"DESERT ANGELS" Lets You Explore Unknown Territory With A Twist
Garbage disposal at its finest.
If you're someone who grew up in a small village, chances are you've explored everything it has to offer. Maybe you're craving something a bit different this time around. Maybe…the thing you're craving is adventure. The question is: would you be willing to dig your way through the outside world and discover something new?
That's where a game like "Desert Angels" comes in. Developed by Folding Star, this third-person exploration game gives you the chance to unveil memories buried under mountains of trash, speak to its residents, and traverse across its sandy grounds. We took the time to dive into the world of "Desert Angels" to see what we could uncover — here are our findings (and review!).
Setting the Stage: "Desert Angels"
When first walking into the scrapyard, you find yourself in the middle of a conversation between Gerel and Persis, two people who come from the village of Mist Star. You're then tasked with finding and checking in on a generator that holds enough power to save Mist Star. Along the way, you'll have a chance to meet some ghosts that live within the scrapyard, and you'll get to choose whether you want to learn more about them, or leave them be. These ghosts can be people, or they can be memories that Gerel recalls.Oh, and did we mention that you can destroy the trash scattered across the scrapyard with guns? Yeah, you can do that here. It's pretty rad.
Looking Up at The Stars
Personally, I enjoy a game where I can just wander around a map and interact with everything that the dev team put together. Pushing buttons, reading signs — just the idea of letting my curiosity guide my gameplay brings me joy. In addition to that, I found a few other things about the game that sparked joy for me:
⭐ Beautiful art styles. While exploring the unknown scrapyard, I got to enjoy the rich cel-shaded graphics that the game uses to illustrate every aspect of the map. During dialogue scenes, I got to enjoy some gorgeous character designs, something I truly appreciate while I'm getting to know more about the characters themselves. Heck, even the garbage looked great!
⭐ Guns are your friends. Perhaps one of the most unconventional ways of doing away with trash. "Desert Angels" takes the phrase "taking out the trash" to a whole new level by letting you shoot piles of garbage with guns. From explosive launchers to ancient guns, there's always a way to rid the world of a bit more rubbish.
⭐ Smooth transitions. This one is a bit of a small detail, but one I really liked seeing every time I encountered it. When switching between the title screen and the main game, there's an incredibly smooth transition that happens that is really pleasant to watch. Sometimes I caught myself going back and forth just to enjoy it a bit more.
Looking Down in The Dumps
Although the game itself has a lot to offer in terms of storytelling, sound design, and other features, there were a couple of things I felt that, if they were slightly tweaked, could enhance the gameplay further.
🌠 Gun glitches. For the most part, shooting the trash piles does result in a satisfying explosion and it flies everywhere. The same goes for the explosive barrels that you can also shoot for an extra dose of detonation. However, as I was progressing through the game, there were times when some explosions and barrels didn't render properly. It doesn't take away from the game's overall experience — at most, it seems like a tiny bug.
🌠 So much to see, so little fatigue. One other thing that I felt could be an area of improvement was the fatigue meter. In "Desert Angels," your sprint time is limited — very limited — so you end up walking for a majority of the time. As this is somewhat of a walking simulator, this makes sense, since it encourages the player to take in their surroundings more. I too also enjoy taking things slowly in video games, especially exploration, but I think that a little extra time to sprint would help give the player a good balance of wanting to take it slow and also wanting to change their pace.
The Star of the Show
I love a good mystery, and I especially love when characters give off an aura that makes people want to get to know them more, but maybe they don't know how to approach them. At the time of this review, I've yet to understand the story of "Desert Angels" in full, but if I had to choose one character, it would have to be…
💖 Phyrum 💖
A robot who crash-landed in the scrapyard, I was absolutely sure she had a reason for coming to this world. However, during my conversations with her, I never really got an exact answer for why she was here in the first place, or what made decide to stay. Maybe with some more time in the game, I'll find my answers, but for now…I'll let my curiosity rest.
So Much More to Discover…
"Desert Angels" is a calm and soothing game that is clearly designed for players who enjoy taking in a story at their own leisure. Sure, the addition of using guns to destroy piles of trash and encountering ghosts may seem like it would lean into "Action" territory, but for the most part it's a game about exploring the unknown and recalling memories made in what is now a desolate wasteland. That said, if you've got the patience and are looking for another tale to pass the time, "Desert Angels" might just be up your alley — or your desert.
Thank you to the folks over at Folding Star for the gifted copy of "Desert Angels" and letting our team review it — we appreciate it. 🥰
Follow Folding Star on Social Media
About Viv
How’s it honkin’, folks? I’m Viv, founder and owner of Big Top Indies. You can think of me as an indie media ringmaster who enjoys nothing more than showcasing fun, fresh, and fruity media created by independent creatives. From video games to music to animation to film, I love using my circus tent as a space for creative works to shine.
