Games You Should Play, Day #5: Dustforce

Well shit, aren't I behind on this segment.  I've been pretty busy as of late, as I'll be trekking up to college in a matter of hours now, so it's pretty much pack everything up and leave it where it is.  Luckily, the computer gets to stay for the night, so I can post yesterday's and today's GYSP Games.  Speaking of which, yesterday's Game You Should Play was Dustforce, the best game about cleaning you'll ever play!

Don't give me that look, Mario.  You too, Luigi!
I stand by my absurd claims.

Yes, ladies and gents, Dustforce.  Never heard of it?  Saw it on Steam once and thought nothing of it?  Well,  if you're a fan of fast-paced platformers, then you seriously missed the boat on this one.  I used to think the master of the fast-paced platformer was, and would be until 2006, Sonic.  However, recently Dustforce managed to change my mind on that one, and quite rapidly.  Like, say, within the first few minutes.

Dustforce was one of those titles that I saw come up on the Indie Games Blog, and I thought, "Huh.  There's something you don't see everyday."  Dustforce is a cell-shaded game with an emphasis on precise key-presses in order to "dust" one's way through every level as fast as possible.  Now, dusting doesn't sound like a very fast-paced thing to do, right?  I mean, unless you're sweeping or vacuuming or something, but even then, it's supposed to be a chore, right?

Dusting used to be a pastime, a simple pleasure for all to enjoy.
But that all changed when the fire nation attacked...

Well, dusting/vacuuming/sweeping/mopping are no longer chores in this game.  Instead, you, one of the four members of dustforce, must run, jump, and free-run your way through each stage and sweep up piles of waste where you find them.  It sounds like a strange concept, but in practice, Dustforce manages to execute it quite well.  It's a very satisfying feeling when you sweep up all that dust, defeat every enemy, and do it all while sprinting through spike traps and pitfalls while running at top speeds.  It's an absolutely exhilarating feeling when you get it just right.  The feeling is only topped by the feeling of perfecting a speedrun of a particularly hard game, or perhaps just running through Mirror's Edge a lot.

However, here's where Dustforce really branches off the beaten path: Dustforce actually doesn't require those picture perfect runs in order to finish the game.  Unlike games like Super Meat Boy, or N+, you aren't shoehorned into making it to the end of the level with a perfect run.  However, the funny part about Dustforce is that the basic platforming mechanics never change, yet each and every level feels like a puzzle to be solved.  That's the great part about Dustforce: in order to progress in the game, the first thing you need to do is figure out how to maintain momentum in every tricky jump of a single level, and then actually manage to do it.  It's hard.  Very hard, but once you get it right, like I said, there's no equatable feeling in platforming games.

The one point that I can't seem to get over, or perhaps wrap my head around, is the fact that this game is genuinely addicting.  I suppose that any game that requires a certain amount of skill and mastery of its mechanics is bound to be guilty of an addiction problem; but Dustforce really makes you think outside the box.  For instance, you can extend your jump and momentum if you manage to kill an enemy in mid-air; now apply that to a vertical level that you must maintain your momentum from the very beginning, or else you won't be able to pass it.  It's addicting because the basic mechanics are so easy to understand and interchange at a moment's notice.  Thought that you double jump to make it to that ledge?  Well, normally, but if you can manage to wall-kick up even higher, and kill the enemy at the top in one fell swoop, you can just bypass that double jump and save yourself 2 seconds on your run.

"Of course, if you do an acrobatic pirouette off of that handle
you could save up to 4 seconds on your Dustforce speedrun!"

This sort of do and re-do of all the levels in order to become the fastest and best at them is reminiscent of a few titles that have been released as of late: Super Meat Boy being the most prominent.  Honestly, the game is just an adrenaline rush of fun.  And to all those who are saying, "That's all well and good, but I hate it when I continue to play a level for an hour and never manage to get anywhere with it.  I tend to just give up and move on," I say that Dustforce has a secret weapon that many other games tend to overlook.  As usual, many of you might already know what's coming, yes, it's the soundtrack.

You may think you've beaten me, but you forgot about one thing...
I actually become more powerful when there's soothing music to my night time runs.

Yeah.  I almost hate to hype the soundtrack for this game, because, let's face it, that's been one of the things I've been doing all week long.  However, this time it is one of the reasons why I actually went out of my way to buy this game.  I looked it up on Youtube, not thinking much of it to start with.  And then I found this particular video:

Ladies and Gents:

Sit back, browse the internet, and enjoy some of the most soothing music you'll ever hear.

If you couldn't already tell, Dustforce's soundtrack is the exact opposite of what you'd expect such a fast game to be like.  It's slow, melodic chiptune music that swings a little.  It's not adrenaline pumping, it's freaking cathartic.  You don't listen to Dustforce's music in order to get a speedrun, you might listen to it to do work, or to look out over the horizon, or perhaps to socialize.  This is something that's completely new to the platforming world, as it's always been the case that you want some good ol' fashioned pump-up music to race through these levels.  However, this music marks the discovery of a new technique for the type of game that wants you to play it over-and-over.  The music here relaxes me, makes me realize, "Hey, you missed that jump, but it's okay.  You'll get it next time.  Don't yell."  And y'know what's the weirdest thing about it?

It freaking works.  Every time I just sat back and listened to the beautiful tunes of Dustforce, I found myself cruise through a level without even thinking about it.  Instead of making you feel tight and very strapped for time, it gives you that "I'm kinda high right now" feeling that lets you just let go.  Unlike Super Meat Boy, there's just no pressure with Dustforce.  There's also another reason why it just works: because it's music you can work to.  It doesn't have lyrics or a fast beat, it's kind of like trance.  It just soothes you into doing what you do best: jumping and running.

"Look!  Looklooklooklook!!! I'm like...playing without fingers.
Hahaha... fingaaaaaahs..."

If you guys aren't convinced, check out the video.  After playing this game for a total of 2 hours, I decided that I had to have the soundtrack on my phone.  So beautiful!  So, while you peruse Steam for new games that freaking ROCK, check out Dustforce.  I promise you won't be disappoint.

~Cascadakatana

PS- If you don't know who that guy is up there with the fingers, his name is Dyrus.  He streams League of Legends videos, and plays professionally (don't judge me).  He is always sleepy.  Sleepy Dyrus.