KickStarter BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION - isometric post-apocalyptic adventure from STASIS developer

[Pyke]

I'm sure I can find it! We did a few versions, some as 3D models, and the ones that I wanted to use were sort of 2D puppers, similar to how Ori did them.

 

[Lyre Mors]

The ship oasis and giraffes were honestly a couple of the screenshots to absolutely seal the deal for me to become a backer. I found them to be stunning.

They are still very much so representative of the beauty we received though.

 

[HoboForEternity]

The ship oasis and giraffes were honestly a couple of the screenshots to absolutely seal the deal for me to become a backer. I found them to be stunning.

They are still very much so representative of the beauty we received though.

I just solved the hanasi/chiznmaya conflict thing. The world is fantastic. So far literally every single map have me say "woaaah" at the marvel of the sights.

Games like deadfire/ torment numanuma technically have as good or in deadfire's case better graphics technically (those dynamic lighting, and other stuff in deadfire are very impressive) but art direction wise, desolation is just crazy. Like in deadfire the sights itself are mostly nothing special. There are towns, buildings, villages, caves, beaches et cetera. It's just normal stuff.

In desolation the location are filled with bizzare objects that staring at them for minutes feel fun just to take in the density of the scenery. The giant worm corpse, the giant hologram dancer, bizzare plant life surrounding dead old building ruins et cetera.


Gameplay wise the puzzle are bit easy and yeah the world can be a little bit empty. Pyke

Just a feedback, the environment description for me would be better if we hear directly from the characters point of view instead of just their descriotions.

Like clicking on a building instead of "it's a building with broken window" something said from mark's perspective would be alot more fun like "it's a building with broken window, i wonder if someone jumped off it". Other characters can comment on objects too.

It dont have to be voiced, just regular line but with more flavor added. I dont expect you to replace all the lines in desolation but a consideration for future games

The story is good. I am legitimately invested in the world and characters and i like that you really have to pay attention to piece out the history of the desolation world. At the beginning it seems really like random bizzare stuff that you see, but as you interact more, you piece out the story, or at least the history of the places, the factions and their roles. Good stuff.

The voice acting is also very impressive. Better than some AAA games i know (looking at you bethesda). Some characters like narchee, then the shogololo (or whatever the living train name was) and some other are really well voiced.

Excellent game so far.

 

[ScrotumBroth]

Agree with Hobo's post above.

Also, regarding companions, I expected more interaction with them. And more interactions with the world, not just occasional comments. What's the point of them running after me all the time, may as well leave them near the aircraft, and call them on radio for a couple of interactions. When they do offer commentary it feels a bit out of the blue, because up to that point I haven't really had the feeling they were part of the journey.
This is obviously tied to RPG experiences, where there's a lot more party NPC involvement.

The reason I didn't enjoy combat was due to a complete lack of it before hand, and there isn't an option to see the stats of each unit before battle, so it felt like I had to do too much theory study on the spot, by using trial and error. The very second battle is exponentially harder with two waves before boss battle, so it just felt like too much hard work for low gain.
Even though it's not the same genre, a parallel can be drawn with AoD, where you do have combat and over time learn how different techniques work before hitting the Arena.

Just feedback for future games.

P.S. I don't think anyone could do an open world adventure better, it's just that open world in itself is flawed and full of pitfalls. I am grateful to see so many beautiful locations though.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Agree with the critique about combat being non-intuitive when you see first time. Before engaging in first battle, I thought heart is health and gray hexagon is attack power. Was really happy to see it's way deeper than that, but really couldn't bring myself to fight after

Spoiler

Don asked me not to. I also couldn't say no to his request to nuke the whole place, even if it meant our lovely statue got destroyed.

Edit: what restaurant chain? I feel like I'm missing out on some SA reference here.

 

[Pyke]

Agree with the critique about combat being non-intuitive when you see first time. Before engaging in first battle, I thought heart is health and gray hexagon is attack power. Was really happy to see it's way deeper than that, but really couldn't bring myself to fight after

Spoiler

Don asked me not to. I also couldn't say no to his request to nuke the whole place, even if it meant our lovely statue got destroyed.

Edit: what restaurant chain? I feel like I'm missing out on some SA reference here.

