Duskfade Review | TheSixthAxis

Typically, all you need from a recreation is to leap round, leaping from one precarious ledge to a different, equally precarious ledge, accumulating gems and whacking enemies with a giant sword. In 2026, such issues are more and more exhausting to come back by, which is maybe why Duskfade has been met with such hope. This indie 3D platformer is channelling some severe 2000s vibes, and for followers of Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter, it might properly fill the marginally out-of-reach platform in your coronary heart.

Zirian, our suitably spiky-haired lead, has missed his Kingdom Hearts calling, wielding a sword fabricated from clock palms and boasting a pair of chunky pants tucked into his boots. He has to set out into the Clockmakers’ world seeking his sister Allira, after a horrible clockwork catastrophe shatters the place into bits. Serving to you on this bouncy, hacky, slashy journey is Cuckoo, somewhat clockwork chook who’s realized to speak. She tells you “Good job!” typically, which is the type of constructive reinforcement I want, and it’s all very cheerful, regardless of the slight fear that your sister has been trapped in some clock-based hell.

There’s a bunch of inky monsters to wade by in your journey, popping up at inopportune moments. Fight is fairly enjoyable, if sometimes somewhat too frantic due to the digicam, counting on a very good little bit of dodging to go together with your sword swinging. Apart from that, you’re going to spend the remainder of your time hopping and leaping, breaking a ton of crates and crystals, and accumulating the loot inside so you’ll be able to improve Zirian’s moveset.

There’s one thing reassuring a couple of recreation like Duskfade. It’s totally nice, and comparatively charming, helped in no small half by its fairly visuals and glorious rating, but it surely’s the second to second classically-styled gameplay that actually holds all of it collectively. It’s nostalgic, however by itself phrases, and I appreciated the clear and passionate imaginative and prescient that the crew at Bizarre Beluga clearly have.

Traversal and platforming are constantly good, and Zirian’s double leap with an added roll can see you clear some huge distances, whereas the later addition of a grappling hook and the flexibility to grind including an extra means to span the gaps. There’s usually some fascinating nuance to the directionality of your actions, too, with sudden blocks to keep away from or adjustments in course that make it really feel extra fascinating and fascinating than some platformers handle. It’s exhausting to iterate on this house, however the Duskfade crew have discovered some small methods to take action.

Sadly, Duskfade’s efficiency on Swap 2 isn’t as reassuring as the remainder of its traditional setup. There’s some clear framerate snags that gradual issues down, and whereas they’re not wholly off-putting, they actually do take the shine off all of the enjoyable you might in any other case be having. It ought to run at 60fps in docked mode, and 40fps in handheld with VRR, and it’s the VRR that makes the hand held expertise really feel smoother and extra constant. The smaller display makes a number of the larger leaps somewhat harder to nail, but it surely’s in any other case a good way to expertise the sport.

Typically Duskfade’s indie origins do grow to be evident, and it’s straightforward to snag your self on surroundings or leap someplace you weren’t purported to, leaving Zirian floating within the air and infrequently completely caught. You’ll be able to no less than select to retry out of your final save level, and these checkpoints are frequent sufficient that it’s not an excessive amount of of a chore to retread the previous couple of minutes. Apart from that, the digicam, in traditional 3D platformer trend, generally is a little bit of an annoyance, particularly throughout the longer boss battles, and Zirian’s improve path feels distinctly torpid.