Duskfade review – A fun adventure inspired by PS2 classics

Having just lost their grandfather, times are hard for Zirian and his sister Alira. Things go bad to worse when a huge and mysterious clock tower arrives in the town where they both reside, trapping Alira inside. And so begins Duskfade, a 3D platformer that puts you in control of Zirian as he battles to save his sister from the depths of despair.

That probably hints at the coming-of-age story at the heart of Duskfade, with both Zirian and Alira coming to terms with the loss of their grandfather in their own way. Though don’t worry about the narrative here being too heavy; while it no doubt has its share of emotional moments, it’s fairly light-hearted for the most part, with Zirian being an upbeat character. He’s got a quirky clockwork bird sidekick, too, and most of the residents of the world you inhabit are cloud-like creatures that often have something amusing to say.

To gain access to the clock tower and save Alira, Duskfade demands that you leave the safety of your town and head to numerous locations surrounding it, which open up sequentially as you progress. It breaks away from 3D platformer norms for the most part, too; you won’t find the typical world based on ice and fire and suchlike here. Instead, there’s more of a clockwork theme than anything, with you exploring locations filled with gears and cogs as well as other devices.

While the designs of the enemies you’re frequently up against are a bit bland, Duskfade is overall a visually striking game; technically there’s nothing out of the ordinary here, but the game’s art, lighting and bold use of colour often come together to create something quite beautiful. Its soundtrack is rather impressive, too, with tracks that perfectly accompany the action whether you’re exploring a relatively peaceful field or engaging in fierce battle in an observatory.

Rather than being a level-based experience, you’ll move through one location after another, unlocking new abilities that make it possible to return to those you’ve previously been though and access new areas that may hold upgrades or other collectibles. You eventually unlock the ability to grind on rails, for example, and soar through the air with a pair of wings. A range of more combat-focused abilities become available as well, many of which can be further enhanced in town providing you have the gears and shards required to purchase them.

It all makes for an enjoyable 3D platforming adventure which very much feels inspired by classics of the PS2 era, but there are some some issues that bring it down. The main one is combat, which is rarely more than simply okay and further hampered by a poor lock-on camera. Boss fights can also be frustrating, with your adversary frequently becoming invulnerable until you complete a platforming challenge or suchlike. That wouldn’t be too bad if it wasn’t for the fact that if you take too long you start to take damage, with the effect being rather distracting.

You’ll likely find other small annoyances spread throughout Duskfade, and while they chip away at your enjoyment of it, none are too egregious. That means you’ll probably still keep playing until the credits have rolled, an endeavour that takes around ten hours or so. And you might even go back to sweep up any collectibles you’ve missed, adding even more hours to the clock. Because there’s one thing for sure: while Duskfade has its issues, it’s clear it’s been made with a lot of heart.