Dust & Neon | PS5 Review

Mary Shelley's vision of Frankenstein isn't lost on this cyberpunk meets western roguelike. Much like Mary's tale of re-animating the dead, Dr. Finkel of "Dust & Neon" does the same, but to a different end and at a different point in time. It seems the Wild West of the future is being overtaken by sentient robots, and the mad Dr. Finkel aims to be rid of them all. 

In a last ditch effort to bring to fruition the end to the meddlesome machines Dr. Finkel takes the remains of a long dead gunslinger, and melds him with modern technology. Creating a machine murdering monster that can never truly die. This horrific highwayman's role of course is the total extermination of robot kind, and through the offerings and arsenal provided by the mad doctor this unnamed and undead gun toting terminator will set out to do just that. Ultimately venturing out onto the open prairies, dust filled deserts, and tumbleweed infested towns with murder on his mind, and six shooter in his hand.

Gameplay in "Dust & Neon", as it were, is a simple yet challenging set of randomly generated objectives orchestrated by Dr. Finkel and his onboard AI associate. Part of the game will be spent having the re-animated gunslinger going on randomized outings collecting energy cells to upgrade the base of operations, and improve upon it's wares while another part will be focused on the grind for skill points, and cash for permanent character buffs as well as the single life weapons and perks used on said lucrative outings. The skill points applied will boost gunplay efficiency as well as health, and mobility options. Improving upon what weapons can do, building upon stamina for evasive dodging, and even adding in things that will help you to maintain a healthy health meter. 

To reap the rewards, and build upon the ability to fully complete each following mission objective you will need to equip three different weapons at the start before heading out that can be swapped between, and used in battle on the fly. A pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle. With these three weapons you'll find that timing in regards to reloading is very important, and that range and stats or rarity makes a huge difference in the heat of battle. Battle, itself, comes in a randomized variety of objective based missions with payouts that require destroying things, looting, and killing all the robots in the region including bosses. 

Missions in-game are varied and skull rated according to difficulty with a three skull rating being the most difficult. Allowing you, in turn, to pick from the AI controlled launchpad a mission best suited for your current loadout. Loadouts, themselves, mean a world of difference in "Dust & Neon". Thankfully the homestead base of operations houses vendors and weapons/perks that will come in handy. Some of which are obtainable for a price while others are freely given. One vendor, in particular, offers mind blowing chips in exchange for cash that gift three single mission bonus perks. Greatly boosting gunplay performance, and mobility options. Another such vendor allows for the purchase of more exotic weaponry for a set price. Weapons that can be re-rolled for an additional fee. 

While micro-management, and mission prep at the base of operations is mandatory for building up your gunslinger, and his options the gun slinging side of things is still the main focus in this roguelike action adventure. As a gunslinger you'll be tasked with beating your opponents to the draw, and avoiding any projectiles that might be headed your way. Enabling this need for quick and precise gunplay is a twin-stick shooter control scheme with a reload per bullet gimmick, and a tacked on sprint/dodge that helps in avoiding attacks. There's even cover play in which the gunslinger can auto-crouch behind cover, and raise up above it to shoot robots who are actively doing the same. Knowing when to approach gunplay more carefully, or more aggressively is half the battle.

As you face-off against malicious machinations your gunslinger will rank up his sheriff's star, and in turn unlock a pursuing boss who has a bounty out for him. This happens every six ranks. Adding to the launchpad an option to face the boss, and earn a much better payout than your standard missions. All missions, whether difficult or not, have a payout and contain a set amount of threats and objectives within. Navigating the maze-like semi-overhead terrains while restocking ammo from ammo crates, and refilling health are the main goals outside of robotic decimation. You'll also happen upon hidden caches of currency as well as gun chests that contain various rarities of each gun type for the equipping or scrapping (bonus cash). Guns alone harbor an almost Borderlands style of stats, and can each contain various bullet counts. Making it imperative that you choose a gun that is not only better than your previous one, but that is an overall improvement. 

While it's your typical roguelike experience with a wild western meets cyberpunk twist, "Dust & Neon" does allow for a more tailor made experience. You can change the language, controller vibrations, screen shaking, visual enhancements, auto-reload, auto-aim, and even the control layout. It does feature an option for remapping controls to your liking, which in my personal opinion, is a big help given the awkward original layout. 

The Verdict ...

Dust & Neon is quite the challenging roguelike. It has two base difficulty settings, and beyond that difficulty ratings per mission. Creating an experience that switches up often between a more aggressive play style opportunity and the requirement for a more stealthily applied approach. If you rush in not paying attention to the manual reload or the surroundings death will come calling rather quickly. You definitely have to mind a lot as you play. It is this blend of more realistic gunplay, and twin stick shooting that makes 'Dust & Neon' stand out from the crowd. 

The added fact that it seems to borrow weapon design inspiration from the Borderland series as well as character design makes it something special and noteworthy for gamers who are into that franchise. Personally, I liked it for what it was, and found that outside of the original gunplay mechanics setup it is the type of roguelike experience one would expect. Not to a fault, but somewhat basic in regards to end-game goals. All in all I think 'Dust & Neon' earns it's rightful place among some of the genre's better offerings. It's something new and something old.