Dust: An Elysian Tail - 2/20 hours

I just noticed that the game's title is Dust: An Elysian Tail. Not "tale," like a story that you tell (perhaps in video game form), but "tail" as in the back part of an animal . . .

Don't do this. If you're thinking of writing a story about animals, or anthropomorphic animals, or animal-shaped robots or whatever - don't do this. It's a lame pun and it's confusing. What does it even mean? At some point in this game, I'd better wind up using my character's tail to resolve a major plot point. Otherwise, it's a played out joke that wasn't funny the first time.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I actually really like this game. It's bright and colorful, and, frankly, the screenshots don't do it justice. It is indeed just like playing a cartoon. All the NPCs have a unique and memorable character design and the voice acting is both skilled and distinct. I have absolutely no complaints about its presentation.

The gameplay, I'm going to reserve judgement on. So far, it's serviceable, but I'll need some more time to see how it evolves. If it's going to follow the classic Metroid pattern of having certain areas of the early maps closed off until you get new abilities so you can backtrack later and explore new areas, then I'm going to have to see if the progression of abilities and rewards is satisfying enough to justify it.

I'm feeling pretty good about it, though. I like the characters. I enjoy brawling with hordes of enemies, even if it's a bit button-mashy, and rpg progression is always welcome. The story is simple (and just a little cliche) so far, but at least it has the virtue of me being able to follow it.