There might actually be a good game here if it were not for the performance issues. Jerky, janky, with a poor frame rate вЂ“ Dustwind is supposedly next-gen optimised. And thatвЂ™s when nothing is moving, as when something does begin to exhibit a motion, itвЂ™s really not good at all. This particular example is so prominent because the visuals are awful.

The control scheme is baffling, even after a number of hours with it, I could not get my head around why I was pushing the buttons I was pushing to do certain things (like holding a button to highlight everything I can interact with, then having to go and find that needle in the visual haystack). It has everything.ДЄnd maybe that would be perfect if the game was fun to play. YouвЂ™re then earning XP to level up, and searching bodies to find guns, using stealth to approach and sneak up on enemies, investigating objects. It also has melee and ranged attacks, and combat can feel a bit Diablo-like if you play it as such. For example, the shooting mechanic has a Fallout-style limb targeting mechanic. It almost feels like two different games were developed and then shoehorned together. The missions are very specific about what you need to do, and the story doesnвЂ™t always clearly match what youвЂ™re doing. The mechanics you have learned also now need to adjoin to an RPG progression system and a story, set in post-apocalyptic times. The campaign though is an exercise in frustration. There are a number of modes, such as Team Deathmatch, and a capture-the-flag type mode (6 in total) which serve as a real opportunity to experience the core combat mechanic before delving into the campaign. You have Skirmish mode вЂ“ you and your team of 3 other mercenaries try and kill the enemy. Once thatвЂ™s all over, the real game reveals itself. The tutorial takes you through gameplay elements in short missions, where you learn to equip weapons, kill things, search bodies for new things, stealth about, and suchlike.

So what is Dustwind? Well, itвЂ™s an isometric action-adventure game. It doesnвЂ™t reveal exactly what type of game it is until you get into it a bit, and at that point, you become aware that itвЂ™s not building to a crescendo of excellence that you were hoping for. Dustwind: The Last Resort is a bit of a tease.

Dustwind whips