Dust: An Elysian Tail
A hand-drawn Metroidvania about a hero with a sentient sword.
Dust: An Elysian Tail is a 2012 action role-playing game developed by American independent designer Dean Dodrill under the studio Humble Hearts, with support from Microsoft Game Studios Japan and published by Microsoft Studios. The game is notable for being almost entirely created by Dodrill himself, who handled programming, art, and design, and for its hand-drawn anthropomorphic animal world. It received generally positive reviews and sold over a million copies by March 2014.
- Developer
- Humble Hearts (Dean Dodrill)
- Publisher
- Microsoft Studios
- Release Year
- 2012 (Xbox 360)
- Genre
- Action role-playing, Metroidvania
- Platforms
- Xbox 360, Windows, Linux, OS X, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
- Sales
- Over 1 million copies as of March 2014
- Metacritic Score
- 83/100 (Xbox 360)
Lore & Background
Dust: An Elysian Tail was developed by Dean Dodrill, a self-taught illustrator and animator who had previously worked on Epic Games' Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Originally envisioned as an 8-bit-style platformer, the project took over three-and-a-half years instead of the planned three months. Dodrill compiled nearly all of the game's programming and assets himself, relying on external help only for voice acting, narrative, and the soundtrack. The game won the 2009 Microsoft Dream.Build.Play Challenge, securing a contract for an Xbox Live Arcade release.
Reader's Guide
Dust: An Elysian Tail is significant as a landmark independent game that demonstrated the viability of a single developer creating a polished, full-length action RPG. Its hand-drawn art style and Metroidvania exploration, combined with brawler-style combat, earned it critical acclaim and a strong sales record, surpassing one million copies by March 2014. The game's success helped raise the profile of independent game development on console platforms, particularly through Xbox Live Arcade. It also received a physical release via IndieBox in 2016 and a Nintendo Switch version in 2018. The game's legacy includes being nominated for Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year at the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and being included on Hardcore Gamer's 200 Best Video Games of All Time list in 2015.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally targeted for the Xbox 360 Indie Games channel before winning the 2009 Microsoft Dream.Build.Play Challenge.
- Dodrill incorporated Korean elements into the game design, including the logo and various food items, because he is half Korean.
- The official soundtrack was released on October 1, 2012, composed by HyperDuck SoundWorks and Alexander Brandon, containing 37 tracks.
- A physical collector's edition was distributed by IndieBox in May 2016, including a themed USB drive, soundtrack CD, and an individually-numbered animation cell.
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