Desert Child
- December 11, 2018
- Akupara Games
Oscar Brittain's crowdfunded retro racing romp is stylish and pleasant despite its repetitive nature and short campaign.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games StoreIn Desert Child, you are a young and talented hoverbike racer who needs to figure out how you can scrape enough cash together through racing and odd jobs to punch your one way ticket to the Red Planet to enter the biggest race in the universe, the Grand Prix.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Stylish visuals and a captivating soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
- The game offers a relaxing atmosphere with enjoyable side activities and a unique setting.
- Despite its simplicity, the racing mechanics can be fun and engaging for short play sessions.
- Gameplay becomes repetitive quickly, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
- The racing mechanics are simplistic and can feel unfulfilling, with little variation in tasks.
- The game is very short, leaving players wanting more content and depth.
- music40 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its engaging and eclectic soundtrack, featuring modern electronica, rap, and trip-hop that enhances the overall atmosphere and experience. Many players find the music to be the standout element, often describing it as catchy and enjoyable, contributing significantly to the game's charm despite its repetitive gameplay. However, some users express a desire for more control over the music selection while playing.
“A good example of how music and art style can elevate a game.”
“The music is bizarre, catchy, and generally good enough to not be grating, though I wish you could pick tracks to play while walking around at will instead of it being randomly chosen from the vinyls you've bought in town.”
“Desert child's unique setting, filled out with great art and a killer soundtrack, is fun to explore for a while, but the game runs out of gas a little too quickly.”
“[player has no control over music. Songs either play too many times or not enough. Hoverbike racing is fine but is also easy, extremely repetitive, and fails to evolve. Reloading is cumbersome and unusually slow.]”
“[player has no control over music. Songs either play too many times or not enough. Hoverbike racing is fine but is also easy, extremely repetitive, and fails to evolve. Reloading is cumbersome and unusually slow.]”
“Didn't play the game much but loop the soundtrack a thousand times.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the arcade feel and rapid-fire mechanics, while others criticize it for being repetitive, unclear, and lacking depth. Although the racing elements are visually appealing and initially engaging, many feel that the core mechanics are underdeveloped and can lead to confusion. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, the gameplay is often described as thin and in need of more variety and clarity.
“Gameplay is good too, great arcade feel, but not too difficult by any means.”
“Cool music, cool gameplay, cool atmosphere.”
“Very hip game, a bike racer/shooter with some novel mechanics combined with some RPG elements... gameplay is fun, and also pretty rapid fire, which stops it from becoming stale despite being admittedly a bit repetitive.”
“The main problem is that I think the racing mechanics kind of suck.”
“Buy at your own risk, or even better not at all... simply because the gameplay is not fun.”
“Looks so good, but the gameplay is pure garbage.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming retro pixel art style, which effectively complements the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the visuals as excellent and integral to the game's appeal, enhancing the enjoyment alongside its standout soundtrack.
“A good example of how music and art style can elevate a game.”
“The art style is also 100% on point.”
“On one hand, it’s got a great soundtrack and excellent visuals.”
“The retro artwork is neat.”
“Pixel graphics are simple but have a lot of charm.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with players highlighting its engaging music and overall vibe as key elements that enhance the experience. Many feel that while the atmosphere makes it enjoyable, it may be best to wait for a sale before purchasing.
“I still think the game is worth playing for the sense of atmosphere and the bit of fun you'll get from it, but I would wait for a sale if I were you.”
“One of those games that you play for the atmosphere and music!”
“Cool music, cool gameplay, cool atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real immersion.”
“Despite the beautiful graphics, the atmosphere fails to evoke any emotional response.”
“The game tries to create a tense atmosphere, but it often falls short and feels more tedious than thrilling.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as quirky and humorous, providing a fun backdrop for the frantic hovercycle racing. However, some players find the plot to be extremely thin with minimal character interaction, leading to a sense of repetitiveness in the racing experience. Overall, while the storyline has its entertaining moments, it lacks depth and clarity in its objectives.
“A quirky story with a top sense of humor, frantic hovercycle racing that's easy to get into, great soundtrack, and a good time with a friend.”
“The explanations of what you're trying to do could have been more specific.”
“Racing gets repetitive quickly, with an extremely thin plot and practically no character interaction.”
“The story feels lacking and fails to engage the player.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly noting that activities like racing on Mars feel repetitive and primarily serve to earn in-game currency.
“So, when you're on Mars, it's just grinding races to earn money from the Grand Prix.”
“- Grindy”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a variety of humorous moments, such as quirky achievements like reaching 69% hunger, complemented by its crisp pixel art and engaging side activities. Players appreciate the good humor woven throughout the experience, enhancing the overall enjoyment alongside an excellent soundtrack and decent replay value.
“The game is filled with funny moments, like getting your hunger to 69% for an achievement.”
“The humor in this game is excellent, complementing the crisp, pleasing pixel art and surprising number of side activities and interactions.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game offers decent replayability, enhanced by its crisp pixel art, engaging side activities, and a humorous soundtrack. However, some players wish for more flexibility in switching bike weapons during runs, as they primarily serve as difficulty settings. Overall, the combination of these elements contributes to a satisfying experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“Crisp, pleasing pixel art, surprising number of side activities and interactions, good humor, excellent soundtrack, and decent replay value.”
“There's some replayability, and though I would have liked to have been able to switch bike weapons during a run, they seem to act as difficulty settings instead.”
“The game lacks significant replayability; once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return.”
“While the game offers different modes, they don't feel distinct enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
