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From Dust
By Tristan Tancredi
The latest "God Game" to hit the Playstation
Network, Ubisofts: From
Dust, has a unique twist on the typical God Games out
there.
Controlling
"The Breath", gamers take on the role of God and, basically put, must
overcome the elements and deliver the Tribesmen to their destinations.
Gamers manipulate the environment from a God
perspective to enlighten and save a Nomadic Tribe.
Now, I know what you're probably thinking, What
the hell is "The Breath"?...
The
Breath is what the developers have called the capability to control the
environment. It gives gamers the ability to stop tsunamis, to move
earth and water and to control fire amongst many other things.
Still confused? Think an advanced, more
complicated version of Lemmings.
From
level to level, the challenges get tougher and patience is tested. The
maps become increasingly spectacular as you progress through the game,
ranging from desert, jungle and island environments.
Civilisations
are built as totem poles scattered throughout the maps are
reached. Most of which require multiple attempts and careful
strategising to reach, thus resulting in frustation.
Now, don't
get me wrong, its a great looking game, the environments look
beautiful. The cut scenes look good, although they don't offer alot to
the game. Yet its the controlling of "The Breath" that delivers the
ultimate frustrations.
Time after time the controls don't do what
you want them to do. For instance: Let's create a direct path for your
tribesmen to take to the next objective...
But wait, No,
the tribesmen don't want to go that way, they decide to go the long
way, through the river!! It sometimes defies logic.
In
saying that, there is no real control over the tribesmen. All of the
control is centred around the environment. Therefore the tribesmen do
what they want, making it bloody hard at times.
I have to
admit, this 13 level game is hard. Real hard. And it takes alot of
concentration, more than I was willing to spend. The AI issues just
compound these issues.
Along the way, there are memories that can be
unlocked that will assist you on your journey. The ability to 'Repel
Water' is extremely useful during the Tsunami stages.
Other
skills that are learnt along the way, including the abilities to
Jellify Water and to drop loads of dirt (infinite earth). These all
need to be mastered to progress in the game.
Despite the
controlling issues, the game is still fun and slightly addictive. It
comes with a real sense of achievement when you knock off a really
challenging map.
All of the maps can be revisited once
completed to build up your civilisations, but I didn't see the
advantage on revisiting a map to regrow vegetation.
From
Dust can be downloaded on the Playstation Network, or if you aren't
convinced, download the Free Demo First. The game was also released on
the XBox and the PC earlier in the year.
Game: From Dust
System: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows
Developer/Co-Developer: Ubisoft
Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Rating: 70%
(Ratings
Key/Explanation)
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