Last updated on September 23rd, 2025 at 05:40 am
Dust: An Elysian Tail – Role Playing Game Review
Dust: An Elysian Tail is a Role Playing/Action/Entertainment game from Humble Hearts LLC, first launched in 8th October 2015.
It’s rated 9+ and currently has 946+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Dust: An Elysian Tail Stand Out
"This is one of the best games I’ve played on iOS this year."
5/5 – Touch Arcade
The award-winning, multi-million selling adventure finally hits the App Store, lovingly crafted for iOS by creator Dean Dodrill!
"Dust pretty much has it all."
5/5 – Giant Bomb
"… Fabulously executed."
9/10 – EGM
"… A beautiful, well-written, and entirely fun action-RPG."
9/10 – Digital Trends
Immerse yourself in a gorgeous hand-painted world on a search for your true identity. As the mysterious warrior, Dust, your action-packed journey will take you from peaceful glades to snowy mountaintops and beyond. At your disposal is the mythical Blade of Ahrah, capable of turning its wielder into an unstoppable force of nature, and the blade’s diminutive guardian, Fidget.
Battle dozens of enemies at once with an easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master combat system, take on a variety of quests from friendly villagers, discover ancient secrets and powerful upgrades hidden throughout the massive, open world, and uncover the story of an ancient civilization on the brink of extinction as you fight to uncover your own past.
Key Features
*A traditionally-animated action-adventure tale
*An expansive world filled with unique characters, quests, and secrets
*Action-packed nonlinear platforming rewards exploration and experimentation
*Fully voiced cast and a deep, rewarding storyline
*Highly customizable input methods for maximum control
*Full MFi extended gamepad support (dual-thumbstick models)
*Four difficulty settings for players of all skill levels
*Available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese
*Award-winning musical score by HyperDuck SoundWorks
Devices with 1GB RAM are highly recommended for an optimal experience. These include:
*iPhone 5 or greater
*iPad 3rd Gen or greater
*iPad mini 2 or greater
*iPod touch 6th Gen or greater
Devices with 512MB RAM are now compatible. This includes the first iPad mini and comparable devices.
Please ensure that your device meets these requirements before purchasing.
This Role Playing game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Dust: An Elysian Tail is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 16th November 2017
Recent improvements include:
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
-Native support for iPhone X.
-Increased visual fidelity for more powerful devices (iPhone 6 and beyond).
Download & Availability
Dust: An Elysian Tail is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get Dust: An Elysian Tail on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Highly recommend! Full voice and engaging story. Excellent engrossing action. Get this one.
Come on dust you gotta get up.
On our 9th birthday way back when, we received an xbox 360. Excited to play all the newest games we came across the demo for this game, by far after playing all the other games and demos Dust: AET was our favorite of all of them, even just the simple demo on the 360 was enough to show the great storyline, amazing art, and the fullness to the game. Unfortunately our family was not able to afford the game or had access to the internet to do so, so when the time came around our xbox eventually became buggy, out of service, and barely runnable (we still have it bc she was our first console) but due to this and us just growing up over the years we were never able to play the full game. Years later we found this on the play-store for a small price, we were so excited to finally be able to play this game Ive admired since our childhood and Ive got to say. It is truly one of the most amazing games Ive ever played. The soundtrack was beautiful, the Art is beautiful , the storyline and atmosphere of the game is just phenomenal. We mean truly we are so satisfied with how this game was everything we pictured it to be, It brought heartbreak, it brought laughs, it brought satisfaction. We Highly recommend you play Dust :AET 10/10. Truly a Beautiful and Amazing Game.
The game is great but on our iPhone 12 Pro it will run amazingly until like 20 minutes into the game we doubt Humble Hearts still updates Dust: AET anymore but if you do please fix this issue. P.S Dust: an Elysian tail is a god like game.
