Xbox 360 Critic Reviews

There is no element of Dust: An Elysian Tail that has a negative, from the jaw dropping visuals, to the excellent writing, through to the seamless combat and action. This is a stand out title in more ways than one. In a year that has Trials Evolution, Spelunky, Minecraft and Fez, this is the standalone best game on XBLA. If you only buy one game this year buy Dust: An Elysian Tail, there simply isn't enough superlatives to describe just how good it is.

Cramming this many elements into a single downloadable game seems like an audacious move, but Dust pulls it off with confidence, style, and heart, resulting in a game that deserves to be played by a lot of people.

It's a great, 2D experience that harkens back to the popular Metroidvania sub-genre of adventures games, but manages to blaze its own path and stand out as a wholly unique experience. There's certainly little like it on XBLA, and I highly suggest picking it up.

Crafted with painstaking attention to inventive detail and charm, Dust is never less than an outright joy to experience.

Although it can get repetitive at times, Dust is easily the most charming game in the entire Summer of Arcade. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable Metroidvania/action RPG games I've ever played.

This is a game you cannot miss. The whole game offers more than many retail titles, for only 1,200 Microsoft Points. The visuals are stunning, the battle system is entertaining and there's many maps for us to explore. We can conclude by saying that it's one of the best games on Xbox Live Arcade.

With its supremely satisfying swordplay, enthralling exploration, and a story you'll want to see through to the end, Dust feels like the Xbox homage to Vanillaware's cult classics Odin Sphere and Muramasa. Though its aesthetic may turn some biased gamers away, they'll be missing out on some of the best single-player action that $15 can buy.

If you have a passion for action games, the Metroidvania style or just gorgeous animation in general, you need to play this game. It is definitely packed and more than worth the price of admission, and it is quite possibly my favorite XBLA game to come out this year. This is what Summer of Arcade was designed for.

A refreshing experience, one that reminds us of why people make games-and why we, in turn, play them. Combining quaint, charming elements with highly executed gameplay, Dust would be an impressive adventure even without the fascinating story behind its development.

The music is sensational, and though it was done by an in-house team hired by Dodrill, they definitely keep the adventurous tone flowing throughout, even with the slower town exploration themes. The voicework is great too.