| Beautiful Desolation | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | The Brotherhood |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Mick Gordon |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Beautiful Desolation is a point-and-click adventure game by The Brotherhood. It uses an isometric perspective and is set in a post-apocalyptic version of South Africa. When alien technology teleports two brothers into the future, they must find a way back home.
After an alien ship lands on Earth in 1980, the technological and social upheaval radically transforms human civilization. Ten years later, brothers Mark and Don Leslie investigate the ship after having their lives ruined. They are sent into the distant future by its security systems and must figure out a way back. Beautiful Desolation is a point-and-click adventure game played from an isometric perspective. Players control Mark as he attempts to solve the various issues facing the new civilizations, such as retrieving lost objects or mediating a dispute. In return, they collect technology that they hope will return them to their present. Choices made when solving puzzles or during dialogue do not lock out players from the ending, though they can affect what ending players see. Combat is very rare; players can optionally participate in arena battles to advance one story line. [1]
Brothers and game designers Chris and Nic Bischoff founded The Brotherhood. [2] The soundtrack was composed by Mick Gordon. [3] Beautiful Desolation was crowd-funded on Kickstarter in February 2017 [4] and raised a bit more than its goal. [5]
The idea of the game came from an earlier short story the brothers had written. [6] Chris said their influences include " A Boy and His Dog , Soylent Green , Logan's Run , and a healthy dose of Mad Max ". [7] Fallout and Baldur's Gate influenced the look and feel of the game, including the isometric point of view and the detailed-oriented backgrounds. [8] They wanted to work within their story but give players more agency than their previous game, Stasis . They also wanted to move away from 2D characters, which they felt slowed down their development. With this change, they switched to developing in Unity. [6]
The South African setting was chosen because of the developers' familiarity and because they felt outsiders would see Africa as more interesting. [7] They also wanted to explore the history of South Africa, including making an AI that was modeled after the apartheid era. To appeal to Westerners, The Brotherhood considered limiting the amount of South African cultural references and hiring voice actors with a more international accent. They abandoned this after finding it too creatively limiting. [2] Don's voice actor is a veteran of the South African Border War, which informed some of the emotional weight in the game's story. [8]
The Brotherhood released Beautiful Desolation for Windows, macOS, and Linux on February 26, 2020. [9] Untold Tales published the console ports. [10] For these ports, The Brotherhood reworked the game's user interface. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on May 28, 2021. [11]
On Metacritic, the PC version received positive reviews; [12] the Switch and PlayStation 4 versions received mixed reviews. [13] [14] Adventure Gamers said it "succeeds admirably on most fronts". They said that progressing through the story can be "both engaging and frustrating" because of the quest and puzzle design, which occasionally require pixel hunting and backtracking. However, they felt the game "really showcases the creativity and impressive production values that The Brotherhood is capable of". [1] Nintendo Life and NintendoWorldReport criticized the Switch port, which they said had frequent and long load times and poor controls. [15] [16] Though calling it an "ambitious and lovely-looking game", Nintendo Life criticized the puzzles and story, which they felt involved too many fetch quests and an emphasis on quirky dialogue. [16]
Sanitarium is a psychological horror point-and-click adventure video game that was originally released for Microsoft Windows. It was developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by ASC Games in 1998. It was a commercial success, with sales around 300,000 units. In 2015, it was ported to iOS and Android devices.
The Journey Down is an episodic adventure video game for Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 by Skygoblin. An Android version is currently in development.
Rime is an adventure puzzle video game developed by Tequila Works. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2017, for Nintendo Switch in November 2017, and for Amazon Luna in October 2020. The game follows a boy arriving at and searching a mysterious island with a fox-like spirit as a guide. The player guides the boy in solving environmental puzzles across five large levels.
Lifeless Planet is a 2014 puzzle adventure developed by independent American company Stage 2 Studios and published by Serenity Forge. The game was released on June 6, 2014 for Microsoft Windows and on June 23, 2014 for OS X, and has been ported to the Xbox One on May 13, 2015, Linux on March 25, 2016 and to the PlayStation 4 on July 19, 2016. Lifeless Planet was in development since 2011 and is primarily the product of the one developer, David Board.
