New Blood Interactive doesn’t fool around for April Fools’. On April 1st, it jokingly made an announcement that Dusk ‘82 was coming soon. The game was revealed as an action puzzler demake of the hit retro-styled shooter DUSK. Exactly one week later, David Szymanski – developer of DUSK – stated that it was no joke. There is no exact release date, but Szymanski said “in a few months” in his showcase video.
The player navigates a collection of tile-based mazes. Levels involve using weapons, finding keys, and avoiding (or abusing) traps and enemies in order to reach the exit. You can also use the in-built editor to make custom levels and upload them to the Steam Workshop. Furthermore, the soundtrack can be replaced with one’s own music, podcasts, and other sound bites.
Early DOS and Atari-style graphics aside, the gameplay isn’t as big of a departure from the original as one might think. DUSK drew inspiration from other arena shooters: Quake, Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and so on. Those games feature maze-like level designs, keys to unlock certain doors, and various obstacles. All of that forms the basis of Dusk ‘82 – albeit in the grid-based 2D style of Chip’s Challenge, Sokoban, and Bokosuka Wars as opposed to 3D corridors.
You can wishlist the game early on Steam.
