The Brotherhood is back in town
Beautiful Desolation is an isometric point-and-click adventure with a cool hook and an even cooler look. Following a successful Kickstarter funding drive, the game is now eying a February 2020 launch on PC.
The Cape Town-based developers at The Brotherhood are going for a “tribal punk aesthetic” in a post-apocalyptic “African-inspired landscape.” Backgrounds are one of the best parts of isometric games, and on that front, Beautiful Desolation makes stellar use of real-world miniatures and photogrammetry.
Outside of the delightfully strange world – a mix of new and old tech – I’m also intrigued by the story.
“Mark, a man out of time, searches for his lost brother Don, in a far-flung futuristic era ruled by highly advanced technologies which are both revered and reviled,” per the Steam page. “Your surroundings hold echoes of a desolate past, and glimpses of a dark future that has yet to be written by your actions.”
“Negotiate your passage with local leaders, healers, and warriors, or find yourself embroiled in a battle against nanite swarms, enormous scorpions and rocket-equipped robots,” continues the summary.
In a Kickstarter update post, The Brotherhood announced a GOG release for Beautiful Desolation and told beta backers to check their email. “These extra two months grace from our planned release date has resulted in a huge amount of additional content and polish. We know it will be well worth it!”
The creators’ last game, STASIS, turned out well enough.