We’ve all been looking for that Fallout Tactics feeling again. It’s really hard to nail that specific isometric chaos. We’ve been chasing that dream for decades. It simply never fades. Dustwind: Resistance does a fair job of filling that gap. Not everything has to be a massive AAA blockbuster here. When done correctly, a gritty little game can offer dozens of hours of pure nostalgic fun. We definitely appreciated that.
Chasing the dream with:
- Real-Time with Pause
- Auto-Targeting and Friendly Fire
- Environmental Combat
Hey, we did an amazing interview as well with Dimitri Zaitsev, the creative director, please check it out here:
Pause in the Dirt
Unlike what you might have initially thought, Dustwind: Resistance has real-time shooting, but you can pause the chaos whenever you want. You and your doggo may have started as farmers, but this game takes you on an adventure of fighting a bunch of angry raiders.
When things get uncontrollably loud and you feel like it’s hard to breathe, you simply hit pause. Blessed in this timeless limbo, you get to reorient yourself, tell your squad where to walk, who to shoot, and which body part to aim for. You can also sneak around. Or set traps. We saw a car and thought how fun it would be if we could use it to run baddies over. And then the game let us. Yeah, the devs are cool like that.
Never a dull moment
Things can get really messy really fast, though. The enemies hit hard, and their gear gets better right alongside yours. We found out the hard way that friendly fire is brutal. We thought our machine guy would be more careful when our melee guy stepped in front of the line of fire. Nope, insta shredded. This can be very tricky and we had to constantly think about repositioning. We’re not saying we don’t like it, but it sure makes every shootout feel dangerous.
A prequel DLC titled Tunnels of Death was announced for June 2026. You’re in control of Jake’s father, Harlan. Everything is happening twenty years before the main campaign.
Closing the Toolbox
Dustwind: Resistance is set in its own unique ways and, as such, it asks for some patience. We couldn’t instantly jump in and feel at home. We had to learn the hard way and get used to the slow pace. But this is an old-school strategy game through and through, and if we love one thing, it’s that. So, if you’re like us, then you definitely shouldn’t miss the opportunity.
ID Card:
- Developer: Dustwind Studios, Z-Software
- Publisher: Z-Software GmbH
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Release Date: June 18, 2025
- Genre: Isometric Real-Time Tactics
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