As of 1:56am today, a few days after purchasing this game, we have finished it. We initially came across this game through exploring some of the older works of the VAs here, but we suppose what made us stay was because it kinda reminded us of our childhood. We knew of the game in passing as we grew up, but we didnt really know the title or anything. We knew nothing about the content or concepts going in. Im gonna be honest, Im a student fresh out of high school freaking out about basically everything there is to freak out about, we barely made it out alive. We came to this game with the idea in mind to use it as a kind of comfort. We typically end up falling in love with older or lost content from either before we were born or from when we were too young to comprehend/be exposed to it. Its rather annoying if you ask us, but we digress. The world that we find ourselves in now isnt at all what we expected it to be. Its a bit of a clich to say maybe, but after Covid hit, we feel like everything shattered. We dont think enough people realize how much of a mass-psychosis were living in right now because of it, its not like anything was done about it. We feel like Im picking up the tinniest shards of ourselves and trying to fit them anywhere they could go. Its kinda funny how relatable Dust is in terms of character struggles for this era were in specifically. We mean, its not like having a life crisis is something thats only happened recently, but more people are having them now we think, and in a much heavier manner. We miss traditional animation all the time when we see new content, but we guess the industry may be changing right around now with the movies coming out most recently. We used to play games with our brother all the time, bright and early in the morning even, but its been years since weve done it. Our brother is also currently in a different state as of now, so its a bit hard to do nowadays regardless. We miss it Now for the actual review of the game itself! (THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE GAME) we suppose we feel the most inclined to say something about Fidget first. We have no idea how she was received when the game came out, but we get the feeling that some may have just pegged her as annoying and useless on principle (you know, if the accusers couldnt read or something). We like her a lot, shes definitely one of the better companions out there to have present throughout a journey. Shes ignorant about a few things, but it makes sense considering shes probably never left her people before, and it isnt painfully obnoxious like some characters. We like how this game handles tragedy, honestly we were a little shocked when the father in mudpot died, but it foreshadows the concepts the game ends off with nicely. The themes really make this game applicable to anyone. The hand-painted backgrounds and animations are gorgeous and provide interesting environments that arent super repetitive, and the little bit of 3D animation for Ahrah and the coins and such are a very nice touch. We think it lends itself quite well since Ahrah is technically a separate being and it probably made it easier to handle in making the game Im sure. All the characters we interact with are unique and devoid of same face syndrome, the monsters are all different and the banter we share with Fidget is fun (we love the occasional fourth wall breaks, it couldve easily been overdone but it didnt interfere with our immersion of the game for us). This game did comfort us, truly. Could just be because of the fact we made it that way in our head, but we really did enjoy it. Its a classic to us. We think Ill make a wax seal for Dust and Fidget if our sister can help fill-in the colors Im missing. We dont really anticipate anyone to read this, we are late after all, even missed the 10 year anniversary by a full year, but we guess we just couldnt stand not writing a review. Im just missing everything we have to leave behind already, we suppose.
Wow, just wow. This game aged super well for the time being. The Plot, the characters, everything. Is perfect. We love the effort put into this game, we hope those years of making the game was worth it! Oh yeah, and we may be a little late, but happy 10th anniversary. This game is one we will cherish. Super fun, and somehow addicting to.
The visuals, music, voice acting, story, all of it is excellent and is totally worth the price! Wish we could re-experience when we first played! Overall great! This is what makes a great game.
Enjoyed the heck out of this game. The fighting and gameplay is fun and rewarding. Love the Metroidvania aspect of the game. But where it really shines is the compelling story and characters. The voice acting is rather good. Its got controller support. Highly recommend this title for Metroidvania fans.
Im first played this game years ago on Xbox 360 and fell in love. With one of the most unique story lines we have ever played through it keeps they player engaged with not just the story but the characters, you meet so many and get attached to some. With side quests and different game difficultys its hard to ever get bored with this game. To anyone wondering if this is truly worth it, you just need to trust us and play it to believe it.
No other way to put it, its just a great game.
Dust was a fantastic game to play! The story and art was phenomenal. Theres also plenty of content in game to keep you busy. Its still so crazy how a game this fantastic manages to run on a phone. This is a must have game. The price is well worth it and you get so much content for it. We wish there we more games like Dust. Im a bit sad to say goodbye since we finished the game but it was a very enjoyable experience. Again we definitely recommend it.
Love it love it love it love it thanks so much for putting this on the iPad and iPhone and you did great.
This game is old and still better that pretty much everything in the App Store. Pay once and thats it. Awesome graphics and completely voice acted. Nuanced yet simple gameplay mechanics. Great with or without a controller.
The game is a classic arpg with stunning artwork and an epic ost. After replaying the game twice (2017 and 2021) we cant say our experience have been anything short of spectacular. Aside from the main quest there were plenty of areas to revisit for exploration and side quests. Not too much npcs or npc interactions but for this type of an 2D arpg format it was sufficient. The battle mechanics were smooth and seamless; the boss skills acquired after defeating bosses were quite a unique concept. The interaction between Dust and Figet had the yin and yang factor. The protagonist was taciturn and stoic; the side kick was humorous and verbose (Almost Banjo Kazooie esque, expect Banjo was clumsy and Kazoorie was hilariously eccentric). Dust and Figet were an epic duo on an epic adventure. The ending left us with wanting more. Hoping and waiting for part 2 to be released. One of our top 3 arpgs of all time.
