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From Dust
In From Dust, a tribe has lost the vast knowledge of an ancient civilization. The group summons you, a spirit known as "the breath", to lend a hand. It's up to you to use god-like powers to help recover this knowledge with clever use of the earth to aid the tribe in accomplishing its goal.
From Dust gives players the ability to tinker with the elements to aid the tribe in crossing oceans, building villages, and spreading life across the land. Absorb matter such as land or water to create bridges, develop new paths for water flow, or douse fires. Seems simple at first, however mother nature is a force to be reckoned with as the tribe expands across new territories.
During earlier segments of From Dust's story mode you'll acquaint yourself to guiding "the breath" as you learn how to populate territories. Totems have been left across the world by the ancients and it's up to the breath to guide the tribe to each one by creating paths as needed to help them get across water and other dangers. Once a specific number of tribesmen make it to each respective totem, the area automatically springs to life for a lush, colorful environment.
As you progress you'll also encounter relics. You'll aid one brave tribesman as he makes his way to the relic to absorb its knowledge and gain new powers. These powers can help save entire villages from natural disasters such as tsunamis that can devastate the area. In one scenario, I only had a couple minutes to help a tribesman make his way to a relic with the "repel water" power needed to keep an impending tsunami from destroying my village and drowning the tribe. In a fit of panic I searched for the most efficient path to build bridges with land and re-route water flow to help my tribesman quickly get to the relic and back. I'm sure each player will find different routes along the way making for unique experiences across the board.
Along with the main campaign, there is also a challenge mode that gives players objectives to complete. More are unlocked as you progress in the story mode. In one challenge level I had to get five villagers safely across a series of canals to reach the totem pole at the end as quickly as possible. I only had the ability to absorb water so I made sure I cleared their paths of fluid as they crossed. The offerings in Challenge Mode are a fun diversion and helps you get accustomed to the mechanics while competing for high scores.
For more on the upcoming downloadable title, check out the latest developer diary below.
From Dust will be available for download this year on XBLA, PSN, and PC.
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