Dustbowl

I'm really enjoying this little game. Reminds me a lot of the world and premise for the Fallout series. As I near the end of the game I can't help but wish there were more. I'm really excited to see what else this developer makes, and I hope there's a Dustbowl sequel. This was exactly the type of retro nostalgia I was looking for.

This game has a lot of minor technical issues, and they add up in annoyance! 1) It starts in a tiny window if you have a HiRes system. You can fix this by going to the game folder and running a separate exe - Winsetup.exe - but this should be properly incorporated into the initial startup (and I shouldn't need to research it to find out the solution! It should handle it properly or immediately tell me about that setup exe! This is basic setup stuff!) 2) It default runs in a mode that can cause flickering shadows and textures on HiRes/Modern system and needs to be forced out of it! Why? Again default to what works! 3) The mouse pointer seems to have some sort of acceleration built into the game so it is awkward (for me anyway) to use as it will suddenly zoom if I move too far and I feel my arm is tense moving slowly enough to avoid this issue. Why? That should be something that can be turned off or at least modified but it isn't! Why not use the systems native setting at least? 4) Some things I click on flicker the description on and off so fast I can barely see it (from reading the forum this may be because I have an old Deathadder mouse? Ironically said mouse dates from slightly before this game was released though!). 5) If you set the game speed to fast (which you probably want to as it takes ages for the character to plod across the screen otherwise) then if you practice in the shooting gallery it resets the speed on screen to 'plod' but not the actual setting - you need to turn speed low and then high to get it back up to well... speed. I did briefly do a fight or two and found that didn't occur so maybe it is a one off with the gallery. But the fights weren't fun anyway... So that's about as far as I got before deciding the game was too much hassle for not enough reward. Bought it ages ago and had it in backlog, so I can't refund it. Oh well.

This game had a serious retro feel, which I certainly loved. If you grew up on NES games like Maniac Mansion and Friday the 13th, give this a shot for a dose of nostalgia.

Dustbowl is a fantastic little indie game, that is very reminiscent of the first two Fallout games. Questlines and dialogue are well though out. Combat is turn based and solidly done, I do wish there was a point where you could see enemy HP, but overall not a big deal. It also sports a crafting system to make all that junk you find in the Waste useful. Could not recommend this more to people who like the original Fallout games or just an all round good RPG.

It lacked community guides and proper walkthroughs when I last played it but I still had lots of fun with it. It feels very unpolished overall, even unfinished in certain areas although the setting and atmosphere really appeals to me and made up for it's shortcomings. I recommend this not because it is so great but because I want to see more effort put into it and bought it to give the developer an incentive to improve on it. I hope it will have continuation, more updates or a Dustbowl 2 with a better interface and controls.

Small, simple, yet deep and moody. Good atmosphere!

I'm on the fence. I don't think any of my complaints will ever be rectified since the game's been out for a while now, but I'm still basically positive towards the game, even though it has some huge problems. The game is generally charming and soulful, and it contains an interesting little adventure. It's fun to poke about in the world, solving quests, and so on. The combat is unique, and it could be a plus or minus based or whether or not you like the little mini-game that controls the combat (I found it a bit tedious, but interesting to see a new attempt at combat that I haven't seen before). The difficulty and balancing is where the problems come in. The game has a very random difficulty curve. You will, at least for as long as I have played, always be very low on supplies (healing items, food, ammo). Couple that with the fact that enemies pop up randomly (JRPG-style) and you will very often find yourself in situations where you are low on health or ammo and have to save-scum like a madman to be able to make your way out of sticky situations. I'm talking save --> walk to next room --> check if there's an enemy --> if no enemy then save and repeat, if enemy then try to die as quickly as possible in the fight so that you can reload (can't access menu during combat), and then repeat. It gets incredibly tedious. That's why I'm on the fence about this, if the game had slightly better balancing then it would be a clear recommend, as for now it will land on a recommend but with some reservations. Sure, you can minimize these situations by careful planning and resource-scrounging, but especially at the start of the game that is pretty hard to do based on the general resource scarcity, so I'm certain most players will find themselves in this situation several times during the game.

[b]Top 5 Ways I'd Improve Dustbowl[/b]: 1. More characters 2. More locations 3. More quests 4. More solutions to quests 5. More endings This might sound like a complaint, but I also think this way of Fallout 1. More is not less when you already enjoy something. More is just more. Moving on from the clickbait, Dustbowl is one of the truest Fallout inspired games I've played. Forget UnderRail, this is the real deal. It has references to REFERENCES made in Fallout. If that's not dedication... I mean, it doesn't have everything. You can't build your character in a way that changes the dialogue. Except for certain situational outcomes from choices - I feel like the creators did their best to include a few base things you could level (damage, health, loot %) because of the engines limitations, the engine being normally used for point and click adventure games; but I'd have loved some real character stats to manipulate... like strength, especially because of the weight limit. If you hate weight management in games in anyway, drop out from this review and ignore the game, because there's a LOT of it in this game. When you get your first decent armor and your first decent weapon, you won't be able to carry ANYTHING except the most basic of supplies, and forget about collecting anything out in the field. If you don't have enough room, the item disappears. Thankfully quest items don't do this, but weapons and armor you find out in the field will go away, as items cannot be placed on the ground and you only have a handful of slots in your trunk back home. It's hard to find that comfortable balance and will require a lot of savescumming. Like Fallout, Dustbowl is more about the exploration on a world map than it is its mazes and monsters (although the game has plenty of those) and exploring an empty and eerily quiet world that is as strange as it is hostile, with a great atmospheric soundtrack to boot. When you find a lone abandoned tent, and the sound of wind is whipping, almost warning you to leave, you're cautious but always curious, hoping for your next set of supplies: because that's what Dustbowl is about, survival. Eating, drinking and sleeping and making room for the next set of items you'll need in the future. As for the combat, it's just okay. Ripped straight from Resident Evil Gaiden, a bar will cross from one side of the screen to the other, and you have to hit it at the right time in the center. It works. The best thing I can say is that it can be nail biting when you're trading pot shots and hoping for that critical. Graphically speaking, I love the art direction. Very early 90's DOS era stuff where humans were heavily saturated single colors. The lack of details in these games inspired a lot of imagination, but still said a lot. Even just a simple busted up diner or gas station gets your mind to wander. Dark blue and purple caves feel like they'll swallow you whole, surrounded by edges of darkness. It's all good stuff. There are problems and I wish it was longer, but what you get is a 10-12 hour solid lite RPG experience. Recommended for nostalgic Fallout fans that didn't think Underrail or Wasteland 2 were the games they wanted.

Great so far, basically retro Fallout.

Why did Steam allowed me to write a review for this game all of sudden 0_O I don't have this game, just adding it to wishlist. I guess and hope it's a nice game =/