Dusk and Dawn (video game)

Dusk and Dawn is a platform video game based on the 2002 MGM animated film of the same name. It was published by EA Games and developed by EA Redwood Shores for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube and was ported by Griptonite Games for Game Boy Advance. Upon release, the game received a mixed to positive reception.

Most of the film's main cast including Gregory Smith and Zooey Deschanel as the titular protagonists reprised their roles in the game, with the exceptions of Anthony Hopkins, Christine Baranski, Dan Aykroyd and Keith David, who were replaced by Jess Harnell, Susanne Blakeslee, Jeff Bennett and Kevin Michael Richardson as Twilight, Sun, Light and Elder Ja, respectively.

Gameplay
For the console versions of the game, its gameplay is very similar to that of Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee albeit with some minor differences, and the goal is to complete over 20 different levels under the roles of film protagonists Dusk or Dawn with an ability to switch control. The pair can perform standard moves such as jump and attack through powers. In addition, the player collects magic orbs, which can be used for opening some locked doors. Other features include Dusk and Dawn's abilities to pick up objects and people, push objects, and different power-ups, such as the Boost, which increases speed for a limited time. Dusk and Dawn can also swim in water. Each character has their own different ability. One example is that Dawn can glide in midair by using her powers, while Dusk cannot.

The game also has a competitive mode, where two players compete against each other to the finish line, as either Dusk or Dawn, in a split-screen race through three of the regular levels and a special stage. After one player finishes one of the regular levels, the other player must finish the zone within 60 seconds, or the level ends instantly. In the regular levels, players are ranked in five areas (items held at the end of the level, total orbs collected, and the number of item boxes broken). The player with wins in the most number of categories wins the level. In the Special Stage, players compete to obtain the most orbs. The mode ends when all stages have been completed, or if a player loses all their lives, in which their opponent will automatically win.

The Game Boy Advance version is an isometric platformer, developed by Griptonite Games. The story of the game is a compressed version of the movie it is based on.

Plot
The game closely follows the plot of Dusk and Dawn, with some minor differences.

In a world where parts of a day are depicted as beings, Twilight creates his darker stage Dusk in order to collect times and stages for Twilight so that he can grain his energy after sunset. Elsewhere, Sun creates Dawn, the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise. Dusk is a social outcast from the others in Twilight's palace due to frequently messing things up by accident. Though he is unconditionally supported by Twilight, Dusk dreams for more in life than the palace's bleak existence collecting stages. In Sun's palace, Dawn is dissatisfied with her life there and is fascinated by the outside world. She ignores the warnings of Sun and her loyal friend Light, who serves as her adviser, that contact of Sun and Twilight's sides is forbidden.

One day, a battle ensues at Sun's palace where a couple of Twilight's tribe breaks in to imprison their rivals Sun and her people except Dawn who is separated from everyone else and crashes onto Twilight's palace, where she encounters Dusk. While hiding her from Twilight's tribe due to the fact that the people from Sun's palace are outlawed in Twilight's, Dusk gains Dawn's trust by keeping her safe in his house and giving her some food to eat. Realizing Dawn is not a threat, the two begin to bond and spend time with each other, as well as showing off their special abilities. However, Dusk later discovers that Dawn is desperate and worried about her home as she feels like she doesn't fit in Twilight's palace, making her an outcast just like Dusk. She convinces Dusk to make a deal to help her return, and Dusk disguises her as a member in Twilight's group named "Daisy" but her cover is later blown and Dawn gets captured by Twilight's guards, getting both herself and Dusk in trouble.

Dusk is admonished by Twilight's advisors Elders Jo, Ji and Ja and the royal council of Twilight's palace, while Dawn is convicted and sentenced to the Void of Shame—where people get sent and fade away in existence for breaking the laws—but Dusk earnestly encourages the council to retrieve her to Sun's palace in order to prevent further dangers that could destroy both Twilight and Sun's reputations. The council sees it as a way to get rid of Dawn and sends the pair off. Meanwhile, Sun instructs Light to find and rescue Dawn from Twilight's side upon learning of her predicament.

