Dust & Neon

Genre: 2-Stick Shooter

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: Included in Super Hard Bundle along with Super Glitch Dash, Super Impossible Road, and Super Mega Zero.)

Dust & Neon is a 2-Stick Shooter released in 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. In this game, players take the role of a cyborg cowboy in a post-apocalyptic Western-themed world where a mad doctor has created you to fight through hordes of enemy robots.

The presentation here is decent, but nothing spectacular, using cel-shaded 3D visuals that work, but given the strong theming of this game, I can’t help but feel that they lack the stylistic flair the game could have, especially since this combination of post-apocalypse and Western in a cel-shaded package seems to be inspired by the Borderlands franchise, which is far more visually-distinct.

The one exception to the otherwise muddled presentation is the soundtrack, which has just the right combination of Western themes, synthesized instruments, and a moody tone that seems perfect for what this game is going for. For some good examples, check out Home Base, Hotstep, Outer Wilds, and Permafrost.

When it comes to the gameplay, I once again have to make comparisons to Borderlands, because in many ways, this game feels like it’s perhaps trying to aim for an experience that’s sorta’ like what Borderlands might be if it were a 2-Stick Shooter. The upgrade skill tree is similar, as are the various weapons you’ll be picking up. And the game does have its own clever and unique elements as well, such as the requirement that players individually load each bullet when reloading (basically, by mashing the reload button).

While this is all well and good, I think Dust & Neon misses a beat both when compared to Borderlands and compared to 2-Stick Shooter Roguelikes that this game seems to want to be counted as, with its somewhat randomized levels and weapons. The problem is that weapon pickups aren’t nearly as common in either of those types of games, nor are they as varied and creative. This means that combat can get a tad samey at times. Also, if we’re comparing to Borderlands, this game’s small and often restrictive levels can’t hold a candle to Borderlands’ more open-ended level design.

To Dust & Neon’s credit, the combat is mostly pretty solid, and when you get surrounded by enemies things can get pretty intense. However, I find myself disappointed by this game’s cover system, which not only seems intermittent in when it works, but also sometimes projects your bullets reaching enemies even though their path is obstructed by scenery. In short, you’re probably safer behind waist-high obstructions than in the open, but you definitely shouldn’t rely on them.

In the end, I can’t help but feel like Dust & Neon has some good ideas, but the execution is at times a bit lacking. Even if this game was boiled down to “Borderlands as a 2-Stick Shooter”, it doesn’t quite measure up to that, and it definitely doesn’t have the sort of variety you look for in the Roguelike genre that it seems to want to be included in. It’s still a fun game that has some good qualities to offer, including a great soundtrack, but I think it falls short of its potential.

tl;dr – Dust & Neon is a 2-Stick Shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Western setting that puts you in the role of a cyborg fighting through enemy robots. In many ways, this game plays a bit like “Borderlands as a 2-Stick Shooter”, but it doesn’t quite measure up to that comparison, lacking the style and variety of those games. However, the core gameplay here is good, and the soundtrack is superb. This ends up being a decent 2-Stick Shooter, it’s just one that falls well short of its potential.

Grade: B-

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