Dust and Neon is a sophisticated twin-stick shooter for Nintendo Switch. This sci-fi title blends classic western shootouts with a futuristic robot twist. As the name suggests, it’s a combination of the ‘dusty’ past and the bright ‘neon’ lights of the future. It’s also an engaging, action-packed outing.
This amalgamation of concepts works perfectly. Most of your time is spent stalking abandoned towns in search of robots, resulting in tense firefights. frankensteinA scientist named Dr. Finkel created you out of all sorts of nasty things to defeat a league of robots that plague the world.
The gameplay takes place on an isometric playing field. There is a distinct stealth element, with your character automatically crouching behind an object as you approach it. It’s a bit like Mario + Rabbids, but without the turn-based elements. Instead, rapid action is real-time. Once those pesky robots find you, they won’t stop chasing you until one of his is down.
Dust and Neon also has a strong exploratory aspect. Cleaning each outpost allows you to enter houses, salons, and other buildings to scavenge weapons, ammo, and health. You have to enter the mission.
Collecting cash and weapons is also a big part of the gameplay. There are many weapons to choose from, but you can only hold a few at a time. Each has its own stats such as damage, critical rate, handling, and bullet capacity. Comparing them is easy, and ditching (and trading in for cash) old weapons in favor of better ones is exciting. That money is conveniently used to purchase other weapons and upgrades between missions.
Your character also levels up via a ranking system. Each new rank earns points and can upgrade one of several attack or defense stats. This simple branching system allows you to choose which aspect to focus on. healthier? more ammo? Fast roll recovery? it’s up to you!
I also like the reload feature. Inevitably run out of bullets during battle. By pressing Y, the weapon will appear on the screen, and he will refill the barrel one bullet at a time. So guns that can hold more bullets need less refills. This is an important consideration when surrounded by many enemies at once.
Gameplay is easy to learn and focuses on twin-stick shooters. Normal setting. Control your character with the left stick and weapons with the right stick. You can also run, roll, reload, and switch weapons by tapping well-mapped buttons. Well designed, this is easy to pick up and play.
Visually, Dust and Neon looks like a space western. Barrels and railroad tracks litter the dusty town. On the other hand, we also encounter glowing crystals and robotic shards, providing a futuristic, neon side of things. There are splashes of color to highlight certain elements such as the machine, lab items, and ammunition. The audio takes the quintessentially western soundtrack and complements these visuals with songs somehow modified for this dystopian world.
Overall, Dust and Neon is a fun and engaging twin-stick shooter. Combined with a futuristic world featuring gunman robots, it’s addictive and packed with action that won’t let you get bored.