A ragtag crew with the power of words
By Paul Hunter
How would America have been shaped if Jackie O had been assassinated instead of JFK? And what if an event called The Broadcast had given everyday people superpowers? Such are the questions presented in Dustborn, the latest game from developer Red Thread Games and published by Quantic Dream.
Dustborn takes place in the 2030s, and as we learn, a lot has changed ever since the failed assassination attempt of JFK. The USA has become a torn country, ruled over by the authoritarian Justice regime, while powerful cultists called Puritans have also risen to power, and roads are plagued by gangs. Three decades prior, a mysterious Broadcast has turned folks into outlawed Anomals who can use words to manipulate people and bend situations to their will.
Playing as Pax, a former criminal, your mission is to transport a USB stick from the American West Coast all the way to Nova Scotia, where a huge payout awaits.
Accompanying Pax is her best friend Sai, who can use words to become super strong. Noam, her ex, can wield words to pacify others, while Theo is the wise old uncle type who lacks special powers but is great at decision-making and consoling others. Together, the group travels under the disguise of a punk rock band called the Dustborn along with their robot bus driver.
The foursome have eccentric personalities that often clash with each other, with Sai who's always high-strung and easily agitated, Noam who's fond of wisecracks yet is great at calming the others, and Theo who acts like the de facto team leader. Meanwhile, Pax can often be stuck in her shell and depends on the help of her crewmates to see her through sticky situations.
The story begins with the group having completed the robbery of the highly valued USB stick and are on the getaway. For a good chunk of the game, it's not clear what data resides on the USB, but that's all part of the mystery that unfolds.
The gameplay resembles that of a Telltale Games title, with a focus on narrative and where choices you make can impact the story later on. The majority of the game is spent talking to your crew, whether that's during the long bus rides, at roadside diners or at night around a camping ground firepit. During these usual long and involved conversations, as Pax, you can decide how to respond or choose to not respond if you wish. I really enjoyed the many deep conversations with your crewmates, learning about their past, their present feelings and their motivations.
While Dustborn's story can theoretically be shaped by your choices, it seems like the game offers the illusion of choice as outcomes mostly feel predetermined. In other Quantic Dream titles, like Detroit: Become Human or Heavy Rain, one wrong move can result in dramatic character changes and sometimes even death, but I never felt that kind of weight in my choices when playing Dustborn. Fortunately, the game's story is captivating so the lack of player agency doesn't detract too much from the experience.
What really stands out about Dustborn is how human all the characters are. Conversations can span anything from intense flight or fight moments all the way to the mundane like taking a few minutes to talk about how delicious s'mores are. The voice acting is excellent and brings the characters to life, and you can tell there's nice synergy among the group even if their personalities sometimes clash. I won't spoil the details, but the crew does expand over the long road trip and the new additions help round out the team with some fun new personalities.
Pax, being an Anomal, can use her special ability to weaponize words in conversations to change the outcome of her situation. For example, she can 'trigger' others to frustrate them into agreeing with her, or she can turn folks against each other through word manipulation. Likewise, you can instruct Noam to interject with soothing words used to calm others or diffuse tense situations. Using these powers feels invasive, but can be quite useful as it gives you a lot of power to influence the end result of any given situation.
Leveraging the power of words isn't limited to conversations, as they can also be used in battle. When situations don't go your way, you may get forced into battles where Pax can weaponize words to hurt your opponents. She can trigger her teammates to power them up, bully opponents to weaken them and even convince her attackers to start fighting each other. Pax also can belt foes with her baseball bat and dodge or block incoming attacks. There's an upgrade system as well where you can add abilities like throwing your bat and having it ricochet between multiple enemies. It's worth noting that combat is 'ok' but it's not very deep and is a bit janky, so don't expect too much from the combat scenarios.
Beyond the dialogue and combat, Dustborn has a surprisingly large focus on crafting songs and playing mini-concerts. While around the campfire, you can use Theo's guitar to create songs, including the catchy theme song called (you guessed it) 'Dustborn'. When playing the tunes in front of spectators you'll participate in a mini rhythm game where you need to time button presses and you'll be graded on how accurate you are.
There are other puzzles and mini-games throughout the story as well. In one scenario you may need to search the environment for hidden door codes, or in another, you have to throw Molotov cocktails at chasing bikers during a highway getaway scene. There's also a recurring mini-game where you have to use a small gaming handheld to trap 'Echoes', which are like sinister ghosts that possess people and corrupt their thoughts.
Visually, Dustborn has a soft comic book art style that looks great with colours that really pop. In a neat touch, your major decisions and story turning points are recorded in an actual digital comic book, which you can review at any time from the main menu. Highlight scenes in the comic book will also tell you how many other players made the same decision as you, giving you a nice indication if you're making popular choices or going against the grain.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: Red Thread Games
Publisher: Quantic Dream
Genre: Adventure
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
How would America have been shaped if Jackie O had been assassinated instead of JFK? And what if an event called The Broadcast had given everyday people superpowers? Such are the questions presented in Dustborn, the latest game from developer Red Thread Games and published by Quantic Dream.
