Developed by Oscar Brittain
Published by Akupara Games
Released for Xbox One (12/12/2018)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch
Desert Child was made by a single developer by the name of Oscar Brittain and released for the Xbox One in December 2018. The gameplay in Desert Child involves racing on hoverbikes and exploring the town area in between races. The races play out from a 2D perspective, where your weapon can be fired with the trigger and boost with the A button. Scattered across the race course are TV sets and shooting some of these will restore your boost meter (which will also build up over time) while others will drop money to pick up. In addition to the TV sets, there are also various obstacles scattered across the tracks which will slow you down and cause to damage to your bike when hit. There's a handful or so different locations for the races, but the difference is mostly cosmetic and they tend to feel the same regardless of the location. You'll only face off against one opponent at a time and upon completing a race you'll get a grade for your performance with a bigger bonus for getting a higher grade.
During a race, shooting at your opponent will slow them down, but you'll want to be a bit conservative with your ammo as it is limited. Boosting through TV sets rather than shooting them will grant a little extra ammo, but when you've completely run out a supply vehicle will show up at the bottom of the screen. Boosting into this vehicle will replenish your ammunition. There are a couple different weapon types to choose from and this can be changed at anytime between races. The races are decent but start to feel a bit repetitive rather quick, so the game is best enjoyed in quick sessions so as to not get bored. My biggest complaint in regards to the racing aspect is the way that the hoverbikes just sort of go through each other, rather than having a nice collision sound and smashing into the opponent.
The first chapter in Desert Child starts off on Earth, with just a few shops to navigate in between races. There's a shop where you can sell power cells (awarded for winning races), one where you can purchase food and another where you can repair the damage on your bike. While on Earth you'll also meet a mysterious blonde-haired lady, who tells you about going to race on Mars.
After you get a few races under your belt, the game moves onto the second chapter on Mars. The races are basically exactly the same, but the town you can explore between races is much larger, composed of several screens that are inter-connected. There's a lot to see and do, including food shops, a record store, bank, pizza parlor, bean market, nightlife district and more. There are a few various jobs you can take on to earn some extra cash, like bounty hunting and pizza delivery. The town is detailed and exploring it is cool at first, but the slow movement speed of your character will inevitably start to make these sequences feel tedious before long. You'll quickly learn the few key locations to hit between races to avoid unnecessary walking, which will usually be somewhere to grab some food and/or fix your bike and then engage in a race or activity to earn money. You'll also want to put your spare money in the bank as the interest will add up over time.
Desert Child can be completed once you win the grand prix, which will require you to save up $10,000 in order to enter. Once you have the cash, you sign up for the tournament at the billboard. The tournament is setup into brackets and you'll have to win 3 different races. If you fail to finish first you'll have to pay up the entry free again, but it's not that big of a deal since you'll earn quite a bit of money from the tournament even if you lose. The tournament races are basically the same as the previous races you've encountered, but with some added difficulty. I regularly kicked the computer's butt on the average races, but once I got to the tournament I started losing in the 2nd or 3rd round. After doing a quick look on the True Achievement forums, a player suggested to just simply let the controller sit there for all of the races and you'll somehow win. Putting this to the test, I can confirm that this does indeed work. This is either an oversight from the developer or just some kind of secret way to win, but regardless I feel no shame for using the exploit as I was getting pretty burnt out on the game by that point. Upon finishing the grand prix, you'll get a brief ending and then you're granted the option to start a new game +. Other than starting it up to get the associated achievement for doing so, I can't really see many players going in for seconds on this game.
There were 3 chapters, the 1st on Earth, the 2nd on Mars and then the 3rd starts when you purchase entry to the grand prix. The game is a bit lopsided, with chapter 2 taking up the majority of the game. It really feels like there could have been a few more chapters and maybe some different areas to explore, but perhaps the developer just didn't have the time or motivation to add anything else. While you can do a little customizing on your bike by adding parts, the ability to purchase new bikes would have been nice. Desert Child is a fun game, especially at the beginning, but you'll quickly see everything it has to offer, making it feel a bit repetitive as you keep playing. It's definitely a case of style over substance; the game does excel in the visuals and soundtrack department, feeling like something Adult Swim would have published. Desert Child's a bit of a mixed bag, but if you don't mind the game's repetitive nature there's some fun to be had here.
Final Verdict: Desert Child is simple, short and repetitive, but packs a lot of style and an awesome soundtrack. Worth picking up on a sale if you can overlook the flaws and dig the pixelized presentation.
Related Links:
Buy Desert Child - Microsoft Store
Oscar Brittain - Official Site
Akupara Games - Official Site
Desert Child - Metacritic
Desert Child - GameFAQs
Desert Child - True Achievements
Desert Child - Xbox Achievements
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