Shisa nyama directly means 'burning meat' in Zulu. Its a sort of communal eating experience where you get cuts of meat right off the animal by a butcher, and then they will cook it for you. You pay by weight for whatever meat you eat.
Originally it was done as a way for local butchers to sell off cuts of meat, and then became a bigger event in the townships where all butchers come together and you choose your meat and cook it. Basically a fete for meat! Importantly there is no coal or electric cooking - it all has to be done on an open fire.
Ive been to a few of them - they are fun as hell.

 

[Alpan]

I have started playing the game, and already I can't pass up an opportunity to sound like an internet meme in saying BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION is BEAUTIFUL. I found it difficult to actually believe that all the graphics and cutscene work was principally done by one person, and I actually checked the credits to see if there were other, non-Bischoff people involved, and no one else is listed.

Also, this game is a pretty cool reminder that though adventure games still exist, the emphasis on stylized graphics and pixel art have made it so that sprawling landscapes and engaging cinematics as seen in this game remain treasured rarities.

 

[HoboForEternity]

just bought the supporter pack becauase that art book looks so GOOD.

 

[Pyke]

I have started playing the game, and already I can't pass up an opportunity to sound like an internet meme in saying BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION is BEAUTIFUL. I found it difficult to actually believe that all the graphics and cutscene work was principally done by one person, and I actually checked the credits to see if there were other, non-Bischoff people involved, and no one else is listed.

Also, this game is a pretty cool reminder that though adventure games still exist, the emphasis on stylized graphics and pixel art have made it so that sprawling landscapes and engaging cinematics as seen in this game remain treasured rarities.

Thanks!
Yeah - I did most of the environments, although my father - Mark Bischoff - did help out on the design of some of the areas. I did all of the cinematic work myself. Most of the rendering was done on a spare computer and all of the comp work was done on my laptop. I'm still learning a lot of cinematic tools, and I really want to push my character stuff in the next game. I can do hard surface stuff, and blowing shit up pretty well - but character work is really were I wanna focus next time!

So much of the graphics in the game do come down to the amazing engine work that Nic did. Sound, particles, lighting, etc - thats all on him!
Here is a link to my ArtStation gallery with some of the raw images: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/mqNNya?commentId=3354045

I also wrote all of the dialogue in the game and did the VO directing and editing. It's honestly one of the most draining things I've done, because its NOT where my strengths lay - but it was a LOT of fun to see it all come together.

 

[Zarniwoop]

OK, even the walkthrough doesn't seem to have this.

Where the @#$@#$* do you

Spoiler

plant the uncultivated seeds to make them cultivate??????

I've put them in the mother's milk but that doesn't do anything and can't talk to the Hanassi dude again, I assume you have to cultivate it first.

According to the walkthrough you are supposed to pick up "STRANGE seeds" from the exact place I got the "Uncultivated" seeds from??

Agree with the critique about combat being non-intuitive when you see first time. Before engaging in first battle, I thought heart is health and gray hexagon is attack power. Was really happy to see it's way deeper than that, but really couldn't bring myself to fight after

Spoiler

Don asked me not to. I also couldn't say no to his request to nuke the whole place, even if it meant our lovely statue got destroyed.

Edit: what restaurant chain? I feel like I'm missing out on some SA reference here.

http://chesanyama.co.za/

 

[Pyke]

OK, even the walkthrough doesn't seem to have this.

Where the @#$@#$* do you

Spoiler

plant the uncultivated seeds to make them cultivate??????

I've put them in the mother's milk but that doesn't do anything and can't talk to the Hanassi dude again, I assume you have to cultivate it first.

According to the walkthrough you are supposed to pick up "STRANGE seeds" from the exact place I got the "Uncultivated" seeds from??

Agree with the critique about combat being non-intuitive when you see first time. Before engaging in first battle, I thought heart is health and gray hexagon is attack power. Was really happy to see it's way deeper than that, but really couldn't bring myself to fight after

Spoiler

Don asked me not to. I also couldn't say no to his request to nuke the whole place, even if it meant our lovely statue got destroyed.

Edit: what restaurant chain? I feel like I'm missing out on some SA reference here.

http://chesanyama.co.za/

Spoiler

OK - so you have to talk to the Kettle Maiden inside the Kettle. Give her the seeds in the milk, and she will grow them for you. You have to give them to her, leave, and come back.

