The characters pop out with their vibrant color schemes, in contrast to the more muted and cooler environments or set pieces.

The hard-edged shadows and expressive animations really help provide a sense of character and charm that can’t be found in some huge triple-A titles. One thing that really makes Dustforce stand out from the crowd is its unique 2D art style. These aren’t you average work-a-day blue collars, though their skills in wall running, long jumping, and back flipping would even make the most seasoned parkour expert green with envy. Your job is to sweep this world clean, and to do so as stylishly as possible. In Dustforce, you play as one of four janitorial warriors looking to rid this world of all of the filth that seems to be not only cluttering up the place, but also infecting the wildlife and humans. With this idea in mind and a well-made prototype in hand, Hitbox Team entered indiePub’s third Annual Independent Game Developer Competition and went on to win the $100,000 that helped to make Dustforce a reality.

The original concept behind Dustforce was to create a 2D platforming game that challenged the player to master their character and the game mechanics. This is the first game from Hitbox Team, and it has had quite an interesting genesis. Dustforce, however, has tested my patience like no other but it has kept me coming back for more. Let me preface this: I have put countless hours into Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Ikaruga, Super Meat Boy, and a few titles in the Contra series, so I have a fair bit of practice with challenging games in a variety of genres. Now it seems that the most challenging platformers have found a new home, on computers with games such as N and I Wanna Be the Guy. During the NES generation, titles like Ghosts’N Goblins or Castlevania demanded that you use all of your skills in order to succeed. But there have always been those certain platformers that test your reflexes and timing more than your standard Mario or Sonic fare. In recent years, the platform game has been coming back into style with releases such as Rayman Origins and Donkey Kong Country Returns catching the attention of gamers across the globe.

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