First off: I'm a huge Soulslike fan. I've played all the From Software ones, except Elden Ring which is next. And from all Soulslikes Bloodborne is my all time favorite. So naturally after I heard that this game is really good I should really like this game, but somehow I don't.

The OK:
- The core gameplay feels OK
- The hitboxes seem to be OK. I didn't find any quirky stuff when fighting bosses etc.
- The bosses were all fun to fight with a good balance (a bit easy for my taste, I feel like the bosses in the demo were way harder somehow?)
- Having an infinite homeward bone is nice
- Several quality of life systems, like showing the amount of souls one can still fetch after having died
- The level design was OK. Nothing amazing but also nothing really bad

The bad:
- This is really really subjective but the general theme and setting is not my cup of tea. It all feels a bit silly to me, which is why I can't take it seriously
- The weapon variety feels bland to me. I have played for more than 8 hours and I am still using the beginner weapon, because it has better scaling, move set and fable arts than anything else I found
- There are lots of bloated progression/crafting systems. I am a fan of bare bones and I don't need the Quartz leveling system for example. It feels tacked on and doesn't add anything. Same with the weapon crafting system. The idea is nice, but it doesn't give me much when almost all handle fable arts suck and changing the scaling to what I would like to use (quality build) still gives me something worse than the beginner weapon
- The Legion arm combined with it's crafting system feels useless. I never once used the arm anywhere and I have been perfectly fine, never thinking that I'm missing out on much. Being able to wield a weapon 2 handed would have been way better in my opinion.
- Another useless system: summoning NPCs. Since NPCs make almost every boss fight trivial I would have liked the concept IF the game wouldn't throw like 20 summon items at you around every corner. It makes the whole system redundant. The Dark Souls Humanity system was way way better for this in my opinion

The ugly:
- Holy Shit why does this game borrow the worst thing from Bloodborne?Why the hell do I need to port to the base (Hotel Krat) everytime when I want to level up, especially when I can level up at the bonfires in the tutorial chapter. It makes absolutely no sense at all and just adds unnecessary load times.


Conclusion:
This is a game weighed down by unnecessary crafting/progression systems which don't add much. It would have been better if they instead focused more on the core gameplay, weapon variety and game systems which actually make a difference, see The Surge 2 for example.
If you like the theme, setting and atmosphere and have no problem with ignoring the bloat I'm sure this is a really nice game for you. If not I would pass until the game gets way cheaper.
Maybe I will pick this up again later and give it a second chance, but I doubt it.

My first review didn't do this game justice and I will just say it now: this is the best retro style shooter there is in my opinion. It just hits all the spots.

- Hit Feedback? Absolutely amazing. Popping enemy heads or throwing dynamite/Molotov cocktails in a group of cultists never gets old. It is sooo damn satisfying
- Weapon Roster? Simple but perfect. Every single weapon feels good to shoot, sounds gorgeous and has its moments. There is not a single weapon that feels useless or gimmicky. Also the flamethrower is so damn powerful that it always feels good to use. And that's saying something when usually flamethrowers are almost always very gimmicky weapons in other games
- Freedom? This game advertises that you can play it in every way you like and I totally agree with that. The game doesn't force you to use specific weapons or other stuff like that. You can always tackle the enemies in whatever way you like and that's just really cool
- Maps? Varied, creative and with the perfect length for my taste (around 30 minutes for a single map). The secrets are very well placed without being too crazy to find them and the variety of the maps is really nice. Big boats, asylums, mines or police stations, it's all here. Also there aren't really any arena fights which is a big plus for me
- Graphics? Retro and chunky. It feels gritty and dirty which is the perfect look for this game. If you don't like it tho you can disable it in the settings
- Theme and Atmosphere? Man I love it. It feel's like a weird baby from Resident Evil 4 and Blood and I'm all here for it. The little messages you can find throughout the game are also very well written. Also the horror segments of some maps just add soo much to the general atmosphere. It's so good
- Music? Gorgeous. Also this game knows that there shouldn't be heavy metal music in every single chapter of every single map. Cultic knows when there shouldn't be any music but it also knows when to throw in the nice beats when some Cultists need some action
- Enemy Variety? Decent for its length. This is the only part where I maybe would like one or two more enemy types, but it never gets boring and introduces new enemies until almost the very end
- Difficulty settings? There is something for everyone here. "Very hard" is a decent challenge without being too crazy, and "Extreme" is for the people who really want to strategize about how to tackle fights
- Updates? The new completely free map "Interlude" was a very challenging little introduction in whats to come in Chapter 2. It feels fresh and also introduces a few new weapons. All for free.
- Upgrades? Finally an old school shooter in which the progression system doesn't feel tacked on. Finding weapon upgrade parts in secrets feels really rewarding and using them to upgrade your weapons in exactly the ways you want is very useful. Also it helps to make sure that you mostly use the weapons you want to use

All in all this game is just amazing. It's always a good time to pop some cultist heads or throw a Molly in a group of cultists and hear them burn. It's absolutely crazy to me how just one dude could pull this off. Hats off to Jason Smith for this absolute achievement he pulled off.
I can't wait for Chapter 2!

DUSK is a pretty good old school shooter. It's fast and silly fun with you bunny hopping around the place while decimating all kinds of enemies in creative levels. I wouldn't agree tho that this game is the best "boomer shooter" there is.

The good:
- The level design is really creative. There is everything here: from hillbilly shacks to otherworldly cities and weird flying islands
- The little horror segments in between are a nice change of pace and were very interesting. They could have even been a bit longer for me personally
- The secrets are very well hidden
- The weapon roster is good. The Riveter in particular feels like this games version of the BFG
- The game lets you use the weapons you would like to use. It doesn't force you to use specific weapons against specific enemies like in Doom Eternal for example
- The graphics have this old school PS1 style about them which I really like
- Nice enemy variety for the length of this game
- The bunny hopping was really fun and even necessary in some tougher fights
- The music really hit the spot

The bad:
- The hit feedback and gore in general could be better. Enemies either just fall to the ground or they explode in blood clouds. Nothing in between
- The "mamas" are a bit too spongy for my taste
- Some levels were a bit too short for me personally
- The majority of the bosses were OK but not very creative, which is especially sad because in contrast to that the levels are so damn creative

The ugly:
- The first half of the game feels way worse than the second half. Especially the first chapter is really bland. Which is a shame because this hillbilly "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" theme has a lot of potential in my opinion.