Dust: An Elysian Tale.

[Britton]

I searched and so no topic for this anywhere, so thought I'd start one. This came out a week or two for XBLA. I wasn't going to get it as I only heard bits and pieces of it here and there... but the last week or so some of my friends on Facebook were raving about it. The game reminds me of Odin Sphere a bit, also some Castlevania combat (though the combat is so so varied it's its own thing) and the little dragn companion reminds me of Lunar. It's a platformer action RPG and that in itself is rae. Gorgeous graphics and soundtrack as well.

[Mickeymac92]

I hear the story isn't very good, but I never expected much in that department in the first place. It looks really good gameplay-wise. I really look forward to playing it. I already bought it, so now it's only a matter of time.

[Dincrest]

I played it at E3, and like you I totally got a VanillaWare vibe from it.  Kyle's review here says that it's fun, if repetitive, but the repetitiveness didn't stop me from enjoying Odin Sphere. 

[Akanbe-]

It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a lot of fun and the animation is gorgeous (though not a fan of the character art).  If you're on the fence, check the demo and see what you think.  If you aren't a fan of the demo, you won't like the game as the demo gives you a very good idea of how it's going to play for the rest of the game.

[GrimReality]

The game is a lot of fun. The combat is crazy fast, with attacks and enemies flying(literally) all over the screen. I also like how it plays like a Metroidvania with lots of secrets and areas to go back to.

The graphics and music are both fantastic.

I'm not terribly fond of all the talking animals, but it hardly hurts the game. Dust is a cool character with a great voice. The sword is just there. Fidget, OTOH, is pretty darn annoying. Typical squeaky voice and attitude. Like I said in the journal thread, I really don't understand the draw of including characters like this in games. How many people really find her funny or appealing? It baffles me.

I'm not far in, but I'd say the game is totally worth getting. Lots to do and fun to play.

[Agent D.]

I tried the demo earlier this week, being a metroidvania lover. It's pretty for an indie title, and the gameplay is definitely solid. Wasn't picking up on parrying to well due to mistiming and the defense of a paper napkin. Also, xbox has a terrible controller for platforming, as their dpad is clunky and unresponsive, so playing this forces me on an analog stick, which drives me nuts for platforming. Taking that away from it, the game is still pretty awesome, look and feel wise. Soundtracks pretty cool too, definitely a worthy entry in the metroidvania line of games.