There are some gaming fans who will tell you Fallout Tactics is one of the most underappreciated titles ever created. Full disclosure, I’m not one of them - having played the title before and enjoyed it for what it was, I never left feeling like I needed more post-apocalyptic real-time strategy in the same vein.
Dustwind Studios appears to disagree. The developer recently launched Dustwind out of Steam’s Early Access program, looking to capitalize on the recent popularity of finely made isometric games while providing a niche that has very few bigger studios vying for its fans.
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At its core, Dustwind is a game that is meant to be enjoyed with other people. The multiplayer combat is honed such that fielding a diverse team full of people capable of switching different between tactical roles will drastically increase a player’s chance of success. That, coupled with what has to be described as a passionate adherence to the post-apocalyptic genre’s biggest yet beloved stereotypes, makes for a game that hits the mark more often than not despite a glaring lack of single-player content.
Gameplay in Dustwind is tactical but real-time, meaning players have to think on the fly. The game is designed to offer teams a multitude of different options in tackling its different gameplay modes, which range from co-op style attacks on CPU-controlled strongholds to the more traditional online deathmatches that the multiplayer genre can’t leave home without. Dustwind’s learning curve is fair but punishing, and although it has a decent tutorial, I felt severely outclassed tackling online play for the first several hours, which made for a rather unpleasant experience as I was routinely demolished by some of the game’s better players.
There’s not much to Dustwind’s online play, though, that makes me feel like it’s intended to be shared between friends. The multiplayer in-game chat is very sparse, and while I was learning, more experienced players went straight to kicking me out of a game if I rolled a character they didn’t want in their party. While that’s in no way a fault of Dustwind’s developers, it is an indication of the kind of player the game is attracting, and it makes the game feel like it is for hardcore fans of the genre only.
Dustwind also features a built-in editor which allows players to create content, and ideally this could keep the multiplayer scene fresh for months to come - provided fans want to stick around through the early dry phases of having very little variation in terms of maps. Once again, having explored it for a little, it’s the kind of thing that genre enthusiasts will find exciting but more casual fans of real time strategy and tactical combat will likely be overwhelmed by.
One of the game’s biggest strengths is how easy it is to consume. It’s nice to be able to sit down, play a round, and then carry on with my day without needing to worry about progression as well. That being said, Dustwind’s multiplayer modes range wildly in terms of how long it takes them to play out, with some rounds lasting as little as ten minutes and others progressing well over an hour. Experience will help players determine which modes they want, but it can be a bit jarring in the beginning.
Ultimately, though, the thing that hampers Dustwind right out of the gate is its lack of anything resembling a campaign. While I get that its a multiplayer game first and foremost, as a Steam indie title looking to make a lasting impression, generic post-apocalyptic visuals and dated comedy (describing things as “the sux” pops up far more often than it ever should) do not make for a particularly engaging first dance.
If you can get past the boring aesthetic, lack of single-player content, and steep learning curve, Dustwind has a fair amount to offer. I’ve got the sneaking suspicion that people aren’t going to stick around long enough to enjoy all the subtlety the game has to offer, though, which is something that could have easily been avoided by including a narrative and some more inspired environmental design. Unless you really, really, really loved Fallout Tactics - or you’re a real time strategy buff mourning the genre’s lack of offerings recently - I’d have to suggest finding a more compelling, complete game to spend your money on.
2.5/5
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Dustwind is available on Steam for $24.99 USD. Screen Rant was provided with a game code for this review.
Our Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (Fairly Good)
