TGS 2025 | "Duskfade"
I’ll say one thing about Duskfade, the latest from Fireshine Games: it sure is pretty to look at. Where many fantasy games these days go for the dark and grim visuals, Duskfade is a bright Dreamworks-like adventure in the making. But as I saw in the demo at Tokyo Game Show, even a pretty-looking game can’t hide a lack of uniqueness.
The demo of Duskfade starts with its hero, Zirian, in a world of darkness. As he wanders around, his surroundings become brighter, as gears and clocks appear. There, Zirian learns his fighting skills, as he uses his sword to take down enemies. After saving his mechanical friend Cuckoo, Zirian enters a village, and proceeds to take down any enemies that are causing trouble.
First off, the battles are showcased well. There’s a good mixture of melee attacks and strategic maneuvers that make for taking down bigger enemies a challenge. I also like the randomness of some of the enemies, as it makes them unpredictable to figure out their maneuvers. However, as soon as the battles were over, I couldn’t help but feel like I’ve wandered in villages this similar before.
Jumping on buildings, clearing out crystals, and collecting gems all felt like something I’ve seen in one too many fantasy games. While these are staples of the genre, there’s something usually unique attached to the gameplay that makes it stand out. Sadly, even with the pretty visuals, Duskfade didn’t have anything that wowed me like a Zelda or even Tunic game. Needless to say, it left me wanting to see something that’ll make it a special game to experience.
Thankfully, there’s no set release date yet for Duskfade, meaning it’ll give Weird Beluga and Fireshine Games plenty of time to tinker with it. For now, the demo left an average impression on me, one that might stick in my brain, but could fade off if it doesn’t deliver something that’ll turn my head. Whether or not the game developers can offer that remains to be seen, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. My advice: don’t rush Duskfade out.
