REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

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REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

Beautiful Desolation is a graphic adventure that starts in obscurity. The interface harkens back to classic Fallout and foreshadows a descent into post-apocalyptic, desert, hostile worlds. Anyone who had played Stasis, the debut of The Brotherhood team, does not fear a drift towards the role-playing game. Despite the isometric view, Beautiful Desolation is a point and click through and through.

REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

There are items to mix, puzzles, dialogues with different options, and a few minigames. There are also some issues due to an obsolete formula, such as the unavoidable backtracking, which we will discuss later. However, these issues fade in the face of the graphic effect of the scenarios, which feature jungles, beaches, oppressive monoliths, tribal-punk civilizations, and full-fledged Afrofuturism.

REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

It is not the formula that has changed in comparison to its predecessors, but the atmosphere, which is no longer a claustrophobic horror. You will discover a wild expanse where you can get lost in valleys and convoluted tunnels. Everything is bizarre: the bones of the colossus, gargantuan creatures, stone statues abandoned against the mountains, space-time singularities, robotic entities with irreparably damaged intelligence, men and women who sacrificed their flesh to achieve immortality, brave living close to deadly climatic conditions thanks to technology and so on. Here, in other words: pure science fiction, dystopian, alienating and horrifying because it is far from the most well-known and tested visual formulas.

REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

The Brotherhood is more of a duo than a band. Thanks to Kickstarter, the Bischoff brothers, Christopher as an artist and Nicolas as a programmer, have entered the gaming industry. It is worth noting that the storey, aside from the wonder, the unknown around the corner, and the majesty of the landscapes, focuses on the relationship between two brothers, on the bond, they will form with an automaton, and on the choices, they will make that will impact the world that will affect them. encompasses. Our Mark can be affectionate or pessimistic, and something can change along the way.

The writing is not virtuosic, but it is clean, truthful, and above all, deserving of the best works of science fiction. There are moments of restlessness and strangeness that will make you think of Harlan Ellison, Dan Simmons’ popular Hyperion, and a few pages of Miéville. In other words, expect some kind of experience, body horror, and anguish, as well as a lot of variety, worldbuilding, and elegance.

Mick Gordon produced the soundtrack, which is often synthesised. It’s appropriate and never disruptive, but it’s not really unforgettable. The dialogues of the mad and visionary characters we will encounter along the way are all dubbed: they will talk as a GIF moves on the screen, even though the moment at which it will restart its loop will be visible at times due to timing that is not always precise. And here is one of the first defects of a title that, due to its size and ambition, must clash with its most recurring problems.

In reality, on the graphic side, we see clearly breathtaking scenarios, to be explored with awe and often created using the photogrammetry technique, colliding with the 3D models of the often perplexed characters, which are in some cases not very accurate and grainy. In short, we see a spectacular fantasy hampered by the technological constraints that ultimately confront such a small team on its journey. The defect is also mitigated in this case: every location is teeming with life, whether it’s drones, animals, NPCs in motion, fireflies, or other atmospheric effects.

In terms of gameplay, the classic Point and Click formula have its typical problems of obscurity, exacerbated by the techno-babble of the setting. Without complete focus, persistence, and intuition, it is easy to get lost in vast scenarios that can conceal only a secondary object unrelated to some sort of search.

Sometimes green concentric waves indicate the presence of a key object, many other times, however, this object does not appear: it is deliberately invisible, it is discovered by walking next to it. This leads to pixel-hunting moments, which is an issue that graphic adventures should have solved decades ago.

The puzzles aren’t especially difficult, and luckily, they’re all well-motivated by the existence of passwords and computer systems, so there’s no need to read the designers’ minds. The dialogues, on the other hand, appear only when they are used to complete certain quests, implying that the clues are transmitted through the dropper. As a side activity, it is possible to play dice while witnessing fights between xenon-insects.

There is a turn-based combat minigame, fairly challenging: each piece has three types of attack, which it can use depending on the skill points collected turn after turn. They are three-on-three fights, down to the last character in your team. Given Brotherhood’s inventiveness, it’s fascinating to see these attempts to delve into RPG gameplay. The developers have been careful not to make it mandatory, precisely out of respect for their core target: precisely the players of graphic adventures.

However, the variety of locations and the freedom in which one or the other plot-line can be pursued is to be commended. There are several alternate and optional paths. The longevity of the title stands at the actual fifteen hours, of continuous enchantment and uninterrupted suspense, which due to the non-linear game structure can even double and triple.

REVIEW : BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION (PS5)

Each significant decision is followed by a detailed cutscene. Phases of exploration on foot alternate with sections aboard an aeroplane, from which to observe the points where we will land from above. The climax may not be convincing because it is, paradoxically, too fast, but the journey more than makes up for it.

To summarise, we are witnessing one of the most interesting, original, and aesthetically pleasing graphic adventures in recent years. Something very different from Stasis in size and airiness, but very similar in structure.

Unfortunately, despite its undeniable elegance, the game’s gameplay makes it impossible to recommend outside of the niche of fans.

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