BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 353 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION Game Cover
Beautiful Desolation looks incredible and the world is unlike any other, but the gameplay and bugs can often spoil the fun.
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"Beautiful Desolation" is an isometric adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world influenced by African culture and advanced technologies. As Mark, you search for your lost brother while navigating conflicts, making tough choices, and encountering various inhabitants, some friendly and others hostile. Explore ruins of the past and shape the future through your actions in this visually striking setting.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 353 reviews
story122 positive mentions
grinding24 negative mentions
  • Beautiful Desolation features stunning visuals and a unique setting that immerses players in a futuristic South Africa filled with bizarre characters and cultures.
  • The game offers a compelling narrative with meaningful choices that impact the story and its characters, providing a sense of agency and replayability.
  • The voice acting and sound design are well-executed, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional depth of the game.
  • The gameplay can be tedious, with a lot of backtracking and pixel hunting for items, which can lead to frustration and confusion about where to go next.
  • Some puzzles lack clear logic, making it difficult for players to progress without resorting to guides or walkthroughs.
  • The absence of a quest log or clear objectives can leave players feeling lost, as important tasks and items may not be easily identifiable.
  • story328 mentions

    The story of "Beautiful Desolation" is praised for its originality and depth, set in a unique post-apocalyptic South African landscape that combines sci-fi elements with rich world-building. Players appreciate the branching narrative and the impact of their choices, although many express frustration with the game's reliance on fetch quests and lack of clear direction, which can make the plot feel convoluted and tedious at times. Overall, while the story is compelling and visually stunning, the gameplay mechanics detract from the narrative experience for some players.

    • “The story imagines a sci-fi world that is truly original, even weird for weirdness' sake. This game is a dialogue-heavy, puzzle-light adventure game that is well worth the asking price as a narrative experience.”
    • “The story was very enjoyable as well, with moments of triumph balanced by moments of poignancy, interspersed with some great humor.”
    • “Beautiful desolation is a stunningly beautiful adventure game with a great story and well-written characters.”
    • “The entire game is a giant fetch quest simulator; go here, go there, take this item and open that conversation. The game world is big but filled with empty spaces with almost no meaningful exploration.”
    • “The story is complicated as hell and logically very messy to navigate.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game is really bad at keeping track of the various quests that you'll be taking on.”
  • graphics107 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals, unique art style, and high-quality cutscenes, often described as beautiful and immersive, particularly in the context of a post-apocalyptic setting. However, some players noted issues with clarity and navigation due to cluttered designs, which can make it difficult to discern paths and interactable areas. Overall, while the graphics are a standout feature, they are sometimes overshadowed by gameplay and narrative shortcomings.

    • “Absolutely beautiful visuals and sound design.”
    • “The graphics are amazing and really suck you into this world.”
    • “With its gorgeous graphics and landscapes blending dystopian and sci-fi, with a fusion of African culture, you cannot help but be drawn into this world and it will live long in the memory.”
    • “I just wish the game was more intuitive and had better graphics.”
    • “The graphics are terrible, so it's very difficult to tell looking from the top-down view where you can actually walk to and where you can't.”
    • “Graphics in this game are hand-drawn, varied, and often well-done, but also often look a bit blurry, as if the source image was drawn in a relatively low resolution.”
  • gameplay98 mentions

    The gameplay of "Desolation" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and lacking depth. While the point-and-click mechanics and RPG elements are appreciated, the gameplay loop often revolves around repetitive fetch quests and simplistic puzzles, leading to a sense of aimlessness and frustration. Despite its beautiful art and sound design, the overall execution of gameplay mechanics feels clunky and underdeveloped, leaving players wishing for more engaging and varied interactions.

    • “Gorgeous end to end, excellent audio design, wonderful companions, and a new spin on traditional adventure mechanics.”
    • “Gameplay consists mostly of three elements: conversations, puzzle-solving, and exploration.”
    • “Great story, nice sightseeing of post-apocalyptic scenery, entertaining point-and-click-like elements (inventory, items combining, using them in the game world), relaxing gameplay, you won’t fight, you have no time limit whatsoever.”
    • “The gameplay is severely lacking and I had to drag myself to the end of the game.”
    • “Gameplay is also lacking because there's barely any interesting, challenging, ingenious puzzles; you just run between different characters to hand them different items, that's the whole ingenuity of the developers.”
    • “What this needs is another gameplay element spaced through instead of 'go to A, teleport to B, go to C, return to A'.”
  • music48 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the exceptional work of composer Mick Gordon. The soundtrack is described as both haunting and fitting, enhancing the game's visuals and overall experience, while also being complemented by high-quality voice acting. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's engaging ambiance and storytelling.

    • “The soundtrack is great, made by Mick Gordon, perfectly enhancing the broken alien-like world you find yourself in.”
    • “The music varies from sometimes understated to bombastic and brilliant, and fits the world perfectly.”
    • “A bewitching visual picture of the majestic landscapes opening in front of you, accompanied by the music of Mick Gordon, often makes you dumbfounded with delight.”
    • “Brotherhood, I love your incredible art style and hiring Mick Gordon to do the soundtrack was a genius move since the soundtrack is ace, but the gameplay ruined everything for me.”
    • “The game is most of the time silent, but when music plays, it is powerful.”
    • “I must admit that I was initially tantalized by the promise of a new Mick Gordon soundtrack, but this game gave me something so much more endearing than I could have anticipated.”
  • atmosphere34 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique and beautiful design, effectively immersing players in a surreal, post-apocalyptic world filled with strange characters and rich storytelling. The combination of well-executed voice acting, subdued yet impactful music, and stunning visuals creates a cohesive and engaging experience that resonates with fans of atmospheric and story-driven games. While some critiques mention a lack of emotional depth, the overall consensus highlights the game's ability to transport players into its vividly crafted universe.

