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Duskers

Duskers

Misfits Attic · released May 18, 2016

IndieSimulationStrategyPC

Pilot drones into derelict spaceships to find the means to survive and piece together how the universe became a giant graveyard.

84
VGC Score
Stablemedium confidence
83%
At launch
90%
Steam all-time
83%
Press
68%
Player sentiment
97%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)836
Creator reviews (1 tracked)970
All-time Steam reviews90%841000
Metacritic user ratings672
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)97%923
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 9 reviews sampled · 9 total reviews in window · weighted 7.2 up / 0.2 down · computed 18m ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (11)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 80
    trust 65Jul 4, 2016

    Ultimately, Duskers is about allowing yourself to believe that you're really sitting on a rickety old space ship, with only drones for friends. You're alone, but not without hope. You may not conquer the universe, but you'll eventually learn how to survive it.

    read full review ↗
  • 86
    trust 63May 23, 2016

    A tense and spooky strategy roguelike that's as satisfying as it is harrowing.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 63Sep 14, 2016

    Very fresh and not forgiving rouge-like, which is not an RPG, but rather text game linked with real-time tactical strategy. Interesting and very tasty mix. [Issue#266]

  • 80
    trust 58Sep 17, 2016

    Duskers would be perfect if it wasn’t for an exaggerated impact of randomness on gameplay. [09/2016, p.53]

  • 80
    trust 57Jun 10, 2016

    An excellent game for scratching that obsessive roguelike itch. It’s minimalist and tough as nails with a peculiar interface, but as it turns out, successfully crushing all infestations on a ship with a novella of keystrokes provides a special kind of satisfaction.

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    trust 57Jun 11, 2016

    Duskers is a solid lock for one of my personal games of the year.

    read full review ↗
  • 82
    trust 52Jun 3, 2016

    Not only is the concept unique, the execution is as well. In its best moments you actually feel like you are sitting at a computer terminal in a deserted spaceship trying to navigate the drones on a basis of schematic scanner data. In its not so good moments the path-finding and some other minor flaws destroy the immersion.

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    trust 49Jun 10, 2016

    Duskers is a highly original game that features one of the greatest, most atmospheric environments I’ve seen in a long time.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 49Oct 21, 2016

    Duskers’ lo-fi aesthetic and gameplay completely immersed us in the role of the captain and his efforts to remotely direct his drones on board of perilous derelict spaceships.

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    trust 40Jul 16, 2016

    Duskers starts out with a unique premise, and despite the grainy old-school visuals, audio and text-based interface, is quite enjoyable.

    read full review ↗
  • trust 62CreatorMay 19, 2016

    It's not going for razzle dazzle in terms of visuals, but it goes for content and gameplay, and it delivers in the slow and methodical gameplay.

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. V1.205 is here!
    Feb 21, 2022
  2. V1.203 now in "Future" branch
    Feb 10, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  3. V1.200 now in "Future" branch
    Dec 7, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  4. V1.102 is here!
    Nov 16, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  5. V1.102 now in "Future" branch
    Nov 11, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  6. V1.101 now in "Future" branch
    Nov 9, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  7. V1.100 now in "Future" branch
    Oct 28, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  8. The 2021 Duskers Roadmap
    Oct 8, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  9. Mac for all
    Oct 5, 2021
  10. Mac update
    Sep 13, 2021
  11. Duskers 1.04 is LIVE!
    Jul 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  12. Duskers 1.04 is LIVE!
    Jul 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  13. Duskers v1.04 is now in the "Future" branch
    Jun 30, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  14. Duskers v1.04 is now in the "Future" branch
    Jun 30, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  15. Duskers 1.03 is LIVE!
    Jun 14, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  16. Duskers 1.03 is LIVE!
    Jun 14, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  17. Duskers v1.03 is now in the "Future" branch
    Jun 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  18. Duskers v1.03 is now in the "Future" branch
    Jun 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  19. Duskers 1.02 is LIVE!
    May 24, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  20. Duskers v1.02 is now in the "Future" branch
    May 24, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  21. Duskers 1.0 is LIVE!
    May 18, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  22. Duskers v0.39 is now in the "Future" branch
    May 13, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  23. Duskers v0.38 is now in the "Future" branch
    May 12, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  24. Duskers v0.34 is now in the "Future" branch
    May 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  25. Duskers v0.33 is now in the "Future" branch
    May 6, 2016significant · resets scoring window

…and 31 earlier patch announcements.