News
15 CommentsDust: An Elysian Tail headed to Steam May 25
By Dave Tach on May 17, 2013 05.17.13
Dust: An Elysian Tail, the hand-animated action role-playing game from creators Dean Dodrill and Alex Kain, will be released on Steam May 25, according to the game's Steam listing. The co-creators announced the Steam port earlier this year at PAX East, when they were hoping for an April release. Next Friday's Windows PC version will support Steam Achievements and Steam Cloud, and Dodrill wrote on Twitter that he'll be "looking at 'possible' Mac/Linux ports in the future." For more on the game, you can read Polygon's Dust: An Elysian Tail review of the Xbox 360 version and our feature chronicling the game's four-year development.
Deals
0 CommentsDust: An Elysian Tail, Mark of the Ninja and more XBLA titles marked down
By Griffin McElroy on Apr 02, 2013 04.02.13
Dust: An Elysian Tail, Mark of the Ninja, Trials HD and a handful of other Xbox Live Arcade titles have been marked down today, though you'll need to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber to access most of the deals. The following titles are all available at half-price, and do not require you to be a Gold member to purchase them at a discount: Trials HD — 400 Microsoft Points ($5) Mark of the Ninja — 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) Dust: An Elysian Tail — 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) Deadlight — 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) A World of Keflings — 400 Microsoft Points ($5) These titles are all half-off as well, but require you to be a Gold member to see the lower prices: Quarrel — 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50) Mercury — 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50) Swarm — 200 Microsoft...
News
12 CommentsDust: An Elysian Tail is coming to Steam, developer hoping for April release
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 23, 2013 03.23.13
Dust: An Elysian Tail will be available on Steam soon, creators Dean Dodrill and Alex Kain announced during a panel at PAX East today. Dodrill said he is hoping to have the game ready for Steam by April. "I'm really excited," Dodril said. "I'm very happy with the [PC] port, I'm not going to do a whole lot different." Dodrill, whose background is primarily in animation, began working on the title in 2008 with no prior game development experience. After winning the 2009 XNA Developer Dream-Build-Play competition, he brought on writer Alex Kain to help flesh out the game's story and polish dialogue. "I do have a lot of ideas for Dust 2," Dodril added during the panel. "There is no shortage of Dust 2 stuff," added Kain. Dust: An Elysian Tail was released in August last year on Xbox...
News
3 CommentsVoting open online for the Game Developers Choice Award
By Dave Tach on Feb 19, 2013 02.19.13
The virtual ballet box is open for the Game Developers Choice Audience Award and accepting nominations today through 5 p.m. ET March 1, according to the official website. Voters need to select a game from a list provided and enter an email address, from which you'll be prompted to confirm your vote. The list of nominated games includes: Assassin's Creed 3 Borderlands 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Dishonored Dust: An Elysian Tail Far Cry 3 Fez FTL: Faster Than Light Gravity Rush Halo 4 Hero Academy Hotline Miami Journey Kid Icarus: Uprising Mark of the Ninja Mass Effect 3 PlanetSide 2 The Room Sound Shapes Spelunky Spec Ops: The Line Trials Evolution The Unfinished Swan Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward The Walking Dead XCOM: Enemy Unknown ZombiU In late...
News
6 CommentsMicrosoft has 'no plans for future versions' of XNA software, will not phase out DirectX
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Jan 31, 2013 01.31.13
Microsoft has no plans to produce future versions of its XNA development tool, a spokesman for the company confirmed with Polygon today. Earlier this morning, an email was sent to select employees and developers stating Microsoft's XNA Game Studio software was "not in active development." XNA and DirectX developer lead Promit Roy reproduced a portion of the email on his personal blog. The email states XNA and DirectX will be retired from Microsoft's program effective April 1 of next year. "The XNA/DirectX expertise was created to recognize community leaders who focused on XNA Game Studio and/or DirectX development," reads the statement. "Presently the XNA Game Studio is not in active development and DirectX is no longer evolving as a technology. Given the status within each...