    • “This is a rather unique adventure-type game with an atmospheric post-apocalyptic setting, strange characters that are very well voice-acted and a trio of anti-heroes as the main characters.”
    • “The atmosphere and setting is beautiful, the story is good though I didn't really like the ending; somewhat feels like a lost opportunity because I'm certain there's a better way to end it.”
    • “The game is a visual feast depicting a post-apocalyptic southern Africa dripping with atmosphere and steeped in a unique and often bizarre mythos.”
    • “There is just no feeling and it doesn't contribute to the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “It's not just about good looks; I want that voice acting to be consistent. I want to take this universe seriously, but I can't because some of those side characters were trolling, and it killed the atmosphere.”
    • “Although this game doesn't look like a triple-A production, this title really is full of atmosphere and very weird characters.”
  • grinding24 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for its tediousness, primarily due to excessive backtracking and fetch quests that slow down the overall experience. While some players appreciate the visuals and world-building, many find the gameplay frustratingly repetitive and lacking in engaging mechanics, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration. Overall, the grindy nature of the game detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the story and exploration.

    • “Going back and forth to various areas became rather tedious.”
    • “The visuals and world/lore are great, but the gameplay is really tedious and slows the story down so much; I'm just done with it personally.”
    • “Progress is incredibly grindy here, and not to mention the major decisions in the game can easily be missed or skipped over.”
  • replayability12 mentions

    Overall, the game offers a notable level of replayability, primarily due to its multiple storylines, moral choices, and faction dynamics that encourage players to explore different outcomes. While some players feel the game is relatively short and may not have extensive replay value, many appreciate the artistic world and decision-making elements that invite multiple playthroughs. The combination of excellent writing, voice acting, and various endings enhances the game's appeal for those seeking to experience all it has to offer.

    • “The writing and voice acting was excellent and the multiple storylines make this game 100% replayable.”
    • “I must've reloaded my game like 200 times trying to make sure all my choices really led to the outcome I was hoping for, so I guess that speaks for the replayability of the game.”
    • “I'll be sad when it's over, but there would seem to be significant replay value, given decision branches.”
    • “It's a relatively short game with not a ton of replay value, although you can choose different factions to help.”
    • “Pros: gorgeous visuals, great (and weird) sound design, bizarre setting, several endings which gives the game replay value (and battle arena mini-game tokens which you can collect through different playthroughs).”
    • “+ replay value is okay, 2 runs will cover most of the content.”
  • character development9 mentions

    Character development in the game is intricately tied to the narrative, influencing different endings and showcasing unique character designs and dialogue that enhance the story. While the characters may not engage in extensive banter, their interactions are meaningful and contribute to their growth. The art direction and world-building are praised for their originality and visual appeal, making the characters and environments stand out.

    • “Character development leads to different endings.”
    • “The art is gorgeous and the character designs are all intriguing and unlike most I've seen before.”
    • “Phenomenal world building and character design.”
    • “I have no idea how the Chiznyama can use a forcefield or build a space ark, but from the character design to their dialogue, it becomes clear that they aren't spacefaring explorers; they just want to escape a world they don't feel part of anymore.”
    • “The art direction, character designs, character models, environment art, and even UI feel disjointed and lack cohesion, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “While there are some genuinely striking and otherworldly locales and character designs, the character development feels shallow and fails to engage the player emotionally.”
  • emotional9 mentions

    The game is praised for its solid and heartfelt voice acting, creating a deeply emotional experience that resonates with players. The narrative explores complex themes such as war, PTSD, and personal relationships, leading to impactful moments that evoke strong feelings, particularly through the development of likable characters and their connections. Despite some puzzling gameplay elements, the writing and character arcs leave a lasting emotional impression, making it one of the most beautiful games for many players.

    • “This is one of the most beautiful and emotional games I've ever played - while short, I have never appreciated my time spent in a game more than in Beautiful Desolation.”
    • “Some of the decisions I committed to made me feel sick to my stomach afterwards, which is all to the credit of the game's fantastic writing.”
    • “The work with the characters is excellent; their development throughout the plot is pleasant to observe. You really begin to be friends with both of your companions, and the emotional connection between them is established.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated, featuring a blend of dry wit, clever dialogues, and unique character interactions that enhance the overall experience. Players enjoy the balance of comedic moments with poignant storytelling, and the inclusion of cultural references adds an extra layer of amusement. Overall, the humor is described as both entertaining and integral to the game's charm.

    • “It really is a beautiful world; I enjoyed the dry humor, the unique and interesting characters, and the main quest.”
    • “The story was very enjoyable as well, with moments of triumph balanced by moments of poignancy, interspersed with some great humor.”
    • “All the while, our heroes meet characters ranging from funny and peculiar to the outright sinister and macabre.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally well-received, with resource consumption aligning with expectations, and it performs smoothly at 1440p and 85Hz without any issues.

    • “Optimization: Good, resource consumption is within expected parameters.”
    • “Performance: The game runs without problems in 1440p, 85Hz.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, users report a high level of stability, with many experiencing no glitches even when running the game at maximum settings.

    • “I had everything cranked to the max and had no glitches at all.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, even during intense moments.”
    • “I've played for hours without experiencing any lag or stability issues.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

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Play time

9hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
5-17hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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