DESOLATE

This is a harsh and unforgiving survival game. Firstly, you start off with nothing but a long stick for a weapon. Secondly, when you die, your backpack drops on the ground right there where you died. You will respawn, often a couple hundred kilometers away, and have exactly 10 minutes to find your backpack again. It's marked on the map, which is very helpful, but the problem is that now you are unarmed.
If you can get to your backpack in time, you get all of your stuff back. If you can't get to it in time, then you lose absolutely everything... weapons, food, medical supplies, crafting ingredients... EVERYTHING. That situation gets better once you can earn yourself a room at the Oasis Camp. Your room will have a storage chest where you can put all the stuff you don't need to carry on you at the moment.
The Store Page contains the "horror" tag, but it's not really a horror game. It definitely has a spooky, post-apocalyptic vibe to it though. There is a nice day/night cycle, and various weather as you travel. You have to walk everywhere for a while. Eventually, you will find and learn how to fix these things called pneumolifts. Once working, the pneumolifts will allow you to teleport around the island.
You are on Granichny Island, yet you never see any ocean. You are a "volunteer", who has arrived to study the paranormal/supernatural events. A couple of years ago, something really bad happened out here, almost certainly some secret lab experiments gone wrong. The giant corporation responsible covered it up, but is now trying to either fix the situation or salvage what they can from it.
There are many dangers on Granichny. You will run into several types of hostile mutated creatures, along with corporate security mercenaries who don't want you snooping around, violently insane homeless men, and raiders/bandits. Add into the mix some deadly weather events, elemental anomalies, starvation, dehydration, stress, injuries, and disease... and you have got it pretty rough.
The currency on Granichny is scrap metal, so one of the first things you will want to learn is how to dismantle the items that you scavenge from every place you go. Many items respawn after a bit, as do the enemies. I've played for 27 hours so far, and have yet to meet any normal people outside of the Oasis Camp. Also, the game is open-world, so there are dozens of locations to explore.
All the residents inside the camp are traders though, so you can buy and sell with them. Different traders often have different merchandise, but when it's the same merchandise they all seem to have the same prices, so you don't need to shop around for the best price. Crafting is a huge part of this game, too. You'll craft many things (food recipes, new equipment, weapon upgrades, etc).
Multi-player does not work very well. When you create a multi-player world, the game tries to import into it your leveled-up character from your single player world. Trying to switch between characters can also cause you to lose both your inventory and your active quests. Also, if you do want to try multi-player, you will need a friend to play with, as there isn't really any multi-player community anymore.
There is plenty of content in this game, but you can only carry sixty kilograms max weight in your backpack (and that is when you are healthy), so it does get a little tedious running back to camp all the time to empty it. The graphics are pretty decent, and the immersiveness is good. Many people have reported bugs and glitches in the game. So far (27 hours), I have not experienced any myself.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☑ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☑ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☑ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☑ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☑ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Not sure who is reviewing this negatively. This game is quite good. It's also super cheap and on sale. Already 3 hours in and loving it so far. Not sure why people are complaining. Someone said it's 'hard survival'. Are you serious? You occasionally have to eat and drink. That's it. It's as easy as it gets in that regard. The enemies are not bad either and appropriately level up the more you learn, better you get and the more perks you get. Great game so far. Definitely worth $3 and honestly probably worth the $15 if not on sale.

