Granichny Island ain't for the faint-hearted. Once considered a hub for scientific experiment, research and development, a twisted political history coupled with the unhinged egos of those in power has turned a dream into a nightmare.
Echoing everything from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to Fallout 4, Dying Light to the Metro series, DESOLATE spins an alternate-history of the USSR—and demands nerves of steel, a steady hand, and a fresh change of underwear.
Form a research team of up to four players or go it alone, uncover the horrors of the open world archipelago—monsters, madmen, life-threatening weather and more—and rid your country of this plague.
Having garnered quite a lot of attention during its first month on Steam, DESOLATE is proving to be a worthy addition to the survival game genre. Here are five reasons to check out the hottest first-person horror survival adventure coming out of Steam's Early Access initiative.
Learn your enemies
Going hard and heavy is a feasible tactic, but a more judicious approach might better suit you and your squad against the island's nefarious natives. Undertaking dangerous tasks lets players gather intel and vital information about their targets, whereas notes and diaries from previous settlers help uncover Granichny's turbulent past. Stealth deals critical damage from the shadows, while prior research lets you learn enemy behaviour—giving you the edge in battle.
A dark past
Granichny Island is one of the most harrowing settings the horror survival genre has ever seen. Years of perverted experimentation have warped the minds of humans and animals alike, turning them hostile in the process. To make matters worse, paranormal activity has been reported on the open world enclave, while seemingly impossible weather conditions add an extra layer of challenge to an already unthinkable scenario.
Explore abandoned settlements, military bases, top secret facilities, and uncover the lost secrets of Granichny and its civilians in your quest for the truth.
Strength in numbers
Despite the chaos around you, you're never alone. Online co-op allows you to form squads of up to four players, wherein you can make of use of unique team-based abilities—such as reviving fallen teammates. Testing your mettle as a lone wolf is of course possible too, assuming you've got the stomach for it. All power to you if you do.
It's worth noting that surviving DESOLATE not only requires peak physical condition, but a sound mental state too. The insanity of Granichny will change the world around you, as well as yourself.
Scrounge to survive
They say the world is your oyster. But in Granichny, the world is your stockroom. When you're not off slaughtering paranormal baddies, you'll want to gather recipes and components to craft, modify and upgrade your weapons and equipment in order to survive.
Similar to Bethesda's Fallout games, new clothing and armour can be scavenged across the island and can be customised to suit your tastes.
A bright future
DESOLATE is currently in Early Access and is constantly growing (Do remember, however, the game will cost more upon its full release.) The latest update alone introduced custom difficulty when creating servers, and added a number of new movesets and weapons to existing enemies.
Developer Nearga plans to continue this dedicated support through DESOLATE's planned six-month stay in Early Access, and has outlined substantial patches from now through the end of April.
Your feedback is crucial to the process, and Nearga encourages players to help shape the game's creation by visiting DESOLATE's Discover server and Steam Discussions Boards.
Visit DESOLATE's Steam page for more information.
