Desert Angels

There is a profound emotion I'm feeling and I'm not entirely sure what it is. But I know it's a similar feeling to when I watched the episode of Cowboy Bebop where Faye gets a VHS tape of a message from her younger self to her older self telling her to keep going. I could go into a deep essay about the emotions I feel and the relationships between all 3 characters, but that would be spoilers. But I digress. This is an incredible game. The graphics and color palette are superb, and the sound direction? I love stepping on the glass rocks bc of the sound it made I'm pretty sure a good hour of my gameplay was me trying to make a tune with it lol. The map and the flags are a little confusing, but I think that's more of a me issue as I'm just bad at reading trail tags anyway. I've just never seen it implemented in a video game. Also, "It's lonely walking down by myself" Bro.

the strongest element of this game is its narrative- it's definitely beautifully written between the trio of characters, and the atmosphere the game settles you into fits wonderfully, so if you're looking for a fun, short little story in an immersive world to get lost in, this is worth a try. the only thing i can say that i'm critical of is that the mechanics themselves are a little at odds with the meat of the game- sure, they fit to a degree, but after a certain point they feel a little arbitrary- they don't feel like they're truly added in service to anything, and although they're neat, they feel more just like a fidget toy. is that a bad thing? not really- it's still fun to have a fidget toy as a side to a good story. but i wouldn't have minded if more was done to supplement the shooting mechanics and because of that, i can't recommend the game solely on its mechanics. this game's all in on its story and atmosphere, and that's what i'm recommending it for.

I really enjoyed this game. I found it to be very charming and well paced. The core gameplay loop of picking up guns and blowing up junk was surprisingly relaxing. The narrative was another highlight of the game. It was simple and never overstayed its welcome. Would definitely recommend it.

I really love how this game tells its story. It draws you in with mysterious hints at a past conflict and then really grips you while the past is being unraveled. I'm so impressed with the destructible environments. Collecting the shiny gems was fun. Overall, would recommend! :D

A slow, meditative journey through a scrapyard full of discarded machinery and poignant memories. You will repurpose old weaponry for traversal (not violence), as you blast your way through the heaps of junk, looking for a particular device that could save your village. Here, you will recall conversations between a trio of friends about their hopes for a future that has lost its luster in the eyes of their community. Would you loosen your grip on that dream to stay grounded with your people, or hold on and let it carry you far away from the life you know?

This isn't my usual kind of game (I prefer platformers or rpgs, usually), but I was pleasantly surprised! The story is straightforward but emotionally rich, and the balance between "quest" waypoints, a purposefully-vague map, and just organically stumbling across things means that you really feel like you're exploring the terrain without becoming completely lost. Lowkey, I enjoyed the journey so much, I almost never used the guns lol

Wonderful game!!! awesome storytelling and the physics are super fun to mess around with :-)

This game is an interesting blend of a bunch of different genres and manages to do a good job with each of them. It's an emotional visual novel, a visually creative walking sim with a few touches of interesting lore, and a shooter with a ton of creative weapons (the sting launcher is my personal favorite). It's clear that the devs who worked on this put a ton of heart into this and I can't wait to see what they do next. As an added bonus, the soundtrack is a pleasant listen.

This is a beautiful looking game with a fun shooting and collecting mechanic, although its main focus is telling its story. I could see some inspirations from some of my favourite games such as the way the navigation/markers work and the atmosphere of Breath of the Wild. I can tell that lots of care has gone into the game polish, overall it's really well put together.

This quiet, warm and contemplative story-driven game is both relaxing and deeply engaging. Desert Angels is essentially a walking-sim in which guns are used to help clear a path through a huge scrapyard in the middle of a desert - this is fun, by the way - instead of for killing people (a nice change). This is a beautiful-looking game: the heaps of discarded technology look rather beautiful, and the character portraits are gorgeous. It also has a vivid sense of place. Although you never leave the scrapyard, the huge piles of detritus - along with the lovely dialogue - brilliantly evoke the outside world, both of the village of the protagonist and the world beyond. The game’s carefully bounded setting is one of the game’s most impressive artistic features, leaving enticing space for your imagination to work in. The scrapyard itself is a joy to explore. You play as Gerel, whose story you unravel as you traverse the scrapyard triggering memories of her relationship with the only other two characters in the game. As with the artistic limitations imposed by the setting, the non-linear storytelling benefits from its small cast of characters: you really get to know them and their relationship dynamics. The dialogue is well-written, the everyday language feels organic, but also revelatory and meaningful. The game deftly deals with themes of belonging, memory, community and friendship. It’s also good on war, and the weapons that that drive it. It also made me reflect on the use of guns in video games. A lovely little piece of video game storytelling.