in Time took inspiration from late-90s collectathon classics like Super Mario 64 and Spyro; Yooka-Laylee was as close to a spiritual successor of Banjo-Kazooie as you could get; and while I've seen the comparisons of Duskfade to everything from Ratchet & Clank to Kingdom Hearts, I think it does enough to carve out its own identity, both to its benefit and, at times, its detriment.

That being said, Zirian could not be more blatantly inspired by Sora. From his appearance to his animations, I at times felt like I was playing a mod for Kingdom Hearts 3. I was worried Duskfade would rest far too heavily on these influences, but I actually found Zirian to be an incredibly charming protagonist entirely in his own right. Accompanied by a mechanical cuckoo bird, the pair set out to save Zirian's sister from the giant clock tower, which spawned in the middle of Tick Town, submerging the city into eternal darkness.

I'm keeping the review spoiler-free, but in all honesty it isn't hard to tell where Duskfade's story is heading once you're an hour or two into it. The game builds up to what it seems to think will be a big twist, but I wasn't bothered by how straightforward it was as it all came across as charming and genuinely heartfelt. Zirian and Cuckoo are an endearing duo, and watching their relationship build and grow across the course of their adventure was enough for me to be satisfied with the game's narrative side.

Those aforementioned Kingdom Hearts similarities are most obvious in combat encounters, with the game's battle system feeling like a slightly watered down version of ones seen in Sora's adventures. Things start off simple enough and fairly enjoyable, but I found in later areas combat devolved into bullet-hell madness with far too many enemies in the room at once for you to feasibly track what's going on. The game features an upgrade shop where you can unlock a few new moves and attacks to help make things a little more manageable, but the strategy in battles most of the time boiled down to a whole lot of dodging, attacking when possible, and attempting to draw enemies away from the crowd to take down individually.

I found the combat shone far brighter in the boss battles, with each of the four areas featuring two of these. They do a good job of integrating any new skills you've unlocked, testing your fighting skills or platforming proficiency in a more controlled environment where things feel fairer. The final boss especially blew me away as the game's strongest moment, with an authentically challenging encounter. Attacks were well-telegraphed but subtle enough to keep me on my toes, so despite my gripes with the game's combat overall, I was immensely pleased with what the ten hour campaign had built its way up to.

So battles are a bit of a mixed bag, but the game's focus lies in its actual forte: platforming and exploration. Zirian's movement is a bit floaty and does take some getting used to, but the game does a good job of easing you into things before ramping up the difficulty. New tools are introduced—such as a grappling hook that lets you zip across ledges—as well as rail grinding that immediately reminded me of a certain blue hedgehog's early 3D endeavours. But the mechanic plays closer to the variation seen in the more recent Sonic Lost World, focused on precision jumps and hitting switches to clear paths: a flavour far better suited to Duskfade's palate.

Throughout each world you'll find a series of secret areas branching off the beaten path with collectibles to find and unlock. Those floaty controls I mentioned earlier lend themselves incredibly well to these extra platforming challenges, with Zirian's movement having a good sense of momentum, which lets you find some seemingly unintended solutions to reaching those items, adding an extra layer of freedom to how you approach play. Despite feeling like I had explored every nook and cranny of the game's four worlds, I only finished with a 63% completion rate at the end of my adventure, highlighting just how much there is to explore in Duskfade's vast environments.

Traversal is brought to life by visuals that can at times be nothing short of breathtaking. The game's vibrant fantasy-style graphics blend the whimsical world of Tearfeld and the overwhelming darkness cast over it beautifully, functioning as an exceptional form of environmental storytelling that demonstrates the damage the Clock Tower has done to the world. Bloom can occasionally be a bit too high at times, especially in the lava sections featured in the game's first area, but these are just a handful of weak moments I wouldn't want to let take away from how gorgeous Duskfade can be.

While Duskfade definitely harkens back to the early 2000s action platformers that defined my own and many others' childhoods, it does a solid job of fitting in with some of the stronger games of the genre we've seen in recent years, with fluid movement and stunning environments to explore. It may not stick the landing perfectly every time, but it hits more often than it misses. If you're looking for a new 3D platformer to play, this'll scratch the itch.