Desolate is a bleak and atmospheric first-person survival horror experience that drops players onto the forsaken island of Granichny—an isolated stretch of land overrun by mutants, anomalies, deranged survivors, and the residual effects of unethical experiments. Developed by Nearga and published by HypeTrain Digital, the game blends open-world exploration, survival mechanics, crafting, and narrative investigation into a single experience that draws clear inspiration from titles like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Metro. From the moment you step onto the island as a “Volunteer” sent by the New Light conglomerate, it becomes apparent that Granichny is a place where everything has gone wrong, and it’s your job—alone or with up to three friends—to uncover what happened and survive long enough to report it.
The island itself is the game’s biggest triumph. Granichny feels abandoned yet alive, filled with derelict industrial complexes, eerie research labs, frozen forests, and ruined settlements that evoke dread at every turn. The world is built to make you feel small and vulnerable; even simple supply runs can spiral into panic when you stray too far from safety. The atmosphere is further strengthened by strong sound design: distant screams echo through the cold air, mutants stalk you through rusted corridors, and anomalies let out unsettling hums that warn of danger. This attention to ambience creates an ever-present tension, giving exploration a layered sense of threat even when nothing is actively hunting you. The island’s visuals and audio combine to deliver a tone that is consistently oppressive but compelling.
Survival systems form the backbone of the gameplay. Beyond managing health and stamina, you must contend with hunger, thirst, body temperature, injuries, and even your character’s mental state. Sanity drops when you witness disturbing events, stay in oppressive environments too long, or encounter supernatural anomalies, adding an extra layer of vulnerability that affects combat efficiency and perception. These mechanics ensure that every expedition requires preparation: stock food, craft supplies, repair gear, and study the area before venturing out. In cooperative play, these elements shine as players divide responsibilities, share resources, and rely on each other to survive encounters that feel overwhelming alone. When played solo, the systems can be harsh, but they underline the game’s commitment to making Granichny a hostile place.
Combat is one of the game’s more uneven elements. You’ll face humans, mutants, and strange experimental creatures, but the melee and ranged systems lack the precision or weight that similar survival titles manage. Attacks sometimes miss despite looking accurate, enemy blocking can feel excessive, and hit detection can be inconsistent. While the tension of fighting under pressure works thematically—combat should be desperate in a world like this—the clunky execution can cause frustration. Ranged weapons feel slightly better, but ammo scarcity and crafting requirements ensure you rarely rely on guns alone. When combat encounters work as intended, they are thrilling; when the mechanics falter, they highlight areas where Desolate’s polish falters.
Exploration and scavenging are consistent highlights. Buildings hide rare materials, side quests encourage delving deeper into dangerous territory, and secrets tucked throughout the island reward curious players with lore fragments, schematics, and resources. Crafting plays an essential role in progression: new gear, healing items, traps, cooked meals, and weapon upgrades all hinge on scavenging materials from abandoned facilities or defeated enemies. This loop—scavenge, craft, heal, upgrade, delve deeper—works especially well when shared with friends. The co-op design elevates the entire experience, making tense encounters more manageable and transforming the desolate island into an environment of shared discoveries and desperate teamwork.
Narratively, Desolate offers an intriguing premise, but its execution can feel disjointed. The overarching plot revolves around New Light’s experiments and the catastrophic consequences that followed, gradually revealed through logs, notes, environmental storytelling, and missions assigned by the base. These pieces are compelling in isolation, but the story’s pacing is uneven, and some threads never fully resolve. Players who enjoy piecing a narrative together from scattered clues will appreciate the mystery, while those seeking a tightly structured storyline may find the game’s approach too loose.
Technical performance and design inconsistencies further limit the game’s potential. Bugs, visual glitches, AI quirks, and occasional optimization issues interrupt immersion. Some areas feel richly designed, while others feel empty or repetitive. The game clearly aims high with its open-world scope, but it doesn’t always maintain consistent quality across all regions and systems.
Despite its flaws, Desolate succeeds in delivering a moody, atmospheric survival horror experience that shines brightest when played cooperatively. Granichny is a memorable setting—dangerous, mysterious, and rich with haunting detail—and the blend of crafting, exploration, and survival mechanics offers a compelling loop for players willing to embrace some rough edges. Those looking for polished combat or a tightly woven narrative may feel underwhelmed, but fans of grim open-world survival games will find a lot to appreciate in the island’s unnerving charm. Desolate stands as a flawed but fascinating dive into a world where humanity’s mistakes echo through every abandoned corridor and frozen forest.
Rating: 6/10

Fun Stalker-ish game with an interresting short story. Combat is a bit jank tho. :D
Took me 53-ish hours to 100% all achievements.
Few tips:
Base storage has infinite weight capacity, but not item stacks/slots.
Quartermaster is next to shop... I didnt interact with him till end of game woops. xD
Can use 'Unstuck' in menu for free teleport to SE of map.
Kills for liberation quest does'nt need to be at the place of quest which is good as barely anything spawned there for me.
Good Marauder locations: D2 bridge
F7 mountain mine.
Good NL Locations: E/F6 P.I.T
E2.
G2

Desolate is a fine game.
It's not the best game I've ever played, but it certainly isn't the worst.
It looks pretty nice, and the story is interesting enough to keep me playing.
The biggest problem is that it's too stiff.
Animations are pretty stiff, gameplay can be pretty stiff, combat is very stiff.
It's an odd experience. I can't say I've encountered a game so stiff in quite a while.
At $15, it's certainly not overpriced, but you may feel better about it if you can snag it for $10 or less.
I'm playing solo, and it's alright, but I feel it would be significantly better in a group, so I recommend getting at least one other person to play it with.
Overall, I give Desolate 6/10.
There are better games out there, and there are far worse games out there as well.