Dustborn

I've always had a great fondness for The Longest Journey, the legendary adventure game about the lost April Ryan who had to unite two very different worlds. It's a game that has left a lasting impression on me, both because of its deep narrative and complex characters. Since then, I have followed the game's creator, Ragnar Törnquist, closely. He has created a number of sequels to The Longest Journey, and most recently his new studio, Red Thread Games, released the game Draugen. After Draugen, I lost track of what his studio was working on, but recently I got the chance to play their latest game, Dustborn.

Red Thread Games is known for their strong focus on storytelling, and Dustborn is no different. In the game, you take on the role of Pax, a slightly cunning and manipulative character who is on the run with his three friends. The game throws you straight into the action, where you meet Pax and her gang in the middle of a car chase. There is no introduction to the plot or characters, which can be a little disorientating at first. The four friends are in possession of a very forbidden USB stick that they have stolen, and it soon becomes clear that this small object is of great importance to someone who doesn't want its contents to become public knowledge.

This introduction to the story and characters is not without its problems, however. The game takes its time to reveal what's really going on and the focus quickly shifts from the plot to the relationship between the four friends. It's not until much later in the game that the importance of the USB stick takes centre stage again. This narrative choice by Red Thread Games can be frustrating, as it makes the plot feel a bit unfocused at times. I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of storytelling, where the central plot takes a back seat to make room for character interactions that don't always feel relevant to the overall story.

That said, what Dustborn really does well is the characters and the way they develop throughout the game. Dustborn is set in 2030 in an alternative world where history has taken a completely different turn. In this version of the world, John F. Kennedy survived the 1963 assassination, but his wife Jacqueline died instead. This tragedy made Kennedy more authoritarian, and the society you encounter in the game is characterised by surveillance, repression and a heavy-handed government that does not tolerate deviations from the norm. Pax and her three friends are such deviants. They belong to communities that today are also fighting for their rights, and in addition to their lifestyle, they also have supernatural abilities similar to those found in the X-Men universe.

Pax, the game's protagonist, has the ability to influence other people's minds with her voice. She can attack people's brains with her words and make them argue, paralyse them or make them do what she wants. Her friends have similar abilities, all of which can be used to solve puzzles and manipulate conversations with the many characters you meet along the way. This part of the game works quite well and the way Pax's friends' abilities are integrated into the gameplay is impressive. These abilities are perfectly suited to their respective personalities and there are plenty of opportunities to explore and understand these characters as the game progresses.

The journey in Dustborn is a road trip through the hinterlands of the United States where the four friends, under the guise of a band called Dustborn, attempt to reach Nova Scotia to deliver the mysterious USB stick. This setup allows the game to explore different American communities, each with their own unique characteristics and inhabitants. Along the way, Pax and her friends meet a variety of characters that they can either take on the journey or leave behind, depending on how you choose to interact with them. The dialogue between Pax and her friends are detailed and often quite entertaining, but I have to admit that they can also get a bit heavy at times. Especially when you have to listen to characters you don't really care about.

At the end of the day, the group takes breaks at various rest stops where you can talk to your friends and explore their thoughts and feelings further. These conversations provide a deeper insight into the characters' personalities and relationships, but they can also drag on, especially if you're not invested in all the characters. For those not so keen on long conversations, the game also offers the option to write new music in a mini-game where you match on-screen buttons with button presses on your controller. The same goes for playing live concerts with the band. Unfortunately, this type of minigame is not my strong suit, and although you can lower the difficulty to the absolute minimum, I had a hard time making it work. I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of this mechanic.

One of the biggest challenges in Dustborn, however, is the variety of game mechanics, not all of which hit the mark. While the storytelling and character development are the game's strong points, it falls short in other areas. The combat sequences are probably the biggest problem. Pax is armed with a bat and she's not afraid to use it, but the combat feels simple and unsatisfying. The enemies, ranging from bikers to law enforcement, need to be dealt with, but the combat mechanics are very simple and lack depth. You swing wildly without any real strategy and it all quickly feels monotonous and without the satisfaction you expect from a combat system.

While you can also use Pax and her friends' supernatural abilities in combat, such as making enemies fight each other by shouting at them or using their special abilities to perform combo attacks, it still feels flat and lacks the necessary depth. But where Dustborn really shines is in its storytelling. The game borrows mechanics from the Telltale games and Quantic Dream, which isn't surprising as Quantic Dream is also the publisher of the game. This means that the choices you make have a big impact on the story and the relationships between the characters. For example, if you're hard on one of your friends, that character will remember it and it will affect their interactions later in the game. This kind of dynamic storytelling is something I've always been a fan of, and Dustborn manages to use it in a way that really makes a difference to the gaming experience.

Pax can be a pretty difficult friend and her actions have consequences on how her friends perceive her. It's an interesting mechanic that adds an extra dimension to character development and allows you to have very different playthroughs where the decisions you make cause the story to change significantly. In addition, each story walkthrough is supported by a unique comic that reflects the choices you have made. After each chapter, a comic book is created that summarises the decisions and actions taken, which is a great way to tie the story together and give the player a sense that their choices really matter.

All in all, Dustborn is a mixed experience, but it has its strong points. On the one hand, the story and the way it is told is highly entertaining and engaging. Pax and her friends' journey through a dystopian America is filled with interesting characters and complex relationships, and the way the game allows the player to influence these relationships through their choices is really well done. On the other hand, there are certain game mechanics that Red Thread Games hasn't quite mastered. The battles and the many small mini-games sometimes feel like an appendage that doesn't really add to the gaming experience, but rather drags it down.

If you like strong stories and games where your choices matter, Dustborn is for you. It's a game that's more about the journey and the people you meet along the way than action-packed battles or complex game mechanics. If you're looking for a game with deep and satisfying combat mechanics, there are better alternatives out there. But if you're willing to overlook these minor issues, Dustborn is definitely a game worth experiencing, especially for those who appreciate a good story and complex characters.