THIS.

This is the game I have been waiting for. DOOM 2016 may have started the comeback to the style of 1990's FPS, but it was Dusk that cemented the return. When I first saw this game in 2017, I was truly hyped, which is something that rarely happens with me and videogames nowadays.

David Szymanski has a passion for the FPS of old and it shows in this game. The first thing many people notice is the visuals, which is not just a choice for nostalgia's sake, but also an aesthetic choice as it adds to the atmosphere and mood of the game. Like a certain id founder implied, gameplay is what makes an FPS, and Dusk delivers and then some. Your arsenal of 10 weapons is excellently crafted, from the sickles, which can reflect enemy projectiles, to the Super Shotgun that calls back to DOOM II's legendary musket, to the Riveter, which can reduce entire rooms of monsters to piles of gibs with its high fire rate of explody mayhem.

The player can reach high movement speed with strafe jumping, which is made easier to execute than Quake's method. The player can dance circles around enemies and lay them to waste without taking a scratch. No enemy in Dusk uses hitscan attacks, which I think is a good decision as the ability to dodge the enemy's offense is entirely dependent on the player.

Speaking of enemies, the bestiary contains challenging and memorable enemies that help make this a true classic. The ones that I will remember the most are the Wendigo, the tanky and hard-hitting Cart Dog, and the nightmare-inducing Horror. Although enemy AI is straight out of the 90's, they are encountered in groups and situations that test the player's ability.

In classic id Software fashion, Dusk features powerups that can turn overwhelming odds into your favor. The Fast Fire Totem is self-explanatory, but you can pick up more than one to turn your akimbo shotguns into a full-auto room clearer and your Riveter into a boss deleter. The Climbing Hooks (actually called "Climbing Thing" in-game) allow you to scale walls and leap great distances Spider-Man style, which can lead you to some imaginative secret areas. The Serum of Blistering Heat temporarily turns the gameplay into SuperHot, with time moving extremely slowly while the player stands still and time moving normally during player movement, which can allow the player ample time to assess enemy placement and attacks. It also allows one to easily see the impressive explosion and gibbing effects. Try to combine this with the Fast Fire Totem for a better Neo feel.


To me, the three biggest highlights of Dusk are the level design, the audio design, and the soundtrack. David has put in his research in FPS level design. Each episode's levels are themed, with Episode 1 being inspired by Blood and Redneck Rampage, Episode 2 with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. themes, and Episode 3 has an imaginative Lovecraftian and otherworldly feel. Some standouts include: the Episode 1 level Old Time Religion, which has a setting sun that bathes the majority of the level in a beautiful orange-purple light and a hauntingly serene song that fits perfectly with the setting; the Episode 2 level The Escher Labs, which is a creative blend of the Black Mesa areas of Half-Life and the surreal architecture of Constantine's Mansion of Thief: The Dark Project; and the Episode 3 level Homecoming, in which the entire map is literally flipped while playing it.


To me, a videogame is made even more fun and engaging when it has the sound and music that enrich the gameplay. Dusk's audio is handled by the awesomely talented Andrew Hulshult, whose previous work includes the soundtrack to the 2013 remake of Rise of the Triad. I first heard of him from a series of remakes/remixes of songs from DOOM (1993). They are some of the best crafted remixes of classic DOOM music I have heard.

When I heard that he was signed up to do the soundtrack of Dusk, it only added to the hype as I love his DOOM remixes and I could hardly wait to hear what he would compose for Dusk. His soundtrack really hit me when I reached E1M3, Old Time Religion. The song, called "Ashes to Ashes, Dusk to Dusk," is a hauntingly serene piece that conjures feelings of nostalgia and calmness. Andrew's songs for Dusk include industrial metal songs such as "Alienation Akimbo," "Keepers of the Gate," "Occultivated," and especially "Departure to Destruction" that provide the adrenaline rush that goes so well combat. In addition, there are plenty of ambient tracks that evoke various emotions. Such emotional songs that I enjoy most are "A View From Below," "Ashes to Ashes, Dusk to Dusk," "Green Skies," "Beautiful Blasphemy," and "This is Your Life." Andrew's work with Dusk's music has resulted in a truly memorable aural experience and one of my all-time favorite videogame soundtracks.

The work Andrew has done since Dusk has cemented him as not only one of my favorite videogame composers, but one of my all-time favorite musicians. He has since composed for games such as Amid Evil, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, Prodeus, and Nightmare Reaper. He even got to work on an official id Software game with Quake Champions, with one song from it, "Goroth," being featured in DOOM Eternal as an unlockable song.

It was satisfying as a fan than when he was named one of the composers for DOOM Eternal's 2 DLC expansions. Along with David Levy and most likely on short notice due to Mick Gordon's departure, they were able to churn out some remarkable songs for The Ancient Gods and expose their music to more people. Seeing Andrew go from a fan of id Software who made some powerful remixes of classic DOOM music to the unofficial composer of the retro FPS revival to official composer of DOOM has been a journey that I, as well as many other fans in the community, are happy to have witnessed and is immensely satisfying.

Andrew and David are responsible for the game's sound effects. The sound of the weapons are powerful and meaty. Each enemy can be identified just from the sounds it makes while moving or idling. Voice acting is provided by Andrew Hulshult, New Blood CEO Dave Oshry, David Szymanski, Natalya Ivanova, and an appearance from a legendary figure in videogame voice acting. I won't spoil who they are, but their talents live again in New Blood's releases. One would think that the sound of "HUP" over and over again while strafe jumping would grate on their nerves, but David has, seemingly by some miracle, made this sound tolerable.

The negatives that Dusk has are very few and are nitpicky at most. The only cons about Dusk I can find are small bugs that are rare to occur and do not take away from the overall experience. A co-op mode would have been good to have, but it's not essential to the game.

(tl;dr: BUY THIS GAME!)

Dusk is not just a call-back to retro FPS, but it manages to stand with the all-time classics as a peer. I am definitely looking forward to David Szymanski's future works. Dusk is truly an unforgettable experience that I will keep revisiting. The triumph of Dusk has led to the revival of first-person shooters made in the classic 90's style, with numerous developers creating their own throwback shooters, or "boomer shooters," with a focus on gameplay, complex levels, and fast action. Special mention goes to Dave Oshry, Producer of Dusk and CEO of New Blood Interactive, who has to be the most down-to-earth and meme-tastic CEO of a videogame publisher today. He enjoys interacting with the fans on Twitter, answering technical issues, clarifying the background of the protagonist of Dusk (Duskdude or The Intruder), and providing free Steam keys to fans short on money or just when he feels like it. If only CEO's of AAA game companies were more like him...

Thanks for reading and keep on hanging in there.