The voice acting and hand drawn environments and characters alone make this game one of the best Ive ever played. But the incredible story is the most amazing and is what makes this game second to none. The cut scenes are beautiful and the gameplay has been well adapted for mobile. The plot line and characters are irresistible, making this game impossible to put down once you start. The fact that it is fully voiced is a quality that very, very few games have and the voices chosen absolutely fit the characters completely. It is truly a work of art. We are very glad to have played this game and experienced the masterfully crafted story and world. The characters of Dust:AET will forever have a place in our heart.
Im not ashamed to admit to that at all. It was so good, this is the first game we wrote about for our first (SFW) fanfic without using the word said as a personal challenge just for fun (from the prespective of the Fidget, the best side character in any video game; she needs more love) we beat this masterpeice twice on Xbox 360, twice on PC, now on mobile and the Switch will be next for sure, pouring countless hours into the game just listening to the slappin music! Our only complaint would be the time-trials, but with enough trial, there will be less error (pun intended) This game definatly deserves all the praise it gets, and Im still playing it to this day (in 2021) so they did something right! Cannot reccomend this game enough and looking forward to a sequal.
Amazing! Graphics are awesome and the whole plot is just so interesting! The ending was sad but amazing.
First if all this game is awesome we love the combat and everything and the story of how dust tries to recover his memories we havent finished the game but we would like to see a second game with the same characters but you control a different main character but dont worry Ill still be playing this game you dont have to make a second game if this but it would be a cool thought.
This game is not working on iOS 14 and after you choose a difficulty level, will have no video with just the audio in the background. Please fix.
We recently tried playing this game after updating to iOS 14 and at first it worked up until trying to reach the mountains in the north. The scree goes black and the audio plays but no display. We tried re-installing and now there is no display when starting a new game.
This game is amazing, and we would recommend it to anyone. The controls are fluid and the port to mobile from console is very impressive. Although, like our title says, we think the best way to experience it is on PS4, Switch, or even Steam. The voice acting is spot on in our opinion as is the dialogue. Also, FIDGET is amazing, funny, and just a great companion, who has a really good and helpful ability. This game definitely deserves 5 stars, and the experience is worth the price. However, as we mentioned above, we really think putting your money on the game towards the console or PC versions is the way to go. We got the iOS version first, and didn’t finish it, but then finished it out on PS4, and we enjoyed it on PS4 much more than on iOS. Either way you play it, you’re gonna have a good time with this one.
This was a great game and well worth the price. It combined some of our favorite genres together. Our only minor complaint is the platforming is a little harder because the touchscreen is not as good as a regular directional pad. Luckily there were not too many platforming parts.
We love this game. It has amazing art. Its fun. Its easy and hard. But, we found a glitch! So, we were playing, and then it showed the chapter 1 thing. And then it did it like three more times. We left the game and it was working again. Please fix this, but otherwise love the game.
We’re about 4 hours in on tough difficulty and this is a great game, props to the devs.
No complaints except we want a sequel where you can play as fidget well she searchs first dust on an ardeous journey.
We heard good things, but doubted. Just a cartoony, button-mashing beat ’em up, we thought. We were wrong. It is deep and lengthy and satisfying and story-driven and action-packed, with exploration and rpg elements. A gorgeous, captivating experience. Good. Fun.
We began playing and it wouldnt stop doing the beginning over and over again.
(No spoilers) Beautiful world building and characters with a deep and rich story. We were shocked at the ending, it was very heartfelt and unexpected. Not a super long game, but we can tell there was a lot of care that went to making it (longest game Ive played on an iPad for sure) Gameplay is pretty good on an iPad but a bit challenging at times (ex: crouching down is difficult as the game has a hard time differentiating finger gestures). Overall a good time and lots to do and see throughout.
This game is perfect. Great story and quest lines. Well designed gameplay. Worth a replay and another. Strive for perfection in the mini games and challenges if you have the skills. Kind of a cross between Diablo and Sonic the hedgehog. Pure fun. Not some click bait trap game. Worth every penny and more.
We got this game even though we were iffy about it. We looked through the reviews and convinced ourselves to get it. And honestly its one of our favorite short story games. We couldnt put down our phone. The story kept ahold of us and the sidequests were a nice add on. The battle aspect is nice and though its simple, its fun. Its an emotional game, thats for sure. We loved all parts of this game and it was worth every penny.
Simply a masterpiece. The art, story, action, and music combine to make a near perfect game. The world and voice acting is so immersive we cant believe something like this exists on the app store. 11/10 would buy again and again.