Jøtun is an action-adventure video game developed by Canadian studio Thunder Lotus Games. It was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on September 29, 2015. The Wii U version was released on September 8, 2016, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released on September 9, 2016. The Nintendo Switch version was released on April 27, 2018. The Stadia version was released on May 26, 2020.
Stasis is a 2015 science fiction horror point-and-click adventure game developed by The Brotherhood. Viewed from an isometric perspective, the game requires interactions with computers, combining items and puzzle solving. The game was released on 31 August 2015 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, with Linux and mobile devices planned for future release.
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a 2D metroidvania action-adventure video game. Developed by YCJY, the game was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux in January 2016. Ports for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, developed by Stage Clear Studios, were released in January 2018, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in January 2019.
Crossing Souls is an action-adventure video game developed by Spain-based indie development studio Fourattic and published by Devolver Digital. The game was released on 13 February 2018 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux PlayStation 4 and 26 July 2018 on Nintendo Switch.
Pinstripe is a puzzle adventure video game for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, macOS, Linux, and Nintendo Switch. The game was developed by Thomas Brush, who created and designed it over a five-year period. It was published by Atmos Games.
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a point-and-click adventure game and visual novel, developed by the Dutch indie game developer HomeBearStudio and published by Hound Picked Games. The game was released on November 29, 2018 for the Windows and Nintendo Switch platforms.
Stranger Things 3 The Game is a beat 'em up video game developed by BonusXP. It is based on the 3rd season of Stranger Things. It was initially released on a multitude of platforms, but it is now only available for Netflix subscribers on Android and iOS. It is a retro-style pixel art game that mimics the 16-bit era.
State of Mind is a 2018 graphic adventure game developed and published by Daedalic Entertainment. A cyberpunk story set in the near future, the game explores transhumanist themes. The game was released for Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in August 2018. It received mixed reviews upon release.
Weaving Tides is a puzzle adventure video game developed by the Austrian developer Follow the Feathers. It was released on Windows, MacOS and Nintendo Switch on May 27, 2021.
Genesis Noir is an adventure video game developed by American studio Feral Cat Den. The game follows the main character, No Man as he visits different parts of the universe while trying to save his love. The game was released on Windows, macOS, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.
Aer: Memories of Old is an indie action-adventure open world video game developed by Forgotten Key and published by Daedalic Entertainment. It was released on October 25, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on August 28, 2019, for Nintendo Switch. The game's story revolves around a girl named Auk who can shapeshift into a bird. Set on floating islands, the main character must solve puzzles, discovering ruins left by an ancient civilization. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its aesthetic and world but criticized its short length and overall lack of action.
Infernax is a 2D dark fantasy Metroidvania developed by Berzerk Studio and published by The Arcade Crew. It was released on February 14, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game follows the young Duke Alcedor, who finds his village overrun by monsters upon returning from the Crusades. Infernax received generally favorable reviews. An update to the game, Deux or Die, was released on April 5, 2023, in which another player can join in as Cervul the Squire.
Alwa's Legacy is a Metroidvania video game developed by Elden Pixels and first released in 2020. After saving the land of Alwa in Elden Pixels' previous game, Alwa's Awakening, series protagonist Zoe attempts to return home to her original world.
Golf Peaks is a puzzle video game developed and published by Afterburn. Players are challenged to solve golf-themed puzzles.
Curse of the Sea Rats is a Metroidvania indie game developed by Barcelona-based Petoons Studio and published by PQube. The game was released on April 6, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It received critical praise for its artwork, but technical issues and problems with game balance were cited as negatives.
Lust for Darkness is a 2018 horror game developed by Movie Games Lunarium and published by Movie Games. It is an erotic horror story inspired by Zdzisław Beksiński, H. R. Giger, and H. P. Lovecraft. It was originally released for Windows and macOS. SimFabric published it for Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2019 and 2020, respectively. A sequel, Lust from Beyond, was released in 2021.