From Dust

Key features

The game, created by Eric Chahi, was developed and released by Ubisoft in 2011 for consoles like Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The game is often considered as the successor to the late eighties game Populous. The game develops it plot around mysterious being The Breath, which was called by the natives to return long-lost knowledge. The player takes control of the mouse cursor. It can influence different substances and elements like lava, earth or water. The player has the opportunity to help the natives overcome everyday problems, for example, with the search for totems or with the elimination of the consequences of the typhoon.

Developer’s return

The game originally supposed to be a real-time strategy and the return project for Eric Chahi to the company after a study break. The transformation of matter in the game is quite elaborated: lava can cool down to the state of stone, plants grow only on fertile soil, various weather conditions and cataclysms are simulated. The player controls a spherical cursor that is able to change matter and thereby help the natives. Structurally, the game consists of several missions that are linked together by a single story about a tribe of islanders and their quest for finding lost knowledge. The game has two modes: Story and Challenge mode.