Quake was a truly influential video game when it was first released, and while many games followed the Doom at first, Quake soon proved more influential. The same is true for the indie game scene, where Doom-inspired indie games came out, only for attention to now shift towards Quake. An example of this is DUSK, a horror-themed FPS that is heavily inspired by Quake and has now come to the Switch.
DUSK is composed of three main campaign chapters about a fight against an evil cult. The story is minimal, but the gameplay is all we really need here. DUSK takes after the first Quake game, but uses the horror themes to an even greater degree, and makes full use of creative weapons, enemies, and obstacles.
The art style of DUSK also is something that works in its favour as the game quickly shows that the early to mid-’90s fist person shooter look can perfectly fit a horror game still. DUSK also comes with a variety of options to change the pixel density, which will allow players to make the game look more like a console FPS of the time or even a very pixelated handheld game of the time. The use of haunting imagery and horror themes only helps to make the game stand out more.
DUSK is a classic style shooter for the most part, but there are a few modern touches. Melee combat feels closer to a modern-day fps at times, while skills developed in classic games like bunny hopping fit in well here. DUSK is all about moving fast to take out enemies, but there are also times players need to explore a bit.
It must be stated how powerful DUSK makes the player feel, with weapons like shotguns, grenades and strong melee weapons, there is a feeling that players can get through anything. Movement is not limited either here, and gamers will find themselves able to scale walls with is, while mowing down enemies. The one thing that makes this even better is the amazing soundtrack that captures the feel of the ‘90s perfectly with its dark metal tone.
DUSK was originally released on PC but the Switch has received an incredible port, with the framerate locked at 60 fps in both handheld and docked mode. There are other features as well in this port, such as a field of view slider that goes up to 150, and the use of gyro aiming and HD rumble support as well. DUSK is so well handled here that it stands as an example other developers should learn from when porting games, because some actual dark sorcery must have been used here, especially with the extremely fast load times.
There is also a bonus level in the Switch port that bears mentioning, with the Mama Mia Flesh palace based on Peach’s Castle from Super Mario 64. This is part of endless mode and is a great tribute to a classic game, but with a gory twist. Fight off waves of enemies around the castle in a nightmarish take on a childhood favourite.
Also released on Switch was Dusk ’82, which acts as a Demake of the game. This one will take a bit of time to get used to for new gamers, but fans of classic computer games will definitely enjoy it. Demakes are not everyone’s cup of tea, but Dusk ’82 somehow manages to perfectly capture the spirit of the game as it would have been on an early computer system. Even if you are only interested in DUSK, Dusk ’82 is worth checking out to see how well done and creative Demakes can be.
In conclusion, DUSK is a great game to play on Switch and is an example of a port done right. New Blood Interactive should be proud of themselves for they have something special here. This is a game that has something for everyone.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided