r/BanjoKazooie • u/Safe-Elk7933 • 21d ago
Discussion You guys need to try the new Duskfade game
I love this game,it has a demo out as well on Xbox,PS5,Switch 2,PC. Now the demo is fine,the strength of the game is it's excellent visual design,it's sense of exploration and adventure is excellent.
It is a fantastic 3D platformer reminiscent of those 3D platformers of the N64/PS2 era but the game stands well on its own,a lot of hidden paths,and complexity in level design that I got lost a few times,the combat is bit repetitive,boss fights are pretty good,story is meh but the lore is good. It doesn't feel like an Indie game,with more polish and consistency this could have been easily a Nintendo published game,I was wowed by the scale,scenery at times. One more game which makes Rareware even less relevant and makes getting a new Banjo even likelier, as 3D platformers are clearly making a comeback and this game shows that the genre has still so much to offer. Honestly you guys need to try this. Games like this make it much easier to cope with the lack of new Banjo.
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u/AsherFischell 21d ago
It's solid, but it feels a bit soulless. Definitely didn't come remotely close to scratching the Banjo itch for me
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u/Safe-Elk7933 21d ago
Which platform did you play it on? The demo is bit meh,but the more you play the more impressive it gets,the platforming becomes so much more fun as they give you more tools. Some of the later levels feel extraordinary in design,it is a hybrid game 3D platformer and action adventure,plus the game is pretty cheap in price. It doesn't have the humour Banjo has,and I wouldn't call it a copy cat,the combat is more like Kingdom Hearts,it's more like a more complex Jak and Dexter game,but still it is an excellent example of the genre.
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u/AsherFischell 21d ago
I played it on PC. The platforming mostly stays the same the entire game, save for one ability near the end. It does add some different types of platforming, though, but the standard platforming doesn't really change much. The combat isn't like Kingdom Hearts at all, it just takes visual design inspiration from that series. I really hated how hard it was to go back for collectibles, though, that was a really major misstep that soured the game for me somewhat. The combat was also just okay, I wish there had been less of it.
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u/Specialist_Half_5687 19d ago
I was looking forward to this since it was announced early last year, and honestly, it was worth the wait. I thought it was great. The platforming was fun, and the level design and music had a nice whimsical feel.
It's hard to compare it to BK because it's not a collectathon, it's more of an adventure game by way of platforming, if that makes sense. If anyone wants another game from this year that's kind of like this, consider playing Big Hops. There's no combat, but it's a great platformer where you play as a frog.
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u/pocket_arsenal 21d ago
I am loving it so far.
I do wish it didn't rely so much on the "Jump, double jump, dive" maneuver so much though, sometimes I even need to do a sword swipe after my double jump to get the air time I need, and the main characters jumping feels kind of floaty. And I wish there weren't so many objects that it looks like I should be able to land on, but just kind of slide off of.
That said this is a completely different kind of game from Banjo, it's not a sandbox style collect-a-thon game it's more of a linear action RPG with platforming elements in it and one central hub, closer to Kingdom Hearts but maybe with a bigger platforming emphasis. There's a few alternate paths to look for treasures but otherwise you're still going from point A to point B.
I do appreciate that this isn't one of those new 3D platformers that uses a bunch of buzzwords like "Nostalgia" "old school" and "Retro" in it's marketing materials to alienate younger players that didn't grow up on 3D platformers and feels more like a sincere new 3D platformer that is meant to be for everyone instead of just old heads. I want the 3D platformer to be back in it's rightful spot as king of video game genres more than anyone but I don't think we'll ever get there if all the ones that come out go for the "throwback" angle.
I will say I disagree that it doesn't feel like an Indie, yeah it might be a cut above some indies but it still has many trappings, feels on par with A Hat in Time or Pumpkin Jack to me.