Anyone who has grown up in the era of classic FPS titles like Doom, Wolfenstein and even the likes of Rise of the Triad, will surely fancy Dusk for its nostalgic appeal. As of late, a lot of indie developers have tried to shy away from the consumer-driven appeal of state of the art graphics and instead, have opted for the retro design which honestly feels great. Not only does this target the veterans who’ve grown up in those eras, but it can also draw in attention from newcomers who aren’t too familiar with the retro design. It acts as somewhat of a retro professor, educating gamers on how games used to be and how much of a role they’ve played in the growth of the industry as a whole. Dusk is a fast paced in your face FPS that plays a lot like its ancestors but with of course better frame rate to roll with the current times.

Dusk is all about collecting whatever gun you see in front of you, and exterminate any foe that stands in your path. The pre-alpha version we were gifted with allowed us to also play an endless mode, which we’ll get to later. Enemies will come at you from every angle, merciless in their approach and hungry to dismantle you by any means necessary. So you’ll need to be ready at all times as Dusk will surprise you with a barrage of enemies, and so having the best weapon equipped is paramount to your survival. Expect a pretty epic soundtrack to along with all the action once you’ve dived into the endless mode.

Since this is a pre-alpha version of Dusk, there wasn’t much else outside of just the demo and the endless mode that comes along with it. Fans of the classic retro FPS will certainly find comfort in this one of a kind title because it truly feels like you’re playing on that old boxy desktop PC back in the old days. One of the things that threw us off guard, in the beginning, was the speed at which everything moved, it took the very Doom-esque style of excessive gore and threw in the crazy maniacal movement of Quake to really shake things up as you played. The enemies weren’t too strong or at least that’s how we felt while playing, probably because the Super Shotgun was a one shot one kill tool or that the Hunting Rifle was just too accurate for these things to handle. There was a lot to collect throughout the game such as morale potions and various other secrets, sadly we were only able to find one since most of our time was occupied dismantling the enemy.

Collecting all of the keys was totally reminiscent of the classic Doom in every aspect because you’d always have to backtrack in order to gather them all and sometimes you’ll be caught off guard by an enemy you forgot to kill. This fast paced thrill is what made the demo feel satisfying, even though to be honest the boss battle didn’t seem to last more than a minute because we were able to find the grenade launcher and send those clerics to the next dimension. Be that as it may, Dusk feels great and the endless mode is just an extension of that greatness because now you have this infinite horde of enemies who will stop at nothing to seal your fate, so your speed, timing, and accuracy will come in handy at all times.

What really made us laugh however were the graphic settings for the game which once again was a nod to the classic FPS days, since you could choose between 1996, 1998 and LUDICROUS. It's these subtleties in games that really make them shine because it’s like the developers are sending you this virtual love letter stating how much they care about you by giving players the things they actually want, as opposed to just tacking on random elements in hopes to sell a title.

Overall, Dusk is still a work in progress but it’s most definitely a very promising work at that. While the gratuitous violence may not sit well with some folks, it’ll certainly grab the attention of those who do and also those who favor the retro vibe. Whether the game will still maintain its current speed is still up in the air, but it begs the question as to what David Szymanski will come up with next to ensure his fans needs are met, without sapping away too much of the quality that makes this horror action retro game incredibly entertaining.

Dusk is shaping up to be a very lucrative title, and we have faith in David along with the folks at New Blood Interactive that they’ll deliver wholeheartedly on this retro package. Those who haven’t dabbled with the classic shooters now would be a good time to introduce yourselves to the genre so perhaps trying out Wolfenstein 3D, Hexen II and of course Duke Nukem 3D is a start. Not only will you be truly satisfied with the experience, but it will further help you to appreciate just how much work has gone into the gaming industry as a whole to make it where we are today. We can only thank these very games because without them there would be no Call of Duty or Battlefield, or even Titanfall. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to leave a comment below and also share it with your pals on social media to keep the community growing!

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