Dungeons of Dusk turns the gritty boomer shooter Dusk into a turn-based dungeon crawler

Why this matters: the Dusk I know just became a tactics game

This caught my attention because Dusk is one of those rare modern boomer shooters that actually feels like it learned the right lessons from Doom and Quake – fast movement, filthy corridors, and weapons that reward panic and precision. Turning that DNA into a turn-based, grid-based dungeon crawler is a bold pivot. For players, it changes the core experience: momentum and twitch reflexes give way to planning, resource juggling, and risk management. That shift could either be a genius re-skinning that deepens the lore between episodes, or a weird detour that leaves shooter fans cold.

• Key takeaway: Dungeons of Dusk is a tactical spin-off of David Szymanski’s Dusk due in 2026, not a sequel.
• It offers a 30-level campaign, survival mode with permadeath, arena and boss-rush modes, plus a skill tree, morale and technique systems.
• Developed by 68k Studios (grid-based RPG specialists) and published by New Blood Interactive – Szymanski isn’t leading development.
• Wishlist is open on Steam; trailer shows fast-paced turns, but real feel will depend on encounter design and RNG balance.

Breaking down the spin-off: what this actually is

Don’t be fooled by the aesthetic. Screenshots lean hard into the retro look that made Dusk a cult hit, but gameplay is grid-based and turn-driven. Movement becomes tiles and 90-degree turns instead of fluid strafing; attacks consume technique points and actions are gated by a morale meter. That design suggests a tighter, almost board-game-like rhythm where every choice matters – but also raises obvious questions: how well will the game translate the breakneck tension of a boomer shooter into a tactical cadence? Will enemy patterns and level design keep the same nasty surprises, or will it devolve into predictable chess puzzles?

Why 68k Studios and New Blood is a logical (and telling) combo

New Blood publishing this is unsurprising — the studio built its brand on retro-leaning shooters and weird experimental projects. But Szymanski isn’t the lead here: 68k Studios, known for grid-based RPGs, is developing. That’s important. It means the tactical systems probably won’t be tacked on; they’ll be central and (hopefully) well-executed. Fans should temper expectations for a Dusk sequel and instead view this as a parallel project that explores the franchise’s lore and combat through a different lens.

What gamers should be skeptical about — and pumped for

Pumped: the variety. A 30-level campaign plus survival with permadeath, arena and boss-rush modes promise both a curated story and high-replayability. The skill tree and systems like morale and technique hint at build diversity and tactical trade-offs — exactly the kind of toys that make dungeon-crawlers addictive.

Skeptical: “randomly generated dungeons” and permadeath sell well in trailers, but quality matters. Random generation can be a killer or a crutch; if levels loop into same-feeling tilesets and cheap RNG bosses, permadeath will feel punitive rather than rewarding. Another question: who is the target player? Classic Dusk fans who live for strafing and rocket-jumping may feel disconnected, while tactical RPG players unfamiliar with the IP might miss what made Dusk special.

Also worth watching: balance. Technique points and morale sound like resource sinks to limit spamming powerful moves — smart on paper, but only if each encounter is tuned so choices are meaningful. And how much narrative bridging will be here? The spin-off’s setting “between episodes” is a neat lore angle, but will it matter beyond cameo enemies and atmosphere?

Why now: the retro remix trend continues

We’re deep into a phase where older genres are being remixed — retro shooters get roguelite coats, narrative games get FPS mechanics, and now a boomer shooter becomes a grid-based tactical RPG. Why now? Developers and players both love mashups that honor nostalgia while experimenting with new gameplay loops. If 68k Studios nails this, Dungeons of Dusk could be a case study for how to expand a franchise without turning it into a cash-grab spin-off.

TL;DR

Dungeons of Dusk looks like a clever genre swap: Dusk’s grime and aesthetic, filtered through a tactical, turn-based lens with a 30-level campaign and permadeath survival modes. I’m intrigued because the teams involved suggest this isn’t a lazy port — but I’m wary until I see whether the RNG, level design, and systems make for tense choices instead of tedious repetition. Wishlist it if you like experimental crossovers; don’t expect it to play like the original Dusk.