When comparing Axiom Verge vs Dustforce, the Slant community recommends Axiom Verge for most people. In the question“What are the best indie games on Steam?” Axiom Verge is ranked 45th while Dustforce is ranked 56th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Great soundtrack
Pro Retro feel with a modern spin
Provides a good change of pace to what many modern titles offer. Axiom Verge is a well crafted combination of the original Metroid 2D platformer style, with unique game mechanics that make it refreshing.
Pro Somewhat complex story
While maybe not necessarily mind-blowing, it does have some interesting twists that one usually is more likely to find in movies rather than games. Also multiple endings.
Pro Tons of power ups to collect
In addition to having lots of things to find, the power ups give you diverse abilities that allow you to interact with the world in new unique ways.
Pro Beautiful art and environments
Pro Keeps player coming back for more
In order to perfect a level there needs to be a lot of abuse beforehand, a lot of deaths. But once it all falls into place there is no better feeling of mastering a level.
Pro Concise tutorial
Dustforce has a very detailed tutorial that teaches the player all of the ins and outs of the gameplay.
Cons
Con Poor weapon design
There are a ton of weapons, but most of them lack purpose. You end up sticking with just a few.
Con Not modern enough
It's intentionally retro style makes the world monotonous and dead compared to modern Metroidvania's.
Con Soundtrack can feel repetitive
While the soundtrack has some great electronic music, it can start feeling repetitive over long play sessions, especially when you find yourself just wandering around, looking for items or the next destination.
Con Too short
And no reason to replay.
Con Only local multiplayer
Sadly the multiplayer aspect of Dustforce is local only. For PC gaming to exclude online multiplayer (when there are multiplayer modes) is an odd choice as the platform lends itself better to online play more so than sharing a single monitor.