Desert Of The Dead

About

Desert Of The Dead is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Astralis Games and was released on August 12, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

You are a mysterious wanderer traveling through the wilderness of the wild west. In cities and towns, people began to disappear, as in many cities the population became infected with a virus which turns people into zombies, and it is rumored that people from the government are behind this.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 578 reviews

story26 positive mentions

stability30 negative mentions

The game has a quirky sense of humor and features funny dialogues, making it entertaining despite its flaws.
For its low price, the game offers a nostalgic 8-bit experience reminiscent of classic arcade games.
The gameplay includes a variety of weapons and challenging boss fights, providing some enjoyable moments.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including game-breaking glitches that can lead to infinite death loops.
The story is disjointed and poorly translated, making it difficult to follow and understand.
Gameplay mechanics are frustrating, with floaty controls and hitboxes that often lead to unfair deaths.

story
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
7%
The game's story is largely criticized for being disjointed, confusing, and lacking coherence, with many players noting that it feels more like a collection of random scenes than a cohesive narrative. While some found elements of humor and intriguing plot twists, the overall consensus is that the story is underdeveloped and often overshadowed by gameplay issues and bugs. Despite its shortcomings, a few players enjoyed the lighthearted adventure and found it entertaining in a casual sense.
- “The game 'Desert of the Dead' takes you on a wild ride through the Wild West as you uncover the government's sinister plot and battle zombies.”
- “Was a fun little adventure through the desert, I enjoyed the story, especially the ending!”
- “Good game, amazing story, and lovely graphics.”
- “There is no coherent story to speak of; the scenes are just jumbled together with no transitions between them.”
- “What little story the game presented was disjointed and confusing.”
- “The story is barely there, and the grammar is nonexistent.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
63%
14%
The gameplay has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players citing frequent glitches, repetitive mechanics, and uninspired design as major issues. While some appreciate the retro style and humor, the overall experience is marred by long cutscenes, poor controls, and a lack of engaging content, leading to a consensus that the game is not worth the time or investment. Despite a few positive remarks about its potential, most reviews suggest that significant improvements are needed for a more enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay resembles RDR2 in a retro style.”
- “Great little game with fun quick gameplay and charming characters.”
- “Interesting, fun and not boring gameplay, funny music and storyline.”
- “After the intro vibes this game gave me, and then the absolute letdown its gameplay gave me, I think I will.”
- “When I opened the game and started, I waited through a boring and long cutscene before getting sent into a small area with around 5 enemies and one boss (just a normal dude with 5 more hit points). This repeats itself each level throughout its short 30-minute length. I couldn't even shoot when I first spawned in, so I had to restart the long cutscene again before the game worked. This glitch repeats itself quite often, and I had to restart from the start of the game every time. The gameplay is extraordinarily boring.”
- “Was hoping this could be a fun little game to speedrun - but it's just too janky: controls are too loose, shooting mechanics are more annoying than anything, and it crashed a couple of times on just a normal playthrough.”
humor
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a standout feature, characterized by absurd situations, silly dialogues, and quirky characters, such as a cactus in a cowboy hat. While some players appreciate the comedic elements and find the gameplay entertaining, others criticize the writing and gameplay mechanics, suggesting that the humor may not be enough to compensate for the game's shortcomings. Overall, it offers a lighthearted experience that can be enjoyable for those who appreciate its unique comedic style.
- “The developers tried their best to create this incredible world, full of absurdity and funny situations.”
- “The game has a dose of humor that keeps you from getting bored.”
- “The game has very funny dialogues between the characters.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
36%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the attractive pixel art and retro style that fits the wild west theme, while others note issues like framerate drops and overall bugginess. Some players find the visuals charming and well-executed, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere, while others feel that the graphics, despite being visually appealing, are overshadowed by gameplay flaws. Overall, the graphics are seen as a highlight for some, but not enough to redeem the game's other shortcomings.
- “Super game, cool graphics, well-drawn characters and objects, I can recommend everyone.”
- “Great game about the western! Always dreamed of such beautiful graphics!”
- “An attractive indie game in a retro style in the world of the wild west, made with nice pixel graphics, which is more suitable than ever for this setting.”
- “The framerate chugs, which is baffling considering the visuals.”
- “The pixel graphics are cute, but that's about the only positive about this.”
- “The graphics are very unusual.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
32%
7%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its ability to convey the atmosphere of the Wild West and its pleasant, nostalgic qualities reminiscent of 90s 8-bit soundtracks. However, some users noted issues with audio overlay and repetitiveness, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the soundtrack is often described as fun and engaging, contributing positively to the game's appeal.
- “The music in the game conveys the atmosphere of the wild west.”
- “The soundtrack is pleasant to listen to during the gameplay.”
- “The music and the atmosphere of the old west is nice - it grabs me.”
- “Audio is awkward as music will overlay sometimes and enemies will make no sound when they attack, so random shots will kill you.”
- “Repetitive music, repetitive gameplay.”
- “Also, I'm not really sure what people are talking about with regard to the soundtrack.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches, lag, and odd hitboxes that detract from the overall experience. Players frequently encounter frustrating bugs that hinder gameplay, making it difficult to enjoy the intended mechanics. While some aspects of the game show potential, the overwhelming instability renders it largely unplayable and not recommended.
- “Don't buy this without expecting a lot of glitches.”
- “It is a buggy mess where the only part the player interacts with is the shootout scenes which feel like ass to play.”
- “I would have loved to play this game and like I said some really good artwork but the overall bugginess of this game is unbearable so I would not and could not recommend this game.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by the wild west, with music and visuals that evoke a sense of immersion as players feel like real cowboys. However, numerous glitches and inconsistent gameplay detract from this experience, leading to a perception of the game as unintentionally comedic or satirical. While the western atmosphere is appreciated, it is somewhat undermined by odd enemy choices and technical issues.
- “The music in the game conveys the atmosphere of the wild west.”
- “All this atmosphere of the wild west, horses and revolvers ... what you need for an atmospheric game.”
- “The game's English and buggy atmosphere make it more of a satire/comedy, unintentionally I'm sure.”
- “The atmosphere of a western is a little lost because of atypical opponents, but it's even funny in some ways, so it's forgivable.”
- “Subconsciously, the game immerses you in the atmosphere of the wild west, as if you really reincarnated as a real cowboy who bravely fights for his life and honor.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting severe stuttering, erratic UI elements, and freezing during gameplay, leading to frustrating experiences. Despite these issues, some users suggest that the game's low price may make it more tolerable.
- “I started the game and instantly the game was stuttering, and the text box for the dialog was jumping around everywhere. Then I got to the gameplay, and the second I fired my gun, the game froze. When it unfroze, I was dead.”
- “Disgusting optimization, but for such money, you can ignore it.”