Line #26 VideoGame/Dustforce


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dustforce_3794.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: Dry leaves are SeriousBusiness]]
3
4	->''Let's Dust!''
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6	''Dustforce'' is an acrobatic 2D platformer produced by indie developer Hitbox Team. You play as the Dustforce, a band of the most athletic cleaners in the world. Your objective is to dash, DoubleJump, WallJump, [[WallCrawl wall run]] and somersault through twisting Parkour racecourses while cleaning up all the dust that litters its obscure corners.
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8	The game is LeParkour at its finest as you will have to pick the optimal path to take you past all the dust and use dizzying combinations of wall-running to keep you on track. The game is focused on flowing gameplay, with a scoring system that awards not only dust collected but combos, meaning you will need to use seamless platforming to avoid stopping collecting dust. Only a perfect run, collecting all the dust without stopping, will net you the highest SS ranking (S+ in the prototype).
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10	Of particular note are the dust mechanics. As well as looking beautiful the dust (or leaves etc.) clings to floors, walls and ceilings and is placed in such a way to mark the optimal path through the level. While you will still have to work out how to collect it all, you can deduce what kind of sequence of acrobatics is required to proceed.
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12	The game also features beautiful environments, smooth animation and soothing music, giving it a very airy and light atmosphere.
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14	The game was released on Platform/{{Steam}} on January 17, 2012. An extensive prototype demo was released a while back, including a set of levels and a full level-editor. Each level has a different character, with some emphasizing acrobatics, others smooth combo-building, and one showcasing some NintendoHard platforming. Be warned though that this prototype is out of date, running on an entirely different engine and having much more temperamental controls than the final product. [[http://www.indiepubgames.com/game/Dustforce You can find the prototype here]].
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16	A Platform/PlayStation3 and Platform/PlayStationVita port was released on February 4, 2014. An update, ''Dustforce DX'', was released on October 23 of the same year, reworking the tutorial and hub, as well as adding more levels (including the user-made Community Map Pack).
17	----
18	!!''Dustforce'' provides examples of:
19	* AllThereInTheManual: The characters have names. You would only ever be able to find them out if you look through the game's files. For the Dustforce, blue guy is Dustman, red is Dustgirl, purple is Dustkid, and green is Dustworth. For their MirrorBoss counterparts, their respective names are Dustwraith, Leafsprite, Trashking, and Slimeboss.
20	** With the release of ''Dustforce DX'', the [[GottaCatchThemAll Steam trading cards]] now show the names proper.
21	* AlmightyJanitor: The main cast are basically some of the most literal interpretations of this trope, being street sweeping ninjas.
22	* AnimateInanimateObject: Trash cans, books and other objects are after the player as they're corrupted for not being cleaned.
23	* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
24	** Dust created by strong attacks counts towards your Completion ranking. However, using a strong attack to kill an enemy that triggers the victory scene won't create dust, since the victory animation prevents you from moving or attacking and the dust you would have made would tarnish your Completion percent.
25	** If you die without touching any checkpoints, the level resets instead of respawning you at the start, so you have a fresh chance at getting an S rank unhampered by time wasted or deaths taken. This ties in with...
26	** ...the option to remove all checkpoints in the level. Another way to quickly restart the level from scratch should you die.
27	* BattleAura: When the player reaches a high enough combo, a trailing version appears, which indicates you can use your ChargedAttack.
28	* BenevolentArchitecture: Levels are set up for maximum acrobatics and dust trails show you the way through.
29	* BlushSticker: The female characters have these.
30	* BookEnds: Sort of. The tutorial stage and {{Brutal Bonus Level}}s share a tileset, and the original BrutalBonusLevel shares its music as well.
31	* BottomlessPits: Plenty of levels have them implied in the form of instant-death-zones below the stage, but genuine bottomless "pits" (really just the area outside of the level) can be found if you manage to make your way out of the main stage area or find an opening in the aforementioned death-zones.
32	* BroomStickQuarterstaff: Two characters use them, both to sweep and smash.
33	* BrutalBonusLevel: Actually an entire Brutal Bonus ''World'' consisting of eight levels, ranging from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqQigv4utQw difficult]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4_MFvogDdM unimaginably sadistic.]]
