Dustborn

GamePressureGiancarlo Saldana

8.5/10

While its combat system leaves much to be desired, Dustborn is filled with a variety of fun elements focused on opening up to the people around you that truly helps the game blossom into a powerful experience. Once your trip is over you will definitely miss those you got to know, but you will be thankful you got on the bus in the first place.

Xbox AchievementsRichard Walker

80/100

Combining dialogue-driven drama, a sprinkling of humour, interesting well-written characters, combat with a baseball bat, and a variety of other distractions, Dustborn emerges as a compelling and memorable schlep across America.

TwinfiniteBen Williams

Once you warm up to its cast, Dustborn's unique twist on a super-power adventure in an alternate-future America makes for an engrossingly great time, even if some of its gameplay leaves more to be desired.

GameSpewRichard Seagrave

8/10

A narrative adventure game, Dustborn's real strength is its diverse cast of characters that are brought to life with an impressive script and solid voice acting. And so, even though some of its gameplay elements are simply ho-hum, such as its combat and music-rhythm sections, it's still very easy to recommend.

COGConnectedJaz Sagoo

78/100

Games can be much more than just entertainment. While some experiences place gameplay at the forefront, others tell intimate tales personal to the creator. Dustborn is a politically motivated journey that delves into societal issues. Although the topics it covers are divisive, Red Thread Games’ commitment to telling an authentic story is evident. With a clear message, will it resonate with players seeking more than just a narrative, or will it alienate them instead?

GamingBoltRavi Sinha

7/10

Haphazard at times and calmly cacophonic at others - Dustborn has much going on, and it's far from harmonious. Nevertheless, the characters and intriguing setting help sustain interest.

Impulse GamerNay Clark

The people on the bus go up and down during this rocky road trip across the country in search for a better life. Dustborn is a story-driven action-adventure

GinxTVCole Podany

6/10

Dustborn attempts to tackle a lot of genres, and it honours most of them very well. This emotional, political road trip reaches its destination, but suffers a few too many bumps along the way.

Game SkinnyHristijan Pavlovski

5/10

Joining the band!

GameSpotMark Delaney

5/10

Red Thread Games' Telltale-like adventure introduces an interesting world, but its cast of misfits can't match it with their own intrigue.

I admire a game that is willing to take a risk, and certainly trolling the people who believe that games should be mindless content that doesn’t challenge their intelligence with a “political idea,” is a creative risk I can admire. But beyond the initial amusement that I took from knowing that somewhere out there someone is absolutely fuming about this game on a forum or in a tweet, there’s actually very little intelligence in Dustborn. It’s also an experience that is so culturally specific that it probably shouldn’t have been a global release.

Game RantMichael Leri

4/10

Dustborn’s rhythm mini-game is just another way the game demonstrates how underdeveloped it all is. Its terribly paced narrative is married to an elementary view of authoritarianism and stars an irritating crew that never stops talking. Combat is woefully simplistic and lacks the necessary smooth controls. None of its systems fit together coherently, either, because they’re all underbaked in one way or another and, in some cases, plagued by glitches. It’s hard for Dustborn to fight the power when it’s too busy fighting with itself at every turn.