It Returned To The Desert (2023)

Developer: Tim Rachor
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure
Rating: 4.7 of 5, 32 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 2.3 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense, story-driven tactical adventure set in a desert town, blending turn-based combat with investigation and time management against a creeping supernatural threat.

tