Dread Delusion: An interesting retro open world

Given the success of Hades II and Clair Obscur, it seems the Indie gaming sphere is going places with bold ideas. Considering the heavy studio closures for any game that does not meet a certain executive expectations, we are seeing a lot of similar games or remakes coming from larger studios.

This is where Indie gaming has stepped up to showcase innovation and display a love for gaming genres, especially those keeping the retro aesthetic alive. Dread Delusion is one such game that harks back to a time where gaming was not about the best graphical tech, but rather core gameplay mechanics and exploration. 

Following a cataclysm that rendered the planet’s surface an uninhabitable wasteland, humanity fled to the Oneric Isles, shards of land floating within a surreal, neon-soaked sky. You play a prisoner of the Apostatic Union, a god-fearing empire that also hates gods; you are given a choice: rot in a cell or hunt down the world’s most dangerous outlaw, Vela Callose.

Your journey sends you across a fragmented floating archipelago as you deal with a civilisation holding on by their fingernails, flitting between refuge with dying gods or trusting logic to help save a world that is dissolving under neon skies. 

Dread Delusion pays homage to a genre of RPGs that today’s greats such as Witcher 3 and Skyrim are based on. It is not just the chunky retro 3D aesthetic that contributes to this, but also everything from movement to inventory management and interaction with the weird denizens of the Oneric Isles, that hark back to a time of role playing games and finding a strong foothold in a world dominated by Doom and Quake first person shooters. 

While the story in itself is thought provoking as is the world building, what stands out is the exploration — a mixture of intrigue and nostalgia that bring to mind playing Arena and Daggerfall, two of the earliest Elder Scrolls games.

For those who do not know, Oblivion and Skyrim are also Elder Scrolls games. Dread Delusion’s world, however, reminds one of Morrowind in its creativity that offers an astounding amount of freedom as you work your way across this world where magic is meshed into clockwork technology.

While the characters are good, especially Vela Callose, there are a few pacing issues that are not game breaking, but tend to slow or speed up the momentum a bit.

Played in the first person, Dread Delusion’s combat system works, and while it lacks the depth of many games, for the most part it is not the main focus of the game. I get the sense that it aims to mimic the simple but effective combat of the games it is inspired from, with fluid movement, a decent magic system and list of spells, with swordplay and a rudimentary parry system. It works, but the game is a sum and balance of all its parts. 

Focusing on exploration and interactions, I found it memorable both in its linearity and verticality. When you unlock the airship later in the game you can explore the islands more freely, though when you start off, the world opens to you one sliver at a time, each island with its own problems, people and distinct aesthetic.

The game offers several choices to charm or barter your way through. Across it all, there is one theme: people wanting order away from the gods, with others risking it all just to worship the divines.

As someone who has sunk hundreds of hours in Daggerfall and Ultima, Dread Delusion is appealing because of the chunky 3D aesthetic. While this may not be everyone’s cup of polygons and pixels, given how successful Minecraft, which sports the same 3D style is, you will feel at home here. The colours are bright, saturated and gorgeous and the character designs are unique. 

Dread Delusion is a competent retro role playing game that pays wonderful homage to a genre long past with really good world building. And while it has been around since 2024 on PC, it is now available on consoles as well.