Here’s a fun little game that explores some fascinating genre combos.
Desert Race Adventures is developed by Portugal-based indie devs Firedrake Games and published by Black Smoke Studios. Despite the name implies, it’s not quite a racing game, or even a driving game. But it is racing/driving-themed.
Desert Race Adventures is actually a roguelike adventure that just so happens to be themed around a cross-country race from Europe to Africa. As the press release succinctly describes it: “It’s Oregon Trail meets Dakar Rally.”
And this is the old-school Paris-Dakar Rally we’re talking about, when it was a cross-country race that starts from Paris and ends in Dakar. Modern day Dakar Rally is still a time trial across the desert, but due to safety concerns and the instability of the countries which the rally crosses, has led to the event relocating to Saudi Arabia these days.
Yes, that was a long tangent just to say Desert Race Adventures is inspired by the older Dakar Rally, not its modern form.
A run in Desert Race Adventures starts with you picking a pilot and co-pilot as well resources to carry through the race. And as you make your way from Brussels, Belgium to Lome, Togo, you’ll encounter various decision-making choices that can affect your race. Sometimes good, sometimes not. But your goal, like any racing event, is to finish first. And like any roguelike game, you can always try again if you first don’t succeed. Maybe with better planning, and better luck, you’ll get P1.
Early this year we saw the release of a road-tripping driving game that isn’t a driving or racing game, Keep Driving. Now we have the racing equivalent of that resource-management game that is themed around cars.
Desert Race Adventures releases later this summer (Q3, June-August)