Dust: An Elysian Tail – Porting a One-Man Masterpiece to PS4

Title: Dust: An Elysian Tail
Release Date: 2014
Developer: Humble Hearts
Publisher: Humble Hearts / Microsoft Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Engine: XNA/FNA

Dust: An Elysian Tail is a hand-animated action-RPG Metroidvania built by Dean Dodrill of Humble Hearts, originally for Xbox 360 using Microsoft’s XNA framework. Sickhead handled the PS4 port, which shipped in October 2014 as a free title for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

The core challenge was the engine. XNA doesn’t run on PlayStation hardware, and Sickhead’s solution was MonoGame, the open-source XNA reimplementation that Sickhead’s own Tom Spilman helped bring to PS4. That work made it possible to get XNA games running natively on Sony hardware without rewriting the game itself. On top of that, Dust’s combat is particle-heavy by design; the Dust Storm move can put hundreds of effects on screen simultaneously, and that needed to hold up at consistent frame rates. It did. The port landed on time for a high-visibility PS Plus launch.

Sickhead Games is the leading game porting studio, skilled in porting Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to every major console and handheld including Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. We’re trusted by solo indie developers and major publishers alike to handle everything from codebase assessment to post-launch support, bringing great games to the audiences they deserve. Satisfied clients and partners include Humble Games, Sony Interactive, Nintendo, Annapurna, Good Games, ConcernedApe, MegaCrit, 17-Bit, Maddy Makes Games, Zachtronics, Keen Software House, Thomas Happ, Pocketwatch Games, EXOK, Young Horses, Taito, Jaleco, and Microsoft. We’ve ported over 100 releases including Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, TowerFall, Axiom Verge, and Space Engineers, and also specialize in bringing retro console and PC games to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.