The Wild West is an era of genuine American fantasy with Gunslingers, outlaws, bandits, and long-reach of the law are all attuned to the wild and untamed frontier. It’s an era that seems to be entrenched in a thread of fact and legend. The Wild West can be considered an American fantasy with evildoers, heroes, and outlaws caught between the two. Dust & Neon is all about the style and substance of the wild west. Debuting at Pax West 2022 in Seattle Washington, Rogue Games introduced a unique and fascinating take on the twin-stick shooter and Wild West genre. It’s been quite a while since I’ve played a good, lean twin-stick shooter. I’m pleased to say that Dust and Neon is an excellent twin-stick shooter and roguelike for the new and experienced.
Dust & Neon don’t necessarily have a story. The wild west has been taken over by power-hungry robots that have the urge to crush the bones of any human. As a cyborg, you’ve got a human’s quick wits but a robot’s dangerousness. The only way to take on this robot army is to adopt true grit. The enemy has taken over four zones and is run by several bosses. They will not go down so easily. Think like a human and exploit their weakness. Fight like a robot and crush them in a hail of gunfire.
Robot Outlaw
The primary focus of Dust & Neon is its gameplay, which features twin-stick shooting mechanics and roguelike elements. The game includes does have familiar roguelike features such as a home base for refuge, weapons, and upgradeable attributes, as well as changing levels and enemy placement. The mission selection screen offers objectives of varying difficulty. The big draw (pun intended) of Dust & Neon is its exceptional twin-stick shooting gameplay, which is uniquely Wild West-themed and requires quick thinking and speed from players to reload each shot. The gunplay is loud and impactful, making it an excellent experience for players with experience in twin-stick shooters.
Most twin-stick shooters offer various weapons with unlimited ammunition. The desire to win and survive depends on speed and aggression like in Nex Machina. Other twin-stick shooters, such as Neurovoider, rely on cooldowns for their weapons. In Dust & Neon, the game replicates the shooting and gunplay of the wild west. This makes Dust & Neon a slower-paced twin-stick shooter but also more methodical and satisfying in its unique way. The goal isn’t to mow down waves of enemies but to be cautious. Placing shots on an enemy and remaining still can bring a player the upper hand in a gunfight. Cover and dodge rolling are essential when the heat gets hot.
Electric Steel
The player’s character moves at a thoughtful pace. Holding the preferred button allows the character to sprint but slower pacing is essential for survival. When next to certain obstacles, the character automatically takes cover. The enemy robots are no cakewalker and are easily sharpshooters themselves. Cover is essential for surviving gun fights. Holding the trigger button allows players to rise from cover and aim their weapons. The other trigger button naturally allows you to fire the weapon. Dust & Neon has a futuristic aesthetic but these are not ray guns. Guns fire bullets and do have differences in accuracy depending on the weapon.
The final component of the gunplay is reloading. In Dust & Neon, reloading is neither automatic nor quick. In a very clever idea of user interfacing, a corner of the screen shows the weapon being reloaded. Players tap the reload button to reload each round into the weapon. Dust & Neon is a futuristic western. Players will load rounds into three-barreled shotguns and revolvers that look straight out of a Tex Avery cartoon. Furthering that mood are how the bullets seemingly fly into the weapon and the reload animation responds with clicks and movements. It’s an effective way to let players know the weapon is ready to fire. It’s a cathartic moment to squeeze off a shot on a charging robot through a quick flick of the reload. I couldn’t help but feel like Revolver Ocelot from the Metal Gear game and why he was so obsessed with using revolvers instead of modern armaments.
Quick On the Tigger
Reloading weapons heightens the sensation of combat and the danger of gunfire. The HD rumble on the Nintendo Switch furthers the sensation of manually loading each round into the weapon. Hearing the click of the weapon and seeing the reload animation complete becomes a matter of time and vulnerability. For those precious moments, an enemy can eliminate the player. This makes reloading a feverish action. This is most intense during one of the game’s several boss fights. During these fights, ammunition, and health are limited. Every shot literally counts. Dust & Neon does not have a melee button which introduces a more white knuckle player experience.
There are three types of weapons in Dust & Neon: Revolvers, shotguns, and rifles. Rifles are excellent for long-range targeting. Shotguns are best for serious firepower at close range. Revolvers are the trusted sidearm that gets the job done. Weapons follow a color-based system. White is common. Green is uncommon. Blue is Epic. Orange is legendary. Dust & Neon plays into the western motif with presenting moments in levels that encourage risk vs reward. A certain stash may have the weapon you are looking for but it may involve giving up powers cores you can use to upgrade the base. Entertaining different buildings might yield loot but also be filled with robots determined to end your run.
Buying the farm is tough
Like all roguelikes, death is painful. As a cyborg, players can be brought back but they lose all their cash, power cores, and obtained weapons. Fortunately, as a cyborg, players can return fairly easily. Every return to base from a successful mission places cash and loot into a stash. Free guns are available for the next run or players can purchase new ones. A prized enhancement to players are the Burner microchips. They may only be used once per mission and catch a hefty price tag but can make the difference between success and failure. The chip augments various attributes from shooting to accuracy to health and movement. Collecting power cores offers upgrades for the base from discounted weapons to saving some loot upon death. A nice feature in Dust & Neon is the leveling-up system. Even if players die, they still level up. The points can then go to a long list of perks from more health to better accuracy with guns. This makes death painful but not terribly punishing.
Dust & Neon strikes a balance between a lean, mean challenge and good classic fun. Enemies are programmed to kill you and some will literally roll their way towards you to get you out of color. Aiming and shooting become an enjoyable skill to learn. Blasting away enemy foes in the heat of a gunfight can be thrilling and feel like straight out the westerns your parents grew up on. The cel-shaded presentation and color help with the notion that this is a western tale with more wires and circuits than usual. Downing a foe by the skin of the teeth is one of the big hallmarks of Dust & Neon.
Neon-Soaked Western Fun
Dust & Neon isn’t perfect and has a few rusty edges, which given the subject matter is appropriate. The game experience is a rather quick one, especially on easy. difficulty Skilled players may be able to breeze through the game in 4-6 hours. Those playing on normal, the intended difficulty, will definitely get more mileage out of Dust & Neon. The lack of a story doesn’t hurt the game but it would have better served to understand what is happening and why. Music also takes a hit as the familiar western orchestrations play but there feels like there was a missed opportunity for more punchy music. Furthering this are the repeat objectives of levels. Destroy barrels, eliminate enemies, disable bases, rinse and repeat. A horseback riding gunfight would make for a good change of pace. As for technical performance, Dust & Neon performs well on Switch. The Steam version does feature a faster and smoother framerate for those that prefer that option.
Verdict
It’s hard to argue against Dust & Neon when the core gameplay is so refreshingly satisfying. Dust & Neon is a great twin-stick shooter and roguelike and I’d even argue a great gateway for those players unfamiliar with the genre. The genre is known for punishing players in some instances and discouraging those from succeeding. Dust & Neon is great in that it finds a reachable balance between rewarding challenges and remembering it’s a game to have fun in. Its Wild West aesthetic lends itself incredibly well and its gunplay is profoundly impactful. Every boot-up was another exciting adventure for the futuristic Wild West. There are strong ideas and gunplay in Dust & Neon making it worthy for any Nintendo Switch or Steam owner. This is a western I had a great time with and hope doesn’t ride into the sunset too soon. Dust & Neon is a hard-hitting futuristic westerner and a solid game.
Dust & Neon was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch OLED Model thanks to a key generously supplied to Marooners’ Rock by Rogue Games