34	** Infini Difficult takes this several orders of magnitude beyond the bounds of sanity, a MarathonLevel requiring several advanced techniques usually reserved for SequenceBreaking.
35	* ChargedAttack: Collect-type. Based on combo-counts, the bar charges up to 100 at which point the attack can be activated to wipe out all enemies and dust nearby.
36	** The bar also appears to be charged by getting hit by enemies, but this is not particularly ideal since one hit breaks your combo.
37	* ConspicuousElectricObstacle: Spikes in Laboratory take a form of electrified constantly sizzling wires.
38	* CriticalExistenceFailure: In the prototype, your character explodes into a cloud of dust on hitting spikes or simply falling out of the play area. Strangely beautiful when the cloud is made of autumn leaves or polygons.
39	* DeathCourse: As the player progresses, the later levels are this, requiring pixel-perfect jumps to avoid spikes and hazards with little room to manoeuvre.
40	* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: Frequent checkpoints mean you aren't sent back far, but dying will break your combo and thus lower your finesse rank.
41	* DoubleJump: Smashing an object restores your double jump even if you double jumped into it. Dustkid has a triple jump.
42	* EarnYourFun: Simply running a level from beginning to end is simple enough, but in order to unlock new levels you ''must'' get SS ranks, which means cleaning every speck of dust in the level without breaking your combo.
43	* EasterEgg: Remote locations can feature these. Sometimes there are apples, sometimes signs. In observatory level, reaching the observatory darkens the level and silences the music.
44	* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Wild animals, books, garbage cans, treasure chests and many other things are not happy for not being clean.
45	* FlawlessVictory: The elusive SS rank requires a perfect run, as a single mistake may require restarting the level.
46	* [[FollowTheMoney Follow the Dust]]: Dust both boosts your score and guides you through levels. Collecting it is also the objective in-story, making this an excellent example of [[GamePlayAndStorySegregation Gameplay and Story Integration]].
47	* GagNose: Dustman and Dustworth have pink noses.
48	* GroundPound: Happens if you hit the ground at a high enough speed, allowing you to instantly clear nearby dust.
49	* GuideDangIt: There are numerous mechanics and techniques crucial to competitive play which are unclear or completely unexplained by the game. For example, you can dash at the bottom of a ramp to get a huge speed boost off it, but this is only revealed by some random [=NPCs=] in certain hub worlds. The ability to clear dusty surfaces with attacks isn't even explained at all, though it's easy to figure out.
50	** [[http://steamcommunity.com/app/65300/discussions/0/666828126747240379/?insideModal=1 A detailed explanation of the mechanics]] reveals abilities like jump-dashing, speed dashing down slopes, hitting dust and enemies through walls, attack canceling, and more. If you watch the demos of top-ranked players before learning these moves, they will appear for all the world to be magic speed gods.
51	* HiddenEyes: All the playable characters have their eyes obscured by either their headwear or their hair, unless you want to make an exception for [[{{Cyclops}} Dustwraith]].
52	* HitboxDissonance: A source of frustration for players is being unable to tell where exactly is the edge of a cliff of a jump with respect to the four characters while moving, causing them to waste their double jump prematurely.
53	* HubLevel - A separate hub for each world (in ''DX'', combined into one massive hub), as well as a main hub to connect them.
54	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Arguably everyone -- see ImprovisedWeapon below -- but Dustkid's weapon is weird even by the standards of the game. She uses oversized dusters that she wields like some sort of bizarre, weaponized pom-poms.
55	* ImprovisedWeapon: Your characters use the same brooms, dusters and vacuum cleaners they use to remove dust to smash containers and obstacles (also made of dust).
56	* InterchangeableAntimatterKeys: A single-use key will work on any appropriate door of that type.
57	* JackOfAllStats: Dustman has an average speed and attack compared to other 3.
58	* LevelEditor: A quite in-depth one, accessible from the main nexus. Design your own levels, or download other players' creations from [[http://atlas.dustforce.com/ the Atlas.]]
59	* LeParkour
60	* LastLousyPoint: For the highest rank you need every single dust mote in a level, and if you miss one by fluffing a jump backtracking for it is either risky (delays risk breaking your combo) or impossible.
61	* LimitBreak: A multi-hit FlashStep, charged up by dusting or attacking enemies.
