Duskers

Duskers owes a lot of its style to science fiction films like Alien and Silent Running. In it you control several drones, each with configurable abilities, which brave derelict spacecraft for salvage, fuel, drone and ship components, and disabled drones. Each mission is done in real time but at a measured pace, at least initially, that allows you to send complicated commands that can be executed from a console command line. Nearly everything is done from the keyboard, lending a feeling of verisimilitude when you're typing in commands or manually controlling a drone. It feels almost like you're gazing at an old monitor reviewing a spacecraft's floorplan. Your drones aren't alone on board, however. There are mysterious threats that can rapidly wipe out your robotic team, especially if you're not careful.

Duskers takes on some roguelike elements; even if it's game over, you retain all of the partially corrupted communication logs you've downloaded from derelict computers. This is one of the game's best features, full of panicked conversations with clues that you can piece together to solve the mystery of what happened to the rest of humanity. One could just play each mission like a (sometimes unsolvable) puzzle game, unlocking ship sections while keeping lurking creatures trapped in rooms safely away from your drones, but over time special missions present themselves which show ways to provide further insight. These act almost as bonus challenges, but are integrated into the game and advance the plot when completed. Should things go really well, you may have the option to commandeer the spacecraft you've explored, which can sometimes give you new spacecraft abilities and alter storage capacity for scrap and post-jump fuel.

When preparing to jump from derelict to derelict, you manage your ship and its drone crew. Any scrap you've collected can be used to repair drones and their components, construct basic components, or enhance select components to give them more versatility. You can also attach equipment into slots on your ship. Such equipment allows you to transport drones directly to certain rooms, scan derelicts, scan further out into the void, or even blast individual rooms with deadly projectiles. The drone components are even more varied, with several kinds of sensors, mines, a personal transporter, stealth systems, and even a gun turret. These are in addition to the very basic tow, gather, and generator components that are all but required for getting anything out of a derelict. Just about everything wears down over time, and components have a chance to break permanently. Much of your scrap will be spent on keeping things going, and you have to be smart with the fuel you use; the economy of the game can be very tight.

Each mission begins similarly, with a probe scouting one or two rooms that will have a power conduit you need to activate with a generator component. Depending on what tools you have, you can check to see if there is movement in adjacent rooms, send a probe through an open door to scan, or switch on the shields and go in guns blazing. The latter, though, isn't always a good idea; the drones aren't made for combat. One gets much further in the game by thinking things through and setting up traps for any infestation you may run into, and each of the types of creatures you encounter are different enough to thwart any one tactic. Sometimes you may be forced to blow the contents of a room out into space rather than risk opening the door, or activate a generator in an exposed area and hope you don't attract attention before you can slam the door shut. Over time you may hear the whine of metal as the stress on the ship takes its toll, threatening deadly radiation leaks. Doors cease to work or get torn open by enemy creatures, transporter locks fade, drone optics magnetise, and occasionally a swarm of asteroids threatens to crack the spacecraft open.

The game is atmospheric, tense, and can at times be great fun. In the early to mid-game, most problems stem directly from the player overlooking some critical detail, losing track of where the enemies are, or facing the consequences of not keeping up with repairs. Unfortunately, around mid-game things change drastically with the introduction of a new element. Without going into spoilery detail, a challenge begins to present itself that throws a wrench into the techniques you've spent hours perfecting. This challenge can, within the span of a few seconds, strand an unprepared set of drones completely, effectively ending a long run without much warning. Even when you're as prepared as you can be, the old methods of methodical room cleansing may quickly become a blind race for the airlock, assuming your escape isn't covered in hazards off. The change is so drastic and hard to avoid that it can be a letdown.

It must be said, though, that the game has plenty of difficulty settings that help reduce a lot of the shock. We set the game's enemy types to not reset in between games, meaning any new ones found will remain, even for fledgling drone crews, and this may contribute to the problem above. Other options include reducing the difficulty of each starting area, adjusting how fast components break down, and even disabling the possibility of permadeath, although the latter seems a bit at cross-purposes with what the game is trying to accomplish. No matter what, while on a mission you cannot save your progress. Should you leave prematurely, the derelict you were exploring will count as having been visited; you cannot board any derelict you have visited, except for a few utility locations. Also of note to those with non-English keyboards: their placement of keys mirrors English keyboards, so you'll have to figure out where, for example, the all-important semicolon is.

Duskers is a great blend of suspense and panic. Its sparse visuals and text logs contribute to its mood, and the need keyboard commands force you to type nimbly and be familiar with basic terms that you may have to input quickly when the situation is going all to hell. It is a delight when you find a new component, learn a bit more about the world through captured files, or reach an automated trading post and are able to switch out junk for something better. The randomness of the game can be daunting but seems a bit more manageable than in most games of this ilk. At times Duskers can leave the player feeling as wrecked as the derelicts you explore, but the experience is a memorable and compelling one.