If I was to say that a developer has created and released a retro styled platform game, it is unlikely that this news would raise much of an eyebrow in the gaming community. After all, one can barely move for platformers from various and sundry developers.
But, hold your horses there, as Rising Dusk, does actually bring something new to the party. Coming from Studio Sobie and Shinyuden, will this be the game to tickle your gaming fancy, or are you more likely to go back to the latest AAA blockbuster to hit the shelves?
The story of Rising Dusk is a bit of an odd one, to say the least. Inspired by Japanese folklore, the game takes place in a permanent twilight world, one that is inhabited by ghosts and ghouls known as Yokai. We play the part of Tamako, a young girl, who, after spotting one of these Yokai, has become trapped in their world. Can we escape from the world of twilight? Well, it’s up to our jumping and collecting skills (or not collecting, as the case may be) as there is no combat against these ghosts. Which makes sense really.
Presentation is the usual kind of side scrolling platform fare, with Tamako and the various Yokai being drawn in a cute, anime style; the levels all having different backdrops to take in. The levels do vary quite a lot, from bustling towns complete with thieving raccoon looking things that will steal a coin, through to spooky graveyards and nice open fields. The animation is all jolly nice, and the whole vibe is fairly laid back, assisted by there not being any fighting to trip you up. The worst the Yokai will do to you is either steal a coin or push you backwards, so no stress.Â
Sound is all jolly nice as well, with pleasant tunes playing throughout. It’s a pleasing, minimalist approach to the general sound effects and so whilst Rising Dusk certainly looks the part, it sounds nice too.Â
But let us get on to the main part of Rising Dusk, the actual gameplay, and that promised new mechanic. With every other platformer ever created, the actual gameplay is usually the same – jump around, avoid the enemies, and collect all the coins. Usually, the more coins the better is the rule, but Rising Dusk bucks the trend by making collecting coins a risky business.
Let me explain. As you go through the levels, you will come across various bits of scenery with numbers written on them, be they crates or bits of the floor. The number that is written on the block is the amount of coins that will cause it to break, should you have them in your pockets. So, as an example, if a block has a number 4 on it, having three coins or less is fine, and you will be able to walk or jump on the block. If you have 4 or more, the block will break, sending you either plummeting to your doom or causing you to miss out on collectibles, like cassettes and waving cats.
It’s a simple mechanic but it is surprisingly difficult to get out of the habit of grabbing everything you can! Of course, sometimes you need to break the blocks, and then the reverse issue happens – can you pick up enough coins and get back to where you need to be without breaking the wrong block? This is very well implemented into the gameplay of Rising Dusk, and there’s been one specific bit that has left me scratching my head. In fact, it kept me up for a good few nights…
The rest of Rising Dusk is pretty much standard, to be kind, but it is quite good fun as a little game on its own merits. The coin mechanic is what raises this above the everyday, mundane platformers, and the way that the game refuses to hold your hand is another highlight. There is no tutorial, no explanation of the coins and the numbers – you are thrown in at the deep end and left to figure out what is going on by yourself. It’s an approach that is very refreshing in this day and age, and while the secrets aren’t rocket science, applying the rules does take a certain amount of ingenuity.
If you are in the market for a platformer that brings something new to the table, then I would hazard a guess that you have found it in Rising Dusk. It’s a charming game, and the new anti-coin mechanic just brings a little extra spice to proceedings.
