Duskpunk Review

The world sucks right now. Technically, we’re all living in the objectively best period in human history. However, it sure doesn’t feel like it. Climates across the globe are changing for the worst, most countries’ politics are a hot mess, and it seems like there’s a “once in a lifetime” event at least once a month. The cost of living is skyrocketing, a handful of countries are at war, and the average person is struggling to survive. It’s hard not to feel depressed by what’s going on.

So, intentionally or otherwise, that’s why Duskpunk is such a great game. In it, you play as someone who is trying to exist in a quasi-dystopian world that’s run by uncaring politicians. It’s depressing visually, depressing thematically, and both its gameplay and narrative are filled with no-win encounters. The title isn’t enjoyable solely because of how relevant it feels to current events. The experience as a whole does hit a lot harder because of them, though.

The game takes place in an alternate history similar to Frostpunk’s and Dishonored’s. The world, or at least two of the major countries in it, are at war. They’re fueled by chemicals created using the corpses of the dead, use giant machines to keep people in check, and treat their citizens as disposable pawns. You play as one of those pawns who is left for dead on the frontline, and returns to their home in a literal coffin ship. Before you can be turned into sludge, though, you escape your death sentence with the help of a priest and are forced to begin your life anew. What you do with that life is largely up to you, as long as you take down the monarchy at some point during the game’s 10-hour-long single-player campaign.

Well, it’s up to you from a narrative perspective. Gameplay-wise, Duskpunk is simple and involves more routine than you’d suggest. It’s almost identical to Citizen Sleeper, and consequently to Disco Elysium. The entire title takes place in text-based menus or an overhead map, where you select which one of a handful of actions you want to attempt. Whether or not you succeed at doing whatever you need to is based on a literal dice roll that gives you bonus points based on your in-game skills. How hungry you are, how many nightmares your character had during their previous night’s sleep, and how much health you have also play a role (or, in some cases, a roll). This means that while there’s no such thing as an easy day in Dredgeport, there are plenty of mundane ones. During the first few hours of the title, you’ll spend a lot of time visiting the same locations over and over again to complete the same actions so you can save up money. As you force yourself out of poverty, you’ll switch over to exerting your influence in between main missions, which is done through at the same handful of locations.

Duskpunk’s gameplay is still perfectly serviceable. It’s satisfying when Lady Luck smiles on you, and when she doesn’t, it helps reinforce the idea that Duskpunk’s world would suck to live in. The game’s story does a much better job at doing that, though. Its narrative isn’t groundbreaking, but it discusses a lot of themes that are just as relevant today as they will be 100 years from now, or were 100 years ago. The plot is all about freeing the oppressed from the oppressors, while also freeing your character from their traumas. It does that predictably, with your character acting as the catalyst for change that was going to happen anyway. You start out as a nobody, and by allying yourself with the lesser of multiple evils, work your way up the social ladder so you can be used by increasingly powerful people. Your climb eventually stops when you force others to fall. However, for as cliche as the overarching narrative is, it’s exceptionally well-told. Duskpunk’s writing is second-to-none, and has a handful of genuinely engaging side stories. Aiding disenfranchised soldiers, members of the clergy and the local machinist faction are all highlights of the title.

The best part of Duskpunk isn’t its story, though, it’s the game’s atmosphere. Even though it exclusively takes place in menus and an overhead map, the title as a whole still manages to showcase a realistically messed up world. Every piece of dialogue and every action you take feels grimy. The characters you interact with, who are depicted next to their dialogue boxes, all look like ones from Dishonored if they were even more miserable. It’s impressive for a title to convey the sense that everything in its world is wrong exclusively through text and occasional pieces of art. That’s doubly true when a game manages to do so while also making its world not feel far-fetched, and Duskpunk accomplishes both of those things.

It goes without saying that Duskpunk is well worth playing, then. Its gameplay can feel lacking at times, and its overarching narrative is predictable. However, it excels at showcasing a world gone wrong that doesn’t feel all that different from the one we’re living in. The game is filled with interesting characters, and will make you want to take a shower after completing it. Not everyone will be able to tolerate its lack of a narrator or its often routine point-and-clicking. If you can, though, you’ll be rewarded with an experience that’s akin to a more grounded Frostpunk, or a less strange Disco Elysium. Duskpunk isn’t a fun title. It’s one you boot up when you want a reminder that there’s a chance the world will not turn out to be okay.