Retro Runback — Two Xbox 360 Indie Classics: ‘Dust: An Elysian Tail’ and ‘Quantum Conundrum’

I’m currently sitting in a chair, wistfully reminiscing about the Xbox 360 days. And two games popped into my head. Dust: An Elysian Tail and Quantum Conundrum. So, naturally, the question popped in my head. Should we run these Xbox 360 hits back?

‘Dust: An Elysian Tail’ — indie metroidvania with an rpg twist

I remember the first time I saw the trailer for Dust: An Elysian Tail. The art style was the very first thing that I noticed. That hand-drawn, cartoon style was beautiful. And the animations? Smooth as butter. But then the game really got going, and the story/gameplay kept me there. The game follows the main character, Dust, who has woken up in a forest with no memories of his life and a sword called The Blade of Ahrah next to him. The sword is a living weapon, and it has a guardian, Fidget.

Dust: An Elysian Tail is a Metroidvania with RPG elements. Dust’s skills can be leveled up throughout the game, and the combat is based in dodge mechanics and special abilities to defeat enemies. The story itself is pretty good and fully voice-acted. And in standard indie tradition, it’s not particularly long, but the time you do spend playing it makes it clear that not a single moment is wasted.

‘Quantum Conundrum’ — ‘portal’ meets multiple dimensions

Quantum Conundrum was a different story. I was coming off of Portal and randomly saw this puzzle game in the store. The dimension-flipping mechanic and quirky art style caught my eye. So, I picked it up and have been thinking about this game ever since. Seriously, every so often, it will just randomly pop into my brain. And then there are times where I will remember it because I associate it with Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange album. They both came out within a day of each other, and I was listening to it while playing this game.

If the game seems similar to Portal, it’s because it was designed by Kim Swift, one of the Portal developers. But make no mistake, this is a game all its own, with a distinct style. You solve puzzles centered around the four dimensions in the game: Fluffy, Heavy, Slow, and Reverse Gravity (you don’t get reversed, though). Initially, you can’t control the changes, but you eventually get the Interdimensional Shift Device, which allows you to change them yourself. The puzzles are challenging but not frustrating, though I will say the story ends rather abruptly. It’s a strange way to cap off a game, but it’s definitely worth experiencing.

SHOULD WE RUN THEM BACK?

Dust: An Elysian Tail? YES. I’ve been waiting for a new game forever, and I will be more than happy if Dean Dodrill just happens to pop up with an announcement out of nowhere, or maybe even drops the sequel on the Switch 2. If Dwayne can hold out hope for Hollow Knight: Silksong and the rest of the world can for Mother 3, then I can do this. Quantum Conundrum, also, yes. If for no reason other than I need to see how the story ends. You can’t leave me on that. Bring both of these Xbox 360 classics back.