 

[WallaceChambers]

Just finished the game and felt that, by and large, it stuck the landing. (end game spoilers)

Spoiler

I would have kinda liked a longer conversation with the Penrose/Daris but it seems like most of the details I'm after are things I'd understand upon recollection. It is kinda sad that if I'm understanding this right, POOCH and Mark never know really each other or go on to know each other in their real lives. Also fake Mark handles finding out that he's a facsimile of the real Mark Leslie created by the Penrose (because the Penrose is biotech god and is operating outside of linear time using ppl to fix all these conflicts I guess?) really well. But at the end of the day real Mark ended up remarrying a 9 so it's all good.

Overall it's a great game. I'd give it an like an 8.5, maybe higher if I replay it and even more of the plot starts to click into place.

Pros:
Gorgeous visuals
Well realized and original setting. Extremely impressive.
Tons of memorable characters/memorable conversations
Interesting sci-fi concepts and moral dilemmas
I really warmed up to the interface over time.

Cons:
Occasionally confusing in terms of who to talk to/where to go. At one point misleading, i'd say.
Structurally, overly reliant on fetch quests.
An intense amount of lore rolled out in a non linear fashion which can feel overwhelming.

Other:
Puzzles are a mixed bag. They're mostly easy and inoffensive, with a few more engaging ones sprinkled throughout.
You can use this game to learn South African curse words, so it's educational.

Spoiler

There's a golden penis.

 

[HoboForEternity]

An intense amount of lore rolled out in a non linear fashion which can feel overwhelming.

i dont see this as cons at all. it felt good revisiting old dialogue for clues then realized some terms they talked early suddenly make sense. it maybe feel "overwhelming" but at least for me it's fun. like how daris

Spoiler

the OS of the terminal in the beginning before the jumped was named daris something.

i think at least it add the replayability. i havent done with the game yet so i don't know how fully replayable it is.

 

[Pyke]

We are adding in a hint systems of sorts in the game, and are gonna get the VO artists to record a few additional lines which will hopefully eliminate a bit of the 'what do I do now?' aspect of the game.
This system will be optional, so you can turn it on or off. Essentially a HARDCORE mode (which is what the game is now), and an EAS(ier) one.

 

[V_K]

HARDCORE mode (which is what the game is now)

(sorry)

 

[Lyre Mors]

This system will be optional, so you can turn it on or off.

Great news this, as I believe in almost all cases where I've felt "stuck" as to where to go next has quickly been cleared up by simply thinking for a couple of minutes, conjuring up some memory of my journey up until that point, and maybe occasionally pulling up a prior conversation log.

In other words, I believe you've done a great job already of giving the player all the information and tools they need to progress. It's in fact part of the fun of the game to have to do what I stated above.

 

[Daedalos]

Enjoying the game so far, only major gripe is the green information boxes, those are really jarring imo.

Hints and just information about the world should be more integrated into the UI itself, like it was in STASIS.

As others have said, I would have liked more traditional form of point and click interface, where u can click on alot more stuff, and the protag will comment or do something.
This is really a key missing feature, but eh. the game is great!

 

[Owlish]

Spoiler

Did the simulacrum have any use whatsoever or was it because you're a clone/simulation? I thought it had some kind of treasure map properties because when you view it in your inventory there's a circle that shows a section of the map, I flew around on the Vesta map trying to find the tear with it for a while.

Pretty cool game. Could have made an awesome RPG especially if you could have made your own char that actually belonged in that world. Had a Mass Effect 1 feel to it with the flying around exploring, and with the music.

Also didn't like the ending. Was like "damn that's it?" I thought the penrose would be a sentient entity of some sort that you needed to free, and would send you back home to your time in return.

All in all even though I'm not a big adventure game guy I had a lot more fun playing this than most RPGs I've played in a long time, and certain "CRPGs." Really cool setting, and of course amazing visuals. You probably could have made a 90 minute - 2 hour film in the same amount of time which would have probably got more buzz.

 

[Zarniwoop]

OK, even the walkthrough doesn't seem to have this.

Where the @#$@#$* do you

Spoiler

plant the uncultivated seeds to make them cultivate??????

