Desert Law

About

Desert Law is a single player tactical role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Arise and was released on March 25, 2015. It received negative reviews from players.

"Desert Law" is a real-time strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic world where gasoline is currency. As Brad, seek revenge on those who destroyed your village and rebuild your fighting unit to take on bandit gangs. With over 30 missions, detailed isometric graphics, and a modified Blitzkrieg engine, survive the harsh wasteland using tactical skills and various vehicles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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32%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

story9 positive mentions

The game features a humorous comic book style story that adds charm to the gameplay.
The post-apocalyptic setting and vehicle-based combat are appealing, especially for fans of the genre.
Despite its age, the graphics are still considered decent and the game offers a lengthy campaign with varied missions.

The game suffers from poor pathfinding and clunky controls, making gameplay frustrating.
It lacks modern features such as base-building and resource management, which diminishes the RTS experience.
The story and writing are criticized for being clichéd and poorly executed, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
62%
15%
The game's story is generally considered weak and clichéd, featuring predictable character arcs and humor that often falls flat. While the comic book-style cutscenes add a unique visual element, the writing is criticized for being filled with typos and cheesy dialogue, detracting from the overall experience. Despite a lengthy campaign with varied missions, many players find the narrative shallow and unengaging, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- “It was fun, and the funny comics between missions were a great way of telling a story.”
- “The game has a funny backstory that you get to watch in between chapters, in the form of a comic book, and there are funny, sometimes absurd, dialogues inside the campaign missions as well.”
- “In-mission story is told through a series of dialogue, while cut-scenes in-between missions take the form of comic book panels.”
- “First – the story is terrible (the bandits and Cuban army are bad, our guys are good, guess who'll win and get some babes at the end like a freakin' Duke?), while the writing is full of stupid things and cheap jokes.”
- “While the story was okay, the writing itself is pretty terrible, filled with typos, misspellings, and the worst cheesy dialogues you can imagine.”
- “The story is utter shite; however, it makes no sense at all.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The gameplay is heavily influenced by RTS conventions, featuring unit movement and combat reminiscent of the Command & Conquer series, but lacks resource collection and base-building elements. While the setting is engaging and the gameplay can be straightforward, it suffers from frustrating mechanics such as poor pathfinding, awkward controls, and frequent interruptions for basic explanations, leading to a mixed reception among players. Overall, the gameplay is seen as simplistic and at times excruciatingly frustrating, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The setting is obviously inspired by the Mad Max universe as your characters drive metal plate-reinforced, machine-gun mounted cars, trucks, and dune buggies, with gameplay being an instantly recognizable Command & Conquer style for moving your units and attacking other units.”
- “Despite that issue, the gameplay is still fun if you are able to overlook those major faults.”
- “Uses RTS conventions and mechanics but has no resource collection or base building.”
- “This makes the gameplay excruciatingly frustrating, testing your patience as you painstakingly try to progress from one mission to another.”
- “However, gameplay-wise it's a pain due to horrible path-finding (cars will happily run into trees) and the unpredictability of how a car will move and where the map will allow it to move.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of the game are generally considered to be dated, lacking modern resolution and robustness, yet they are described as nicely detailed and acceptable for an older title. While some players appreciate the aesthetic and setting, others feel that the outdated visuals detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics receive mixed reviews, with a consensus leaning towards a score of around 6/10.
- “It's actually pretty nice, good graphics, okay story, and varied missions.”
- “With that in mind, the graphics are not bad at all.”
- “The graphics, although out-of-date, are still very nicely detailed.”
- “Graphics show their age, lacking any modern resolution.”
- “As such, the graphics are dated and the engine is not the most robust around, so this should be taken into consideration.”
- “The setting really interested me, and I can tolerate the older graphics, but the gameplay totally killed the fun out of the game for me.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted through entertaining comic interludes between missions and absurd dialogues during gameplay, effectively enhancing the storytelling. While the narrative may lean on clichés, it is infused with comedic elements related to the characters' vices, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate a humorous take on a post-apocalyptic setting. Overall, the humor is considered a strong point, even if it occasionally feels overdone.
- “It was fun, and the funny comics between missions were a great way of telling a story.”
- “The game has a funny backstory that you get to watch in between chapters, in the form of a comic book, and there are funny, sometimes to the point of absurd, dialogues inside the campaign missions as well.”
- “It is an isometric game, with single-player mode only, a funny (sometimes overdone) story, in a post-apocalyptic setting.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users noting that it sounds good and contributes to the atmosphere, though some reviews rate it around 6/10, indicating room for improvement in sound design.
- “The music sounds good and so do the effects.”
- “The atmospheric soundtrack enhances the overall experience.”
- “Music/sound design: 6/10”
- “The music and sound design are decent, but they don't stand out in any significant way.”
- “The atmospheric soundtrack is nice, but it feels repetitive after a while.”
- “Overall, the music and sound elements are average, scoring a 6/10.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by an atmospheric soundtrack that effectively complements the gameplay, immersing players in the overall experience.
- “The atmospheric soundtrack perfectly complements the game's immersive environment.”
- “The game creates a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that draws you in from the very start.”
- “Every sound and visual detail contributes to an incredibly rich and engaging atmosphere.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which results in subpar performance on contemporary gaming PCs.