Duskfade review

On occasion, an indie title does something to beg for your attention. With Duskfade, a lot of folks have been comparing it to Kingdom Hearts, and those are some big shoes to fill. Can an indie title warrant such invocation, or is it just another heartless experience?

Zirian was just a normal boy, living in a town full of cloud people with his sister and grandfather. When his sister becomes obsessed with repairing some sort of gadget only a master clockmaker can decipher, something goes terribly wrong. Now, the clock tower they once called home has brought inescapable night to the land. Zirian, with his sister’s mechanical cuckoo at his side, will have to travel the realm in an effort to save his sister and shatter the chains binding the clock tower.

Duskfade genuinely has a fantastic story to tell. It’s heartfelt and emotional. Zirian, Allira, their grandfather, and all the villains tell a relatable story that will resonate with us all on a human level. It’s a tale that drew tears from me on more than one occasion in a way I found surprisingly comforting and cathartic.

Duskfade is a 3D platformer. You’ll run around levels, jumping and fighting enemies as you progress toward the source of each chain. The adventure to break a chain is typically made up of 3-4 zones you’ll have to work through. As you progress, you’ll gain new combat and traversal abilities. Zip lines, glider wings, and more drastically open up your options.

Those added mobility options will be welcome when you’re scouring environments for hidden goodies. Sparkle dust, coins, and vials of colored dye can all be discovered. You’ll need coins and money for new combat abilities, while the dyes can earn you alternate outfits and color schemes. There’s a lot to find here, and while the game took me around ~11 hours, completionists can expect it to take a couple dozen hours to find and finish everything.

Combat encounters will have you facing anywhere from a few enemies to a few waves of enemies, and the game typically delivers encounters with welcome variety. You’ll find yourself slashing and dodging enemies, hoping for the perfectly timed dodge that will slow time and open your enemies up for some extra damage. In time, you’ll have added weapons, combos, and special skills to augment your combat effectiveness. 

There’s one issue in particular I feel the need to mention. There’s an element to the game’s combat that feels a bit awkward until you get used to it. Dodge timing in combat can feel a bit floaty and imprecise. I only really noticed it with smaller enemy encounters (the boss combat feels good), and I think the game is forgiving enough to let you work around it, but until you get used to it, I could see it understandably causing a little frustration.

I want to be sure I give credit to Duskfade’s boss design. This includes the encounter designs, yes, but it also points to their top-tier visual aesthetic. Despair, who you’ll meet early on, has a huge shackle around her neck and a pair of hands perpetually clutching it. It’s art brought to life in a practical, impactful way.

I understand where some of the comparisons to Kingdom Hearts come in. Zirian uses his grandfather’s sword, which strongly resembles a keyblade, right down to the handguard and weapon charms. The game’s entire aesthetic feels heavily Square Enix/Disney-coded. The game is beautiful from start to finish. Environments offer a lot of variety, from hills and deserts to ethereal locations caught between space and time. The enemies feel like their own varied takes on the heartless. It’s beautiful, capable of being simultaneously captivating and haunting.

I’ve had to remind myself that Duskfade isn’t Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The game’s cutscenes and voice acting help paint a captivating narrative, but both can occasionally feel a bit jilted or uneven. They’re still impactful; there’s just enough there to take me out of the moment sometimes.

Sure, some of the combat can feel a little awkward until you get used to it, and the voice acting can be mildly jarring at times, but everything else about Duskfade makes for an incredible 3D platforming experience. The story will tug at your heartstrings, the locations are beautiful, the game’s boss design is fantastic, and the world offers plenty to explore and uncover. If you’re looking for a great 3D platformer to enjoy, Duskfade turns all the right gears. It’s easily one of the best platformers of the year.