Duskfade is a game that snuck up on me. I, like I am sure many others, have a rolling list of games to look forward to and find time for. Somehow, in my corner of the internet, I found out about this game mere days before it was to release in early August. Diving into posts by its developer, Weird Beluga, I was brought in my the breathtaking visuals and the adorable clockwork companion that explores alongside the main character. Fortunately it was releasing on Switch 2, a console that is quickly eclipsing my others in terms of favoritism. Duskfade not being on my radar did not mean it was not an enjoyable experience. Far from it.

On the Clock

The story follows Zirian, a young boy who is trying to reach his sister, Allira. She’s behind the closed door of her workshop working on a mysterious clock-shaped device when the room explodes. Not into movement or sound, everything around Zirian quite literally explodes. In the wake, a massive clock tower looms over the shambles of Tick Town. Massive golden chains reach out in different directions, which eventually become locales you must explore to further the game. With Allira now trapped inside the clocktower, players as Zirian have to rescue her.

Saving the damsel in the tower is not the only thing Zirian is tasked with. He is also confronted with the loss of his grandfather. Players also discover who constructed the clocktower as well as the past of both Zirian and those who inhabit the lands he traverses. Many times you’ll come across a floating orb that, when interacted with, is a remnant of a memory providing a story for the setting around you. I especially enjoyed these moments as it gave the world more purpose than simply traversal. The story ends up feeling like a coming-of-age story for Zirian and does so without being overtly campy.

Not Without A Village

However, you are not alone on this quest. Players have a sidekick in a small mechanical bird named Cuckoo. The key art showing Cuckoo was what initially drew my interest in this game. I’m a sucker for any game in which I can have “buddies” as I call them. And Cuckoo is a fun one, as she helps in battle and also adds quippy remarks in certain situations and context in others. The NPCs met along the way are also quite comical and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue.

Cuckoo being a callback to a cuckoo clock is just one place where the game calls back to its central setting. Zirian’s sword is none other than the arm of a clock. The central “home” area in the game is Tick Town. Of course there is now a giant clocktower there. Players collect cogs to upgrade Zirian’s weapon. Certain platforming areas are covered in stained glass, some shattered, some not. Even the pause menu is a clock whose hand you move to make selections. I thought this was clever and really enjoy the cohesiveness as the story continued on.

A Fantastical World Awaits

Duskfade is an incredibly beautiful game. The animation is cute with plenty of bright colors and varying vistas from forestland to underwater adventures. I played on Switch 2 and while the game played and looked fine in handheld mode, I much preferred playing it docked. There is a secondary reason I will get to shortly, but the first is because the game is stunning and I simply wanted to enjoy it on a bigger screen. The stages varied greatly and despite each being unique, exploration never felt disjoined. This is where the platforming shined, introducing players to each new area in a cohesive way.

I was a child in the PlayStation Two era and could feel the nostalgia when playing Duskfade. The game is itself is listed as a 3D action-platformer/action-adventure game. I could feel the nods to similar games in that genre from my childhood baked into the gameplay. Zirian and his sword are very reminiscent of Sora and the Keyblade. He even uses his sword to unlock chests. The platforming and pacing of traversal felt not unlike Ratchet and Clank. Cuckoo reminded me of Navi from Zelda and also gave me the dynamic duo pairing of Jak and Dexter. Duskfade did a great job of nodding to so many beloved classics without feeling like it was a copy.

Proficient and (Near) Perfect Platforming

As mentioned previously, Duskfade has a fair amount of platforming. Zirian has many skills such as dashing, grappling, and rail-grinding that players unlock as they play. This means that some areas early in the game must be returned to as without certain skills, areas are not fully accessible. Chest and collectibles sit in weird places that require a revisit as Zirian learns new skills. I love the fast pace of the platforming, but have one gripe.

Sometimes I’d get Zirian moving faster than the camera and end up overshooting a jump or missing a ledge and dying because the camera angle just wasn’t quite right. Luckily the penalty for dying is simply restarting where you died from, but some of the longer and more frenetic traversals would get frustrating because the camera just couldn’t quite keep up. This was the secondary reasoning I preferred playing with my Switch 2 docked. A smaller screen makes for a harder time to be sure about a gap or angle. Again, it was fine to play this way but a bigger screen made it easier for me.

“Combat felt secondary to the platforming and exploration”

It is not all just hopping, skipping, and jumping your way to your sister. There is combat sprinkled throughout. Minor fights break out as Zirian travels and the same fast paced jumping for traversals made combat fast and fun. However, with the ability to lock onto an enemy, my complaint with the camera persists here as well. There were times where I’d get hit or completely miss a target because the enemy I had locked in on moved in a way that my vantage could not follow.

The fighting is not difficult nor are the enemies, even the mini bosses, so these instances where I’d take damage because of this never were make or break for that fight. The big bads in the game have fun mechanics that are unique to that boss and locale. This made for some interesting battles, but even still the combat felt secondary to the platforming and exploration. Personally, I am ok with that as I generally don’t prefer combat to be where I derive joy from a game.

Verdict

Duskfade is well worth the price of admission. It’s got a beautiful world and fun movement to make exploring that world enjoyable. And with collectibles and upgrades to be found, searching every nook and cranny was often rewarded. The characters were endearing, hilarious, and made you care about Zirian’s world. This game is also a love letter to those who came before it, reminding me of the “good ol days” of gaming when I was a child. Nostalgia aside, I felt like it took influence from many games without doing anything terribly unique on its own. However, this is not necessarily a critique. I don’t think a game has to do something out of the box to be enjoyable and Duskfade proves that. Playing on Switch 2 felt perfect and it ran well in both handheld in docked modes. If you’re looking for a fun platformer, this is the game for you.

Score: 7/10

Duskfade is out now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PlayStation 5.