Great voice acting, beautiful music, nicely drawn and animated characters. Overall story is a little bit childish and silly, plus some of the characters are a little too Disney-ish. Plus you get powerful very quick in the game, and the difficulty never really catches quite up to how it is in the first 1-2 hours because youre so powerful. Still, you manage to die here and there, and its a good time beating up all the villains. Plus the voice of your sidekick is adorable. Overall, a nice fun innocent polished game. Keep in mind that those combos rely heavily on timing, and are quite fun once you get good at them! 5 stars.
Id love a sequel to this game. This is by far the cutest game that has combat abilities as well as some cute characters and some cool characters and we really hope if you do make the sequel dust is back kinda like a respawn thing where he has all his memories from the first game and id like it if its the same price as this game it doesnt have to be tho. This games ending tho it didnt make us cry for some odd reason it still made us sad to know that dust died but the rest after the end of the fighting place you see this glowing thing flying somewhere and we were wondering was that dust being spawned again.
They perfectly captured the game on mobile, with many ways to customize the controls this has to be one of the best versions of dust. On a greater scale, the game dust has an amazing story for casual and and pros alike.
Im usually too lazy to write reviews, but by ruddy King George, this game is worth buying. First off, we were surprised at the vastness of Dust. Its a huge game for the price. We just finished our first play-through and feel like we missed a lot. It definitely has replay ability, and Ill be playing again soon. The only complaint we have is that sometimes it is difficult to tell whats going on during combat when there are several enemies on the screen at the same time. However, this barely diminishes the overall pleasure we derive from playing this amazing game. We would highly recommend this to any platform fans out there. Please tell us there is a sequel.
We did not know this games was 6 or 5 years ago but still amazing gameplay "For Modern Future" Rated:.
This game taught us an incredible story in loss of memories, and regain from the past. Showed us a pattern of a humanitarian effort to rectify the past. Also, the responsiveness of the digital buttons, albeit sensitive, did not take our mind off the immersion in-game. Thank you.
Highly recommended game no in app purchase crap and a great value for the money.
This is an absolutely gorgeous game: the graphics and frame-flow are simply amazing. The controls are simple enough for anyone to master quickly. Its INCREDIBLY fun and can be both casually enjoyable while at times also rigorously challenging. Would recommend to ANYONE.
This game made us cry when we finished it, but we want more of Dust. Anyway, the graphics are awesome, storyline: awesome, controls: awesome, everything: AWESOME! We owned this game on X Box 360, and never got passed Fuse. Never expected what was to come next. But all in all we love this game to bits, and it is worth the money.
We really love this game, it’s nicely done and the graphics are beautiful. The controls are easy to use especially in battle! The voice acting is on point! It’s so exciting and it’s one of the best games we’ve ever played! We say thanks to the creators of this game and we would definitely love to see another part to this game it’s amazing.
We cant tell you enough how much we love this game! From the smooth animation, to the perfect plot, theres just too much to love about it! Recently its became available on the Switch, and its just as good as mobile, and console. Im hoping that since its been released on the Switch, and that more people will become fans of it, that therell be another game?? It leaves us on a cliffhanger, and Im hoping that means a sequel? We dunno, but this game is just amazing, and even if there isnt a sequel, we hope you download it.
This game is absolutely amazing even on a phone and after finishing this game we really wish there was a new game+ because we havent done any of the side quests but what we really want to know is what happens to arah.
Download it, and you will agree. Nothing in the App Store comes close to even rivaling Dust – An Elysian Tale, save for Grimvalor.
This was a pretty good game, was fun and we enjoyed the story, but the only complaint we have is the bosses were a bit too easy.
We absolutely love this game, Ive bought it on every console we own! Im honestly not sure what we like best about it, from the crafting to the combos, to the stunning scenery and crafty map design (seriously on hardcore we spent 4 hours trying to get through the caverns, CURSE THOSE POISON MUSHROOMS) we bought this game and was very impressed by how customizable the controls were you can move each button to anywhere on the screen! Anyways if you like side scrolling RPGs look no further because this is the pinnacle.
Loved every minute of this game. Amazing graphics, gameplay and storyline!! We need more games like this in our life.
Its hard to find a great side scrollers. Its even harder to find one with a great story. This has that plus button mashing controls with quest matching story. If your old school gamer this is the right game for you. A new game with touch of old.
Dust is one of those rare games, on any platform, that you wish you had never played so you could experience it again for the first time. We hope another Elysian Tail is in the works.
It was our favorite game on the Xbox 360 and now that its on mobile its even better.we LOVE THIS GAME.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.7
- Size: 917.17 MB
- iOS: 9.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory: Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes, Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
- Developer: Humble Hearts LLC
Last updated: 16th November 2017 | Genre: Role Playing, Action | Developer: Humble Hearts LLC