‘Desert Child’ – A Futuristic Racer Where Being the Fastest Isn’t the Only Way to Win

Being a top hoverbike racer is important in Desert Child, but sometimes, throwing a race, hunting down a bounty, or taking on another job will be more helpful in coming out on top.

You’re a talented hoverbike racer stuck on an Earth that isn’t doing so great. Like, explode-y not great. Folks are moving to Mars to find a better quality of life (and to not get exploded), but that costs money. Government subsidies to get people to the red planet are about to end, though, meaning it’s about to get completely unaffordable, so you need to put that talent to work to scratch together the money you need to get off-planet before it all goes kaput.

Racing, being your big talent, is a good way to earn the money you need in Desert Child. You can rush across a variety of tracks across a dying Earth, using an array of weapons to blast things out of your way as you vie for the top spot. If your bike isn’t cutting it, you can pay for some modifications that will give you more speed or damaging weapons (or even advertise to make some more money). You can also try some local cuisine to get temporary buffs from the food you eat, helping you beat the odds as your hurtle down dangerous tracks.

Seeing as you main goal is earning cash in Desert Child, winning races might not always be the most important thing you do. You can choose to make deals with gangsters to throw races for money, hunt down some bounties who might be racing alongside you, or even just take up an odd job delivering pizzas. It’s up to you how you make your money, so you can take the story and play down one of many different roads to make it.

With a smooth visual style and smoother lo-fi hip hop soundtrack, Desert Child takes you on a chill journey through some stressful, soon-to-be apocalyptic races and places.

Desert Child is available now on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam.

About The Author

Joel Couture

Joel has been covering indie games for various sites including IndieGames.com, Siliconera, Gamasutra, Warp Door, CG Magazine, and more over the past seven years, and has written book-length studies on Undertale and P.T.. Joel is constantly on the lookout for digital experiences that push the boundaries of what games can be, and seeks to delve into the creative process, meanings, and emotion labor that goes into the work of artists worldwide.

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