Duskfade Review: A Cozy Getaway

Duskfade is the culmination of almost every cool PS2 platformer poured into a single game. Most prominently, it borrows heavily from Kingdom Hearts. While it does not bring any new ideas to the table, for old-schoolers like me, it brings that sweet old nostalgia we crave. And if you have a handheld like a Steam Deck or a Nintendo Switch 2, this might be your cozy getaway for your next holiday.

Duskfade is a clockpunk action platformer developed by Weird Beluga and published by Fireshrine Games. It follows the story of a young boy named Zirian, accompanied by his mechanical cuckoo, who must save his sister from a mysterious clock tower that has plunged the land into eternal night. It was released on Aug 13th, 2026, for Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, Steam (PC), and Nintendo Switch 2.

A Tale Too Similar to Grandma’s

It tells a coming-of-age story about siblings Zirian and Allira as they deal with the death of their grandfather and a catastrophic accident that traps Allira inside a massive mystical clock tower. Zirian must save his sister by breaking the four major chains that bind the central lock present on the mystical tower. It has undertones of a usual bedtime story that many of us grew up with. In the midst of it, there are also flashback sequences of Zirian living with his sister and grandfather as he reminisces about those warm memories.

Overall, it’s a decent tale you can enjoy with kids or family, but nothing out of the ordinary that will leave a lasting impression. It’s similar to stories you may have heard a million times in different settings and circumstances. You will like it, but in the long run, it’s a fleeting memory of a tale told too often. To its credit, it does manage to keep a swift pace for the most part as it moves between regions, introducing new places to explore, new NPCs, and side collectables that may hook you in, keeping its overall 10-15 hour campaign usually fun and ensuring that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Slick Platforming, Floaty Combat

Duskfade’s clockpunk fantasy world of Tearfeld is mystical, consisting of several regions filled with dungeons and small settlements surrounded by sprawling outdoors that are a delight to explore. These are often filled with slick platforming levels that create opportunities to traverse through these regions in a fun way. Zirian can double jump and then dive forward, which dramatically increases his reach while jumping between platforms. And as you go, you also get a grappling hook, which makes the experience utterly satisfying. While it may feel like it lacks some weight to it, the overall experience remains mostly quite fun. For its price, that’s a bargain.

However, when it comes to its combat and bosses, the cracks begin to show. Zirian’s sword is the same size as Kingdom Hearts’ Sora’s key that he uses for combat and unlocking treasures. Likewise, the melee combat that comes with this sword is very floaty and lacks weight to it. A well-timed dodge would slow down time, exposing your enemies for a counterattack. You also unlock new abilities and special attacks by using the blue diamond-shaped obs that you collect from defeating enemies. Health consumables are limited, and you can only use 2-3 at a time depending on how many slots you have unlocked. It’s serviceable at best, not terrible but uninspiring. Likewise, the bosses at the end of each level have their quirks, but nothing out of the ordinary that would manage to surprise you.  

Those aren’t Grass, They’re Lies

Duskfade’s simplistic visuals look great from afar, but up close, while they don’t look terrible, they just look plain, like an art piece that is made of thousands of canvases, but most of the canvas sheets are just plain or blank. It’s not like low-texture work; it just feels like more detail could have been added to the decals of the environment that could give it a more unique experience. It doesn’t have to be something like Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which looks like a Pixar movie, but something more simplistic and unique like Okami’s visuals, whose 2006 art style remains timeless to this day.      

Still, for portable handhelds, it looks great, if it weren’t for the grass featured in the game. The grass textures featured in the game are made of long, rectangular shapes that completely take you out of the experience, as they look like fake polyester grass. The ideas I’ve seen in the game tell me that the devs are capable of visuals that can be more unique and original, giving it a signature look of its own. Thankfully, its technical performance mostly remains flawless. Audio design is decent, and while the voice-acting may sound a bit cringe, it gets the job done. 

Real Talk

Duskfade’s clockpunk world is filled with inspirations from the classics of the bygone era, but in the midst of it, it suffers an identity crisis of its own. But it is undeniably a fun game with slick platforming and cheeky voiceovers that kids will really dig. While its combat is floaty and could use some polishing, it could be your cozy getaway on a handheld during holidays. 

Final SCORE: 70/100