Developer: 10tons Ltd
Publisher: 10tons Ltd
Release Date: 19th January 2022
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
▫️ Code provided by the publisher ▫️
Let’s be real for a moment. The world is in trouble. It’s being destroyed – and we are the cause. This is somewhat inevitable. So what if, just for a moment, we just accept this fact and, heck, just help things along. Let’s destroy the world. You in? Alright, good, because that’s what Dysmantle is all about. It’s a survival game where you not only fight off the undead, but also dismantle almost the entire world one item at a time. Let’s take a look at what makes Dysmantle such an interesting game that you should definitely check out!
You against the world
The world of Dysmantle is in pretty bad shape. Stuck on an island overrun by the undead, you’re the only human left alive. Thankfully you’ve got a crowbar, a tireless arm, and the will to do whatever it takes to survive. Dysmantle is a survival game, but not one where you ever have to worry about food or water. Instead, you’ll worry about surviving a world filled to the brim with things looking to kill you. Oh and turrets that will mow you down in seconds. Or holes to fall into. Or the weather trying to do you in. It’s a brutal world. Thankfully, you’ve got access to the tools required to survive. You just have to make them.
The game is pretty light on actual story, but it’s got environmental storytelling in spades. Even if the world is the literal opposite of alive, it feels very (previously) lived in. There are a ton of amazing details all over the sizable map telling you the story of the people who once were – and what might have happened to them. You have to piece a lot of it together yourself, but that’s part of the fun.
Exploration with a capital E
As I said, the world of Dysmantle is quite large. Honestly, I’d maybe even qualify it as huge. After playing for just over 40 hours, I still haven’t fully explored every part of it. I still have things to find, secrets to uncover, challenges to overcome, thousands of undead to kill, and probably thousands of items yet to dismantle. And that’s very much the name of the game (see what I did there?).
Dysmantle starts off quite slow. You have a small inventory, low strength, and you’re only able to destroy a handful of things. As you level up and gather more resources, however, you get access to an increasing number of tools, trinkets, equipment, and features. You can destroy more things, and what was once an obstacle is suddenly merely a brief distraction. Once you reach the later stages of the game, not even walls will stand in your way. Officially, 99% of the objects in the world can be destroyed by the end. Think about that for a second. It’s pretty wild, right?
So how does it work? Destroy a cupboard and it turns into a few pieces of wood. Destroy a bed and it will provide wood and linen. Destroy a toilet and get some porcelaine. You then use these parts to make your own things, either by inventing new things, or upgrading the stuff you already have. As you get better tools, you can destroy increasingly harder-to-destroy items for higher quality and rarer resources. Everything has a use.
Part of what makes Dysmantle great is the constant sense of progression. Not only are you unlocking new things as you level up, you’re also picking new perks each time. Want to get wildlife fighting by your side? What about making your turrets stronger? Or maybe you just want more luck when searching for resources. The choice is yours. In addition, you’ve got access to a pretty sizable research tree with things that will take you dozens of hours to unlock. Oh and parts of the tree are hidden, and only reveal themselves once you meet certain criteria.
On top of that, the game tracks pretty much everything. You can always see how far you’ve traveled, how many animals you’ve hunted, how many items you’ve deposited in your chest, and more – and all of these are recorded as medals of different tiers, which turns even the most mundane into its own little progress bar. You also become able to permanently rid areas of the undead, which is really satisfying as well – and you’ll need the unique resources dropped by them when they’re dealt with for good. Everything you do matters, and that feels pretty great.
Lots to do
Right, so we’ve already covered a bunch of the things you’ll be getting up to in Dysmantle, but wait, there’s more! In addition to exploring a world, destroying everything, and following the main story in an attempt to escape the island, you’ve got a number of distractions keeping you busy as well. This includes stuff like fishing, overcoming combat challenges, completing tomb puzzles, and trying to get timed chests that close a certain time after you rest at the nearest campfire.
There are also a number of side quests that add additional lore and story, and sometimes they’ll require you to put that brain that the undead love so much to use to figure out a secret or two. Not everything is a quest marker, which is refreshing. All of this, as with everything else, is fully tracked in the game, so you can always see exactly what you’ve got left to do in each area of the island – and absolutely nothing is missable.
So, what’s the catch?
Honestly, there isn’t really one. Dysmantle is fantastic. It starts off a little slow, but once you unlock more things, it only gets better from there, and it will take you dozens of hours to unlock everything. I guess the one thing I wish was even better would be enemy variety. With a dozen regular enemy types, including two deadly plants, I would have loved more of them – especially considering you’ll be killing (or sometimes avoiding) thousands of enemies by the time you reach the end. There are a few bosses too, though most of the key ones are just variations of an otherwise identical robot.
The game does feature local co-op too, though I really wish it was online as well. This is definitely a minor gripe, however, and this game is great fun even when played solo, which was what I did.
Verdict
So, should you pick up Dysmantle? I definitely think so. While I would have liked a little more enemy variety, the game does offer a fascinating world that’s full of fun things to explore – and ultimately dismantle. Breaking down a wall, outsmarting a turret, or smacking an unaware undead over the head with a sledgehammer simply never gets old!
-K.A. Pedersen