The Summer of Arcade always brings a gem or two to the Xbox Live Arcade library, and From Dust is a title that definitely belongs in that category. From Dust is a unique addition to the Xbox Live Arcade, as it combines puzzle and strategy elements and puts a new twist on the typical God game. The gameplay excellently capitalizes on the laws of nature, while offering multiple ways to complete a level. The game is not without its flaws, but the short story mode and less-than-stellar AI should not be enough of a reason to keep you from purchasing this game. From Dust positions you in the role of a God that controls the land. Your goal is to help a tribe of worshippers reconnect with their lost heritage, and that is done by leading the tribe to ancient totems and stones. These totems grant the tribe the abilities to control their land and regain memories from the past. It’s your job to chauffeur your worshippers across the island until they set up villages around every totem pole. Once these villages are set up, a passageway to the next (and more dangerous) island opens up.
The reason the worshippers need your help is because they cannot combat the powers of Nature. Nature is the ever-present enemy of these tribesman, as rivers, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, flash floods, and tidal waves constantly threaten their livelihood throughout the various stages. However, as God of the land, you have the power to divert these disasters. You have the Power to Breathe, which means you can remove soil, water, lava, or trees from one area and transport them to a different spot on the island. This is how From Dust truly shines. If a totem pole is submerged beneath a lake, you can either remove the water, or you can put soil into the lake, which will make the land beneath the totem pole rise up. Then, you can take lava, put it into the lake, and when the lava touches the water, it creates rock. You can use this chemical reaction to build the worshippers a bridge to the totem pole. The totem poles also offer the worshippers new abilities, such as the ability to evaporate water, stop forest fires, create land out of nothing, or get rid of land. These powers need to be utilized in order to further your progress in the game.
One of the most special things about From Dust is that no playthrough is the same. First off, the design of a level will completely transform as you advance your tribesman across the island. As you near the end of a stage, it will look entirely different than the original layout. This is my favorite part about From Dust. When you start a level, you don’t know what you’re getting into. If lava is leaking from atop a volcano, you can use the lava to create rock and guide the lava away from the village below. However, maybe you’re guiding that lava into a forest, which will catch fire and spread all the way to your village anyways. The captivating challenge of From Dust is that every solution leads to another problem. It’s really fun to take advanced measures in order to insure that your solution for a certain problem goes according to plan. The replay value for From Dust is also quite good. Depending on which totems you lead your tribe to first will affect which powers you obtain, which affects how you play through the level. There are various ways to play through each level of the story mode, and each path comes with its own technique. Again, the ending layout of the stage will never look the same way as the previous time you beat the stage.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see our final thoughts on the XBLA title From Dust.
