We first saw Dustborn three years ago when Red Thread Games released a developer presentation. The Norway-based studio claimed that their upcoming game was a narrative-driven adventure.
We would follow a group of “outcasts” trekking across America in a story about “hope, friendship, love, and robots.” It gave off very 2010s vibes, from character designs and its Borderlands-esque aesthetic. The whole thing seemed harmless enough, if not a bit bland.
The central gameplay element shown at that time was that words acted as physical attacks or were similar to Jedi mind tricks. It’s an exciting idea, but there were some Life is Strange warning signs.
The game faded from memory until it sprouted up again recently thanks to GamesCom and YouTube. The new reveal trailer made it clear that Dustborn was akin to something you’d find on Tumblr around 2016. There’s nothing subtle about what the game is trying to say or which side of the aisle your characters will be coming from.
At one point in the trailer, the player can cause two people to draw firearms on each other by saying, “He has no respect for you.” Also, the large character has a ground-pound attack. Is that considered body-positive or stereotypical?
All the tropes and checkboxes we’ve come to expect look present, but we were surprised to see how poorly Dustborn would be received. Perhaps don’t start your reveal with a line about how this game takes place “in a world divided by disinformation.”
The game was getting roasted in the comments section of the XBOX trailer up until just a couple of days ago. As you can see, the ratio was pretty bad. Microsoft must have taken exception to the reception because comments have been shut off.
However, the PS5 reveal trailer for the game is still allowing comments even though it has an equally terrible ratio of 815 thumbs up to 4.7k thumbs down.
Footage from Gamescom 2023 shows that few people cared about Dustborn. The crowd remained silent the whole way through, and as the trailer drew to a close, not a single clap could be heard.
What do you think of Dustborn? Let us know below.
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