62	* LivingStatue: There are gargoyle statues in castle levels that attack the player.
63	* MalevolentArchitecture: Castles, streets, forests and labs usually aren't that hostile in real life as they are in this game.
64	* MarathonLevel: The Yotta Difficult level, a combination of parts of all 7 previous Difficult levels. The first recorded SS run took about 2.5 minutes, which is very long compared to the minute or less it takes to complete most other levels.
65	* MartialArtsAndCrafts Elite ninja skills applied to cleaning
66	* MirrorBoss: The Dustforce has an opposing team of dust-spreaders with similar acrobatic skill sets. Each is playable in Multiplayer King of the Hill and Survival matches.
67	* MooksButNoBosses: The boss-looking {{Evil Counterpart}}s that appear in the startup cutscene and the Steam trading cards are actually multiplayer characters.
68	* MundaneMadeAwesome: It's a game about cleaning things, but with ample LeParkour and a robust combat system thrown in.
69	* NintendoHard:
70	** Many of the gold-key levels fall into this category, such as Night Temple, Core Temple, or Hideout to name a few.
71	** Getting an SS score on every gold-key level unlocks the Difficults. The first one, Giga Difficult, was hard enough, but the developers then added a whole host of bonus levels, ranging from [[SerialEscalation Kilo to Exa.]] When those proved easy enough, they unleashed Zetta Difficult, which introduced a newly discovered technique to the main game, and MarathonLevel Yotta Difficult.
72	** Their precursor, the prototype [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vabPMTwY-ME Difficult]] level, required pixel-perfect platforming to stay alive.
73	** With the DX update came Inifini Difficult, [[GuideDangIt well hidden]], which jumps directly to PlatformHell.
74	* NoPlotNoProblem
75	* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: In every level there is actually an invisible death zone under the stage that kills you if you fall off. If you neglect to put this into a stage you made with the editor the player will fall a very long time until they hit the edge of the huge map area and die.
76	* OneHitPointWonder: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]]. Falling off the course area or hitting spikes will instantly kill you and send you back to the previous checkpoint, but enemies can't actually directly kill you at all. However, because taking damage breaks your combo (and drops your Finesse score), players aiming for [[FlawlessVictory SS]] will self-enforce OneHitPointWonder status by restarting the level if they're ever hit.
77	* PlatformHell: With the advent of the final DX update, a hidden level was found by attempting to create a custom level and giving it the name "exec func ruin user"[[note]]This code found letter-by-letter nearby the hidden apples scattered throughout the game[[/note]]. It takes the insane difficulty of the already NintendoHard bonus levels, removes any hint of being fair, and adds back the [[GoddamnedBats enemies from the rest of the game]], including the projectile-shooting porcupines and DamageSponge bears.
78	* RedOniBlueOni: Dustgirl and Dustman have colour-coded overalls and combo auras.
79	** MovesetClone: They also share this dynamic as well.
80	* SceneryPorn: The autumn leaves in particular look very impressive.
81	** Each level set has its own aesthetic and dust type. The dusty castle, autumn leaf valley, and tron-esque computerscapes are all beautiful, and the cityscape and laboratory have quite a few moments of beauty as well.
82	* SeriousBusiness: Cleaning.
83	* ShieldBearingMook: Animated armor.
84	* ShoutOut: [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Last Stop]], a Survival stage consisting of a single flat platform.
85	* SIPrefixName: The game has a series of bonus levels, the Difficults, named from Kilo to Exa. (eg. "Giga Difficult").
86	* SpikesOfDoom: The mansion and virtual areas feature these. Other areas feature replacements such as live wires, brambles, or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking traffic cones.]]
87	* TemporaryPlatform: Dust can form these, forcing you to erase the ground under your feet. Even worse when you have a complex sequence constructed out of these platforms over a bottomless pit.
88	* TronLines: The tutorial level has this aesthetic, as well as the final extra difficult level set.
89	* VideogameDashing: A big part of gameplay. Ground dashing, air dashing and wall dashing are present.
90	* WallJump: A big part of gameplay.
91	* WholePlotReference: A few levels in the Community Map Pack, including Wonderland (''Literature/AliceInWonderland'') and Awareness (''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'').

Context VideoGame / Dustforce