When we were first approached with DUST by Joshua Ehrlich and Danielle Reynolds, we were shown just a deck of cards. "How does it play?" we asked. "Flip the first card," said Danielle, grinning. "It'll show you."
That is how we first met with this adventure game without a rulebook, a video game made analog before our very eyes.
DUST just had previews at Origins 2026 and Gen Con 2026, with the helpful show-off of the digital demo. This is all part of a tricky thing- how to tell you about a game that is best experienced knowing... nothing?
So what exactly is DUST?
- DUST is an adventure game for 1-ish players.
- The game starts once you open the box and read the first instruction.
- It broadly includes open world movement, resource management, abilities, quests, and an unfolding story.
- It has multiple endings.
- It includes over a hundred pages of 'cut scenes' in the form of a graphic novel.
DUST is an incredibly design and development feat, with so much game crammed into the box it'll keep you busy for up to six hours. And while it is for one player, nothing is stopping two or three from gathering on the same side of the table and working through the journey together. If you have a chance to grab a copy in person, we will have advance copies at PAX Unplugged, with a full release and fulfillment of pre-orders in January 2027.
What will you do when you find yourself in purgatory?