It came from the desert was one of those games that I always wanted to play as a when I was younger but could never afford to buy. I recently downloaded this gem and was pleasantly surprised with the results, though the interface takes some getting used to (and a lot of patience). It came from the desert is still a very innovative and interesting adventure story pitting the main character against the truly unknown. Antiquated graphics are nullified in this game by a detailed and unpredictable story line while strange creatures and equally strange (and funny) characters and situations make this game one to get for any old school dos fan.
And despite the fact that the game does show its age (at times well and at times not so well), this drawback somehow fits this game well in a funny sort of way.
It came from the desert is a noir-esque interactive adventure game with a 60's alien b-movie groove that is the core of the plot. The concept of the game is simple: Gather evidence about the alien/mutant menace that is starting to take over a small southwestern town before it takes over the world. This is not an easy task. At times arcade like elements (moments) come in making the game all the more exciting to play while trying to accomplish your goal which of course is to show the
evidence to the proper authorities (if they are in during working hours!) so that they can get the army to come to stop the menace (and ants) from growing.
In order to do this your character will have to take on these creatures almost entirely on your own first of course, but hey isn't that just like a dos game :) The upside of it came from the desert is the fact that you can not die. That's right, when you should be dead you just end up in the hospital. Of course this is only a good thing if you don't end up there all of the time. The down side is that this game is tough. It’s pretty easy to end up in the hospital. Each time you do you lose a little of your precious time, which is the worst aspect of this game, yes, you only have a few precious days to accomplish your mission and the more you go to the hospital, the tougher it gets as your time only runs out faster.
Other aspects of the game like how the towns folk are only available during certain hours of the day could be seen by a player as interesting or just a hastle depending on your mood (or how close you come to losing, one thing is for sure, this is not real-time as we know it today). Overall though, I think this is a great game and can be a lot of fun for hard core dos gamers and those just looking for a few hours to waste alike.
