Beautiful Desolation is set in an alternate 1980s, where aliens have made their mark on Earth. Players assume the role of Mark, who, along with his brother Don and their robot canine companion, must navigate this transformed world, forging alliances, evading adversaries, and ultimately finding their place in this altered reality.
The trailer for Beautiful Desolation initially generated considerable anticipation, showcasing exquisite environments and an intriguing narrative. However, upon playing the game, the experience diverged from the trailer’s promise. The game utilizes an isometric perspective, and character models are highlighted with a color glow when obscured by foreground objects, rather than employing a cutaway. The gameplay incorporates item combination mechanics to solve puzzles and progress through the story. Dialogue choices are presented, yet their impact on the overall narrative trajectory appears limited. While the aesthetic and setting might evoke comparisons to classic isometric RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas, Beautiful Desolation ultimately presents a distinct experience.
An early obstacle involved a seemingly simple interaction. Despite repeated attempts, a necessary text input failed to register, leading to unproductive exploration of the starting area. Resolving this required a complete level restart, after which the input was correctly recognized, allowing progression. This initial experience highlighted some potentially frustrating aspects of the game’s mechanics.
Every character, including the player avatar, features voice acting. However, the quality of the performances is inconsistent, occasionally detracting from the experience. The game’s setting, an alternate 80s populated with aliens and retro-futuristic robots, immediately draws comparisons to the works of Simon Stålenhag. As with Generation Zero, Beautiful Desolation appears to draw heavily from Stålenhag’s aesthetic without providing due credit.
Beautiful Desolation presents an interesting premise, blending elements of puzzle, survival, and adventure gameplay. However, the game’s pacing suffers from excessive exposition and a generally slow tempo. Periods of inactivity are punctuated by moments of rapid, potentially confusing action. This inconsistency in pacing is a significant detractor from the overall experience.
In conclusion, Beautiful Desolation proved to be a somewhat underwhelming experience. While the game features visually appealing environments, a compelling soundtrack, and a potentially engaging narrative (albeit one that appears heavily influenced by other works), its shortcomings ultimately tempered my enthusiasm.
