The Nerdy Type

I’ve always loved old-school, fantasy platformers, regardless of whether I can claim to be good at them or not. There’s something unerringly special about having a bright and vibrant world to explore, filled with secrets to discover. So when I first heard about Duskfade, it immediately took a spot on my wishlist long before TNT ever became a thing. 

Duskfade is a fantasy adventure currently in development by Weird Beluga. It has obvious inspirational roots in Kingdom Hearts, and the world is alive, filled with secret hidden spots and smashable decor that makes my heart sing. Best of all, Duskfade now has a demo available for everyone to try. 

Kingdom Hearts, but better

At the risk of upsetting a massive number of readers, I’m going to admit something: I’ve never been able to fully complete a single Kingdom Hearts game. Believe me, I have tried, but with the unfathomably (and unnecessarily) complicated timeline and the constant presence of Disney’s most irritating characters, I could just never get fully on board. 

Thankfully, Duskfade has entered the fray, taking everything I actually did like about the Kingdom Hearts games, and removing everything that makes me give up on them every time I try to go back and play them. 

The inspiration taken from Kingdom Hearts is plain as day in Duskfade. From the design of the protagonist Zirian to his Keyblade-esque weapon, which is even, at times, used as an actual key to unlock chests hidden throughout the world, Weird Beluga isn’t shy about what they’re trying to do here. But that’s the joy of it – Duskfade feels like an instant classic as soon as you dive in, ticking all the boxes that I know Kingdom Hearts ticks for the majority of people who play and love it. 

And all without a single tantrum or snide comment from Donald Duck. Bliss. 

Stunning vistas filled with secrets

The world of Duskfade is, in a word, spectacular. There were multiple times during my playthrough of the demo that I felt compelled to stop and just look around, taking in the vistas and details that surrounded me. Everywhere you look, there’s something new to catch your eye and, if you’re lucky, small new areas to explore that are easily missed if you’re hellbent on following the designated route towards completion. 

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be happy to know that there are ample opportunities to smash things. From barrels to crates to jars, you can swing your sword and gather up crystals. Thus far, I haven’t figured out what those crystals are used for – according to the Steam page, this feature is in a ‘work-in-progress state’ – but as an in-game hoarder, I will do everything to get as many as I can, including smashing the jars to steal the crystals that were supposed to pay someone’s way through college. 

I’m not sorry. 

Feel my Wrath

Battle in the demo of Duskfade feels smooth yet brutal in a way that may be jarring to some. It can be a little hard to tell when enemies are attacking initially, especially the smaller ink blots, but as long as you keep moving and dodging, you’ll figure it out pretty quickly. Larger enemies have signposted attacks that are easily avoided, and you can heal at any point as long as you have a potion with you, and they often drop from the enemies themselves. 

The demo of Duskfade culminates with a boss battle against Wrath, and it’s a brutal fight to the death (usually mine) that feels like a huge spike in difficulty from everything that comes before it. At one point during the battle, my double jump capability seemed to escape me entirely. This was particularly problematic because I needed it to reach Wrath up on a platform above the arena. 

However, I’d never had an issue up until that point and I did waste a significant chunk of time trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, so it’s entirely possible that this was my own ineptitude at play rather than an issue with the game itself. I’ve not seen anyone else with the same issue, so I’m leaning towards the whole “I’m bad at platformers” thing, rather than a bug in the game or a strange hike in difficulty.

So much more to come

According to the Steam pages for both the demo and the full game, this 20-30 minute-long demo is only a brief glimpse into the world of Duskfade and everything we can expect when the game gets fully released at some point in 2026. From what I saw in the demo, I can only imagine how extravagant and wild the rest of the story will become, and I’m extremely excited to see more as development progresses. 

For now, I’m utterly obsessed with how pretty Duskfade is and the staggering amount of potential the game has to become something beloved by players. I’ve always had a feeling that Duskfade would be something special, but now I’m certain that it will become a favorite for anyone who plays, with fans talking about it for years to come. 

Duskfade is set for release at some point in 2026, and the demo is available to download and play through Steam. To keep up with development, make sure to follow Weird Beluga on social media, and wishlist the game to get updates directly to your inbox as well.