Desert Child is about the moments between that make the everyday grind tolerable
by Amr (@siegarettes)
- Desert Child
- Developer: Oscar Brittain
- Publisher: Akupara Games
- PC (played via Utomik), Switch, Xbox One, PS4
Life in Desert Child was simple when I started. Spend the day racing, sell the extra power cells I didn’t need to make money and fund repairs, and finish the day off with some ramen. It wasn’t a great life, and if you thought the ramen at those hipster shops here were a rip off, wait until you eat this $15 ramen that doesn’t even fill you up. Still it was easygoing, and there wasn’t much to worry about.
Then I got it in my head that I was gonna make it big on Mars, and enter the Grand Prix. So things got complicated.
Mars is kind of like Earth, but it never stops raining and everything is way more expensive. The convenience store only wants to sell me cigarettes and cheap food that seems to fill me up less the more I eat of it. I tried to get a job herding kangaroos (who brought these to Mars??) and ended up paying the rancher instead. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to shoot them, okay? I did some weapons testing, and tried my hand at bounty hunting, but all I came away with was a banged up bike.
I thought once I got to Mars I’d be able to hit the big time, but turns out there’s a problem: you need A LOT of cash to afford the entrance fee. Hence all the odd jobs. Life is little more than racing, taking whatever gigs I can find, and trying to find something to eat that won’t make me sick.
In between jobs I’ve taken to wandering the street, jealously eyeing the premium parts on bikes on the streetside, listening to records, and renting a raft to take across the lake. Luckily, I found a pizza joint that made life just a little bit easier. Not only is their (kinda pricey) margherita pizza and wine delicious and filling, but I’ve found a regular job doing deliveries for them. It’s quick, a sick song plays during each ride, and I can even make commission. Ok, well the base pay isn’t great, but a good day brings in the money.
I’m a long, long way from affording that Grand Prix registration, and there always seems to be another expense on the way there, but I’m slowly inching towards my goal. I don’t know if I’ll make it, but until then, I’m going to enjoy the music and the taste of a good pizza.