Dusty Revenge: Co-op Edition review: South East Asia's badass bunny is back

Dusty Revenge is a hack-and-slash 2D platformer that was originally launched last June. It received a lot of praise for its off-the-wall style, gameplay dynamics and overall quality.

PD Studios recently launched the Dusty Revenge: Co-op Edition (referred to here asDusty Revenge) on Steam. It’s not a new game, but the company fixed complaints and added some cool new features. Most notably: a 2 player co-op mode and a boss rush mode.

If Devil May Cry’s Dante and Dust: An Elysian Tale’s Dust got down and dirty then their offspring would be Dusty Revenge. Like Devil May Cry the main character is a tough-talking, weapon-swinging, dual-pistol-wielding badass. Like Dust an Elysian Tale, it’s 2D, gorgeous and the main character is an anthropomorphised animal. Dusty Revenge sounds like a weird mash-up, but it works really well.

That rabbit’s got style!

The first thing you will notice about Dusty Revenge the violence. You can expect to see cute animals get wounded or killed with surprising regularity. The second thing you will notice is Dusty Revenge’s stylized cutscenes. Check out the picture below:

I love these cutscenes. They are atmospheric and give the game a grindhouse western flavor that is unique and charming. If you are looking for gameplay with character, Dusty has it coming out of his oversized ears.

More important than the cutscenes is the in-game style, and it doesn’t disappoint. Dusty is a great character; he looks as cool as he sounds and even when using his ears as a parachute he manages to maintain his menace. The enemies also have their own remarkably threatening styles. Rat’s look like common cut-throats, cows like mercenary soldiers and hippos are just huge! They all have various costumes, armors and weapons, meaning you don’t feel like you are mashing the same ten enemies too often.

I also can’t think of anything bad to say about the world. It’s weird but it looks great. Dusty Revenge is set in a steampunk western universe which reminds me of Joss Whedon’s TV show Firefly. There are stereotypical western locations like saloons, abandoned mines and open plains. But, then a giant factory will appear, floating drone enemies attack and a mechanical snake ruins your day. It’s a cool world, and I would definitely be keen on learning more about it.

That rabbit kicks ass!

If you were expecting a nice fluffy bunny or a rabbit who saves, as opposed to executes, his enemies, you came to the wrong place. Dusty is in it for revenge and anyone who gets in his way or slows him down is going to regret it. Dusty’s combat is broken up into light attacks, heavy attacks and ranged attacks. You can combine these to create long combos which fill up your combo meter, allowing you to pull of even more devastating assaults.