Gift Guide 2012
12 CommentsPolygon Gift Guide: Downloadable Games
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 18, 2012 12.18.12
Downloadable games are often short and sweet, but they're also some of the most inventive, original and just down right fun games you'll find today. And, more importantly, they come with a much prettier price tag. They are the perfect way to introduce new friends to gaming, or to gift old dogs with something special. But navigating the world of Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, Nintendo's eShop and even Steam can be tricky. Games crowd their listings in the hundreds, and not every one is a diamond in the rough. Whether you yourself have missed a must-have or you're looking to surprise a friend, we've selected our favorite recent download titles to make your job easy. PlayStation Network Playstation 3 the unfinished swan Price: $14.99Do your friends like...
Deals
22 CommentsMassive Xbox Live countdown to 2013 sale starts Dec. 18
By Emily Gera on Dec 13, 2012 12.13.12
Dozens of Xbox 360 games are scheduled to go on sale starting Dec. 18 as part of Microsoft's Countdown to 2013 event first announced by Major Nelson in a round-up of Xbox Marketplace updates. From Dec. 18 to Dec. 31, sales will be themed around a certain game series, genre or publisher. Sales prices have not been announced as of yet; However, the full list of games set for discount (as spotted by NeoGAF) is available below. Dec. 18 to Dec. 31 sale items: Frogger: Hyper Arcade EditionJoe Danger 2: The MovieZuma's Revenge!The Simpsons Arcade GameWreckateerPlants vs. ZombiesPegglePeggleNights Content PackFire Pro WrestlingSONIC 4 Episode IISonic The Hedgehog 2RAWA World of KeflingsA World of Keflings: Sugar, Spice and Not So NiceA World of Keflings: It Came From Outer SpaceKinect PartyJ...
News
1 CommentDust: An Elysian Tail composers working on sound design for Mojang's Scrolls
By Griffin McElroy on Nov 09, 2012 11.09.12
Scrolls, the upcoming strategy title from Minecraft developer Mojang, will feature sound design from HyperDuck SoundWorks, the composers behind this year's indie XBLA action-platformer, Dust: An Elysian Tail. The musical studio revealed the partnership on its official site, stating, "We're happy that we can announce we'll be doing all the sound design for Mojang's Scrolls and couldn't be more chuffed to be a part of their team for this awesome video game adventure!" Dust was released this summer on Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Summer of Arcade promotion, and was well received by critics. In addition to its work on Scrolls, HyperDuck is also composing the official soundtrack for Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 4, the next installment in...
Dust: An Elysian Tail soundtrack released online
By Dave Tach on Oct 01, 2012 10.01.12
HyperDuck SoundWorks, the team that composed the score for Dust: An Elysian Tail, has released the game's soundtrack online through Bandcamp. The digital package includes the soundtrack, the game's ambient music, and several tracks that the group composed before changing the music style. The 37 tracks composing 107 minutes of audio are available for $8.07 (converted from £5). Dust's soundtrack is the latest in a series of soundtracks released online recently, including those for Double Dragon: Neon and Torchlight 2. Be sure to check out Polygon's review of Dust: An Elysian Tail, which lauded the game for its blend of old and new mechanics, and our feature story chronicling Dean Dodrill's four year journey to create the game.
Feature
20 CommentsHumble origins: The solo odyssey behind Dust: An Elysian Tail
By Samit Sarkar on Sep 03, 2012 09.03.12
An ambitious dream An ambitious dream Dodrill is a self-trained illustrator and animator with a lifelong love of video games and appreciation for 2D art. Dust wears its inspirations on its sleeve: Castlevania, Super Metroid, Ninja Gaiden and Dodrill's favorite games, Ys I & II. It's the quintessential pastiche — a combination of side-scrolling platforming and combat, with access to new areas gated by special items, all set against the backdrop of a grandiose story. Dodrill formulated a wish list from those seminal games. "I wanted platforming. I wanted some sort of leveling-up system. I wanted some basic loot. And I knew I wanted a combat system that was a little more sophisticated," he said, adding that "larger-scale epics" fit his idea of a compelling tale. "I'm...
