Interview with Hitbox Team

The GameSparked Team

Terence Lee and Lexie Dostal of Hitbox Team take time out of their busy schedule to sit down with Mat, and there’s only one thing they talk about: Dustforce, Dustforce, DUSTFORCE!

Hitbox Team is comprised of Terence Lee, who was responsible for music, sound, and some level design; Lexie Dostal, the game’s programmer; Woodley Nye, the artist/animator; and Matt Bush, the Dustforce engine’s programmer.

Nothing is quite as rewarding as hitting an S-rank in Dustforce.

Intro/Outro Music by Cody DeBoer

[REVIEW] Dustforce

Mat Paget
(PC [REVIEWED])

Sweeping. Mopping. Dusting. Vacuuming. Janitors. Activities that are seen as chores aren’t usually what you want out of a video game. People play video games to have fun and relax. Cleaning is no fun, and is definitely not relaxing. Dustforce, like Harvest Moon, brings chores into video games and attempts to make them fun. But unlike Harvest Moon, this isn’t a simulation of the chore at hand. Developer Hitbox Team brings janitorial duties into the platforming genre with Dustforce, but does it have the potential to clean up on Steam?

Let me get to what Dustforce is. Like Super Meat Boy, it is a downloadable Indie platformer. Players can slide up walls and ceilings, jump, run, dash, attack, and of course, clean. Players will run through levels while cleaning things up in the process, and at times will come across enemies that need a good cleaning as well. There isn’t anything extra required to clean; the character cleans whatever they touch.

There are four characters to choose from, but none of them are mechanically different. I do feel I was performing better with one character over the others, but I also feel that it was just my own personal preference. Saying that, they all feel unique thanks to their design.

The controls are finely-tuned and work astonishingly well. Once you get the hang of them, you’ll be able to rush through levels like you’ve been doing it for years. But even though the game’s fast-paced platforming is captivating, you can lose momentum when encountering an enemy. These moments aren’t terrible, but they can definitely slow down the action. This can be a bit off-putting at first, but if the player can figure out a strategy to quickly dispatch of these bath-deprived enemies, they will just become another part of the level.

And I thought my room was bad.

Speaking of facing off against enemies, it’s not what it sounds like; you don’t play a janitor that has a tendency to attack and destroy whatever is in their way. Instead, just like the entire level, you clean the enemy by attacking it with your cleaning utensils. This, along with cleaning up the level in general, brings on a strong feeling of taking care of nature, cities, the workplace, and even the house you live in. It’s refreshing to play a game that sends that kind of subtle message without having it shoved in your face.

After you complete a level, you’re presented with a score and your rank on the leaderboards. Perfect runs will get you the farthest in this game, but the game doesn’t demand it. However, if you let the game grab a hold of you, you most certainly will. I felt like an Olympian hitting restart, and playing levels over and over again just to shave an eighth of a second off my finishing time. It’s easy to do a great run, but it’s even easier to see all the people ranked higher than you, and jump right back in to improve.

Along with the score and rank, players also have the opportunity to watch a replay of their run. The ability to watch a replay video isn’t anything new to video games, but it is extremely beneficial in this particular title as it will show you things you don’t notice when you’re speeding through a level as fast as you can. Something as simple as when to jump, or dash, can change the entire outcome of the run, and the replay feature can be useful in helping you find those crucial moments.

Cleaning has never been this much fun.

Jump out of a level and you’re in the HUD world. The HUD world is like any other level, but you can explore it at your own pace. It gives off a strong Metroidvania vibe as players will be able to explore freely and play almost any level they wish as they make their way through this quiet, but charming world. There are some levels locked off, however, that players will need to unlock with keys gained from scoring a perfect S-rank in any unlocked level. S-ranks are determined by the finesse at which you cleared the level, and how clean it is after doing so.

Throughout the entire game, the music and art style stay consistent, working together brilliantly. When I started up the game, and heard the first piece of music after finishing the tutorial, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of happiness. This game radiates emotion, which is surprising considering the lack of narrative. The world looks absolutely beautiful, and when accompanied by the music, it’s nearly flawless. However, there was one or two times where I was confused by the HUD world’s layout due to the background, but this never occurred during any of the levels.

There’s always that one game in January that stands out. Last year was Dead Space 2, and the year before it was the sequel to Mass Effect. Who would have guessed that it would be an Indie title this year? Dustforce is a great platformer with finely-tuned gameplay, and a beautiful art-style. The fact that players of any skill level can play through the levels and still enjoy themselves is priceless. It is an extremely polished experience, and the pros greatly outweigh its minimal cons. Dustforce is well worth the price of admission, and fans of platformers, and Indie games in general, should pick this title up.