Duskfade was already scratching that Kingdom Hearts itch
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Duskfade is a new indie love letter to some classic PS2 action platformers, Kingdom Hearts included. And, now, a Kingdom Hearts modder had made the Kingdom Hearts-like even more like Kingdom Hearts.
The developers of Duskfade have been pretty open about their inspirations in the past. It's a fast-paced action game where you swing a big sort-of Keyblade and fight shadowy, sort-of Heartless enemies across bright levels, with some light RPG progression and platforming sections in between.
Heck, there's even a handful of overt Kingdom Heart references littered in the game itself – one achievement is literally called Heartless, for example. b despite all the references and influences and similarities, Duskfade is still distinct enough to be its own thing… until one modder got involved, that is.
Modder Dallin1016 recently dressed up the game's main character Zirian in the iconic red outfit that Sora wore in the first Kingdom Hearts game. The mod (here on NexusMods) also comes with the option to replace Zirian's spiky hairdo with Sora's, and another mod completes the package by replacing Zirian's legally distinct Keyblade with an actual Keyblade.
Together, the mods turn Duskfade into an even cozier throwback for fans of the Kingdom Hearts series. Squint hard enough and you might not even be able to tell the difference – the distinct lack of Donald quacking every five seconds might be a giveaway, to be fair.
Modder Dallin1016's put in a bunch of good work elsewhere, too. One work-in-progress mod adds in Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort, of all things, as an explorable map in Duskfade. Another of their Kingdom Hearts 3 mods calls itself the most cursed one in series' history, and I really can't argue with that. Please, just look at Jigglypuff's head transplanted onto Davy Jones' body.
Duskfade itself is pretty great with or without the mods – on Steam, the game has an 89% 'Very Positive' rating. A great appetizer before Kingdom Hearts 4 comes out next year, I reckon.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.
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