Dustborn takes place in the 2030s, and as we learn, a lot has changed ever since the failed assassination attempt of JFK. The USA has become a torn country, ruled over by the authoritarian Justice regime, while powerful cultists called Puritans have also risen to power, and roads are plagued by gangs. Three decades prior, a mysterious Broadcast has turned folks into outlawed Anomals who can use words to manipulate people and bend situations to their will.
Playing as Pax, a former criminal, your mission is to transport a USB stick from the American West Coast all the way to Nova Scotia, where a huge payout awaits.
Accompanying Pax is her best friend Sai, who can use words to become super strong. Noam, her ex, can wield words to pacify others, while Theo is the wise old uncle type who lacks special powers but is great at decision-making and consoling others. Together, the group travels under the disguise of a punk rock band called the Dustborn along with their robot bus driver.
The foursome have eccentric personalities that often clash with each other, with Sai who's always high-strung and easily agitated, Noam who's fond of wisecracks yet is great at calming the others, and Theo who acts like the de facto team leader. Meanwhile, Pax can often be stuck in her shell and depends on the help of her crewmates to see her through sticky situations.
The story begins with the group having completed the robbery of the highly valued USB stick and are on the getaway. For a good chunk of the game, it's not clear what data resides on the USB, but that's all part of the mystery that unfolds.
The gameplay resembles that of a Telltale Games title, with a focus on narrative and where choices you make can impact the story later on. The majority of the game is spent talking to your crew, whether that's during the long bus rides, at roadside diners or at night around a camping ground firepit. During these usual long and involved conversations, as Pax, you can decide how to respond or choose to not respond if you wish. I really enjoyed the many deep conversations with your crewmates, learning about their past, their present feelings and their motivations.
While Dustborn's story can theoretically be shaped by your choices, it seems like the game offers the illusion of choice as outcomes mostly feel predetermined. In other Quantic Dream titles, like Detroit: Become Human or Heavy Rain, one wrong move can result in dramatic character changes and sometimes even death, but I never felt that kind of weight in my choices when playing Dustborn. Fortunately, the game's story is captivating so the lack of player agency doesn't detract too much from the experience.
What really stands out about Dustborn is how human all the characters are. Conversations can span anything from intense flight or fight moments all the way to the mundane like taking a few minutes to talk about how delicious s'mores are. The voice acting is excellent and brings the characters to life, and you can tell there's nice synergy among the group even if their personalities sometimes clash. I won't spoil the details, but the crew does expand over the long road trip and the new additions help round out the team with some fun new personalities.
Pax, being an Anomal, can use her special ability to weaponize words in conversations to change the outcome of her situation. For example, she can 'trigger' others to frustrate them into agreeing with her, or she can turn folks against each other through word manipulation. Likewise, you can instruct Noam to interject with soothing words used to calm others or diffuse tense situations. Using these powers feels invasive, but can be quite useful as it gives you a lot of power to influence the end result of any given situation.
Leveraging the power of words isn't limited to conversations, as they can also be used in battle. When situations don't go your way, you may get forced into battles where Pax can weaponize words to hurt your opponents. She can trigger her teammates to power them up, bully opponents to weaken them and even convince her attackers to start fighting each other. Pax also can belt foes with her baseball bat and dodge or block incoming attacks. There's an upgrade system as well where you can add abilities like throwing your bat and having it ricochet between multiple enemies. It's worth noting that combat is 'ok' but it's not very deep and is a bit janky, so don't expect too much from the combat scenarios.
Beyond the dialogue and combat, Dustborn has a surprisingly large focus on crafting songs and playing mini-concerts. While around the campfire, you can use Theo's guitar to create songs, including the catchy theme song called (you guessed it) 'Dustborn'. When playing the tunes in front of spectators you'll participate in a mini rhythm game where you need to time button presses and you'll be graded on how accurate you are.
There are other puzzles and mini-games throughout the story as well. In one scenario you may need to search the environment for hidden door codes, or in another, you have to throw Molotov cocktails at chasing bikers during a highway getaway scene. There's also a recurring mini-game where you have to use a small gaming handheld to trap 'Echoes', which are like sinister ghosts that possess people and corrupt their thoughts.
Visually, Dustborn has a soft comic book art style that looks great with colours that really pop. In a neat touch, your major decisions and story turning points are recorded in an actual digital comic book, which you can review at any time from the main menu. Highlight scenes in the comic book will also tell you how many other players made the same decision as you, giving you a nice indication if you're making popular choices or going against the grain.
The Verdict
Dustborn offers a rich story with compelling characters that drew me in and kept me hooked over the 15-hour adventure. Pax and her gang are down-to-earth and relatable, brought to life through excellent voice acting. There's a good variety of gameplay, from the dialogue choices to playing music concerts to solving puzzles, and it all comes together quite nicely. If you're into narrative-driven games, I recommend checking this one out.Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Dustborn details
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PCDeveloper: Red Thread Games
Publisher: Quantic Dream
Genre: Adventure
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
A key was provided by the publisher.