During their journey to Sun's palace, Dusk and Dawn are soon caught in a net and are released by a tribe of troll-like humanoid creatures known as "critters" including the leader Keeper who reveal that they know the way to Dawn's home, but challenge the pair to stay for a night first before they can leave. The next morning, the critter tribe lets Dusk and Dawn go, leading them across a bridge to the palace. However, when the pair almost reached the end, the bridge snaps, causing them to fall into a river where they are thrown off a waterfall. Exhausted, Dusk decides to give up but Dawn realizes that she and Dusk are almost near her home. On the way, Light arrives and becomes thrilled when he eventually finds the pair, whom he helps them reach the palace.

The pair enter the entrance of Sun's palace where they find a book about the history of parts of a day, containing "the dusk till dawn" moral which acknowledges the relationship between the two. But learning of their appearances, Dawn realizes she is home and bids farewell to Dusk while Light takes her back. However, Twilight's army captures Dawn and Light, but Dawn interferes long enough for Light to escape and ends up being captured instead. Twilight's army takes Dawn to the main room where Sun and her tribe were imprisoned. There, she discovers Twilight, who reveals that he is planning to capture all the lights around the world, making it all dark and night forever.

Meanwhile, Light comes back to Dusk and tells him that Dawn has been captured. The two manage to rescue Dawn, Sun and their other people with the help of Keeper and his tribe and return as well as Dusk's friends Tio, Mark, Sparkle, and Miss Night to the palace where they defeat Twilight's army and free the imprisoned people including Dawn and Sun before Twilight confronts them. When Dusk refuses Twilight's orders to transform Sun's people into dark and night, citing Dawn's teachings, Twilight uses power to control Sun's people while making them transform into their night forms to attack Dusk for disobeying. However, the sun rises which causes the possessed people to turn back to normal. Dawn tells Twilight and his tribe that she and her people are harmless, making Twilight's army isolate him for tricking them.

With Dusk encouraging him to have a change of heart, Twilight eventually apologizes to Sun's people for his misdeed; both sides make peace and become close allies rather than rivals. Dusk is praised for his heroism and lives happily ever after with Dawn, resuming their relationship.

Dusk's Adventure

 * The Forest/Tutorial
 * Twilight's Palace

Dawn's Escape

 * Sun's Tower
 * The Storehouse
 * Sunbeam Circle
 * The Sunrise Palace (Boss: Bear)

United

 * Moonlight Fields
 * Star Harbor
 * Zodiacal Wilderness
 * Star Fortress
 * Downvillage (Boss: Rock Monster)

The Duo's Journey

 * Haze Forest
 * Dark Land
 * Rainbow Caves
 * Keeper's Tribe
 * River Village
 * Aurora Falls

Back at Sun's Palace

 * Sun's Entrance
 * Subsun Suites
 * The Sun Quarters (Boss: Twilight and Possessed Dawn and Sun)

Voice cast

 * Gregory Smith - Dusk
 * Zooey Deschanel - Dawn
 * Jess Harnell - Twilight
 * Susanne Blakeslee - Sun, Lady Rainbow
 * Jeff Bennett - Light
 * Billy West - Keeper, Judge, Tick-Tock Guy
 * John Cusack - Elder Jo
 * Jennifer Hale - Elder Ji
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Elder Ja
 * Craig Ferguson - Tio
 * Tom Kenny - Mark, Teacher Ted
 * Jim Cummings - Sparkle
 * Jennifer Darling - Miss Night

Development
On August 29, 2001, Electronic Arts acquired the license to produce Dusk and Dawn video games. EA Redwood Shores were to develop the console versions while Griptonite Games would develop a Game Boy Advance version. EA Games published the game while MGM Interactive produced it.

Differences from the film
To be added

Reception
Dusk and Dawn received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

Cover arts
To be added

Screenshots
Coming soon!

Miscellaneous
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Trivia
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