Pre Dusk Reviews

I've thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. It's incredible that it was developed single-handedly, and even more impressive considering it's the developer's first game. I'll try to provide a detailed feedback once I've completed it.

lovely game, enjoying asf ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

this is a precious game! stunning visuals outstanding and challenging gameplay and really good story 10/10

The game is fun and fantastic. I really enjoyed playing it and I am still playing it more to discover its secrets. I want to congratulate my friend, the developer, on this great achievement.

I enjoyed my time playing this game, beautiful graphics, good action really loved the game's experience Wish to see more additions on it in the future ( Death counter/ speed run mode/ character skins/ chapters select once we finish the game ) Really worth it buying the game

I don't want to put a negative, so I don't. But be aware that the game can be quite buggy. In my case, I had an issue with the death splashscreen not disappearing until I restart the game, so I gave up at the first boss after a few deaths. I hope the dev will see this comment so they can look into it and maybe patch the game. On the other side, there are some very cool visual and arts, and the vibe is nice too, so the game looks promising. I hop you'll keep going !

I hate to be the first to post a negative review and ruin that sweet 100% score but there's a slew of issues that prevent the game from deserving the score imo. Pre dusk just didn't cut it for me, so i can't recommend it in good conscience hence the negative review. I'll disclose the issues both for warry buyers and also as feedback for this developer as it is their first project. The main thing that's problematic in this game for me is the difficulty curve. The game has a good and gradual increase in difficulty throughout the first 3 levels and up till that point i was gonna recommend it but that all changed in the 4th level. Suddenly the game just spiked with these 2 minute long sections of tight jumps on a timer paired with unfun mechanics. This game does the instant kill spike pits/walls which is doable in most levels but in the 4th level the gaps between the spikes are tiny and jumps suddenly require near pixel perfect inputs. Where i was breezing through the game at a steady pace initially i just hit a wall here. I don't want to make it sound like a skill issue as most of the steam discussions also mention this 4th level, so i'm not alone here. The 5th level isn't equally bad but still far from perfect. The final boss is also a huge jump in difficulty whereass previous bosses were fair and even quite fun. I gave up here and watched the ending on youtube since i was already fed up with the game at this point. The game's lenght would normally be a bit of a problem but i'm glad it ended there as i was getting fed up with the game at this point. The level design just wasn't fun anymore at this point with too many instakill mechanics. The levels were also very random from an immersion point of view. From a swamp straight into a dessert and right back into a rainy castle. The whole game felt inconsistent due to this, as did the story. The writing was very poor even putting some context in brackets as a 4th wall break in one of the dialogues. This completely pulled me out of the experience and what was there just wasn't very good. It's pretty generic and some things come out of nowhere like at the very end where [spoiler]a character died because reasons?[/spoiler] There's also this whole talk about some secret that the MC sets out for but then he suddenly looks for his parents after some random NPC told him about that? It's just bad and there's no payoff or satisfaction from the narrative. The combat did give some joy especially the earlier bosses but there's still issues with feedback both visually and audibly. Speaking of audiovisuals the game's music is pretty solid albeit generic. Sound effects are good and the artstyle is also nice despite being basic. It gives some limbo vibes, especially in the 1st level but later levels remind me more of Feist. Unlike feist though the controls are not as responsive. The character does react almost instantly most of the time but other times it doesn't do what you want it to, especially the super jump (glide + double jump) which doesn't work sometimes. There's also a very apparant issue with input buffering where if you press jump while in the air or falling your character will immediately jump again once you hit the ground. This can make you bump your head into spikes or cause other annoying problems. This also inputs if you die, so as soon as you respawn you will jump. The last one isn't annoying but it just shows that this is a prevelant issue and easily identifiable. What's also identifiable is the fact that this game's file size is absolutely huge despite the basic art style and short lenght. At 16+GB this really should not be the case for a game of this sort. Some optimization in this regard is definately recommended for future projects. However credit has to be given where it's due as the performance and load times were superb. Appart from the input buffering issue (which feels more intentional by the dev as a mechanic) there's no real bugs either. So on a technical level the game is well made. Then finally there's the price and for this price one really can't complain. I would have recommended it despite how basic the story and gameplay is but that difficulty spike is just too much. Try to set up with some playtesters for your next project to help identify these sort of things.

"Pre Dusk" is an epic 2D action platformer that has left me thoroughly impressed. Playing as a small kid exploring a dark world, I found myself completely absorbed in the game’s atmospheric environment. Each level brings new skills and abilities, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging. The diverse environments are beautifully crafted, making exploration a joy. The game strikes a perfect balance between difficulty and reward, offering a thrilling and satisfying journey from start to finish. Highly recommended. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

I have been closely following the development of Pre Dusk for a while now, and I am thrilled to see it finally released. I made sure to avoid the demo to ensure my first playthrough would be with the full official release. After around 5 hours of gameplay, there's a lot to unpack. Despite a few minor negative points here and there, the overall experience has been great. If I had to describe the game in one word, it would be "Atmospheric." The art, the vibe, the monochromatic art style, the backgrounds, and the music all set an amazing tone that immerses you in its world. The game has a lot of depth, with five chapters that include boss fights, platforming, and puzzles. The gameplay never gets boring, thanks to its variety. The combination of these elements keeps you engaged and constantly looking forward to what's next. However, there are a few areas that could be improved. Not being able to change the keybindings is a notable drawback. Some of the level designs have unfair elements where the zoomed-in camera makes it impossible to see the surroundings properly. Additionally, a few hidden spikes at the end of some rooms force you to replay entire sections due to a single misstep. The controls sometimes don't feel as crisp as they should, which is very important in this kind of game. Overall, Pre Dusk offers a thrilling and challenging journey that is well worth your time, despite a few frustrations. The game's atmosphere and variety in gameplay makes it worth it!

We do play this kind of game lol good start for an indie solo dev The game runs very well on the steam deck btw