I've put them in the mother's milk but that doesn't do anything and can't talk to the Hanassi dude again, I assume you have to cultivate it first.

According to the walkthrough you are supposed to pick up "STRANGE seeds" from the exact place I got the "Uncultivated" seeds from??

Agree with the critique about combat being non-intuitive when you see first time. Before engaging in first battle, I thought heart is health and gray hexagon is attack power. Was really happy to see it's way deeper than that, but really couldn't bring myself to fight after

Spoiler

Don asked me not to. I also couldn't say no to his request to nuke the whole place, even if it meant our lovely statue got destroyed.

Edit: what restaurant chain? I feel like I'm missing out on some SA reference here.

http://chesanyama.co.za/

Spoiler

OK - so you have to talk to the Kettle Maiden inside the Kettle. Give her the seeds in the milk, and she will grow them for you. You have to give them to her, leave, and come back.

Spoiler

Yeah, after about an hour fucking around in every single location I opened the walkthrough again. Apparently the kettle maiden (that I've never seen before) is inside the kettle gate. Past the Jabba the Hutt camera. That doesn't open. It just says something about NO CHUTA HO HO HO HO. According to the walkthrough you should choose any option but hours ago, I chose the first option, first time I saw it. Now I don't even have an option, it just tells me to piss off in Huttese

 

[dextermorgan]

Pyke I keep starting CohhCarnage video playthrough and quitting because I want to play this myself. Awesome work, will pick up as soon as cashflow stabilizes.

 

[Grotesque]

Does anyone have a link with the first footage with combat when was announced?
I want to make a visual comparison with the version in the released version.

 

[Owlish]

Does anyone have a link with the first footage with combat when was announced?
I want to make a visual comparison with the version in the released version.

I'm pretty sure I recall the brothers doing combat directly and holding weapons.

 

[V_K]

OK, even the walkthrough doesn't seem to have this.

Where the @#$@#$* do you

Spoiler

plant the uncultivated seeds to make them cultivate??????

I've put them in the mother's milk but that doesn't do anything and can't talk to the Hanassi dude again, I assume you have to cultivate it first.

According to the walkthrough you are supposed to pick up "STRANGE seeds" from the exact place I got the "Uncultivated" seeds from??

Agree with the critique about combat being non-intuitive when you see first time. Before engaging in first battle, I thought heart is health and gray hexagon is attack power. Was really happy to see it's way deeper than that, but really couldn't bring myself to fight after

Spoiler

Don asked me not to. I also couldn't say no to his request to nuke the whole place, even if it meant our lovely statue got destroyed.

Edit: what restaurant chain? I feel like I'm missing out on some SA reference here.

http://chesanyama.co.za/

Spoiler

OK - so you have to talk to the Kettle Maiden inside the Kettle. Give her the seeds in the milk, and she will grow them for you. You have to give them to her, leave, and come back.

Spoiler

Yeah, after about an hour fucking around in every single location I opened the walkthrough again. Apparently the kettle maiden (that I've never seen before) is inside the kettle gate. Past the Jabba the Hutt camera. That doesn't open. It just says something about NO CHUTA HO HO HO HO. According to the walkthrough you should choose any option but hours ago, I chose the first option, first time I saw it. Now I don't even have an option, it just tells me to piss off in Huttese

Spoiler

Talk to the doctor who lives near the gate. You might need to turn him on first.

 

[Pyke]

Does anyone have a link with the first footage with combat when was announced?
I want to make a visual comparison with the version in the released version.

I'm pretty sure I recall the brothers doing combat directly and holding weapons.

We never had Mark or Don enter combat, although at one point we did have Pooch as an idea for a combatant, but it never went passed me doing some animations for her.

The arena was also going to be a more literal arena where Don controlled the guys below while standing on this platform above the games (you can see the platforms still there if you go to the arena) - but we moved it closer to being an arcade game.
You were also going to be able to fight in the Hanasi arena (outside their homeland), but instead decided to move it all into the single story with the Priests at the Bulwark. The Hanasi combat would have essentially been the same, but with animals. That then became the Tik gambling game.

 

[Tytus]

Have not played the game, know almost nothing about it, but saw people on the internet complaining that it is advertised as an RPG but is isn't one.
So is it an adventure game as the placement on the Codex would suggest or is it an RPG?