Instead of SMB's anxious intensity, frantic music, and merciless difficulty, Dustforce takes a more calm, almost meditative approach (backed up by soothing, ethereal background music that mitigates frustrating death streaks). Jumping janitorsĪt first glance, most players will immediately associate the nimble maneuvering of Dustforce with the brutal-yet-lovable Super Meat Boy-but they're actually opposite sides of the same “blissful platforming” coin. But while you're still learning the optimal path for traversing the elaborate stages, the dust-, leaf-, trash-, and ooze-covered surfaces act as a guide for how to tackle each jump and wall-run. The scattered soot pays off in two ways: cleaning every smidgen of dust in a full combo awards you with a flawless S ranking for the level's Completion and Finesse ratings.
Dirty floors will be spotless once you've swept past them, but elsewhere, grime will require a more aggressive approach with a quick smack from your broom. As a member of the titular team of spry sweepers (which includes a vacuum-wielding geezer and a triple-jumping lass with feather-duster pom-poms), you're charged with banishing colorful dust and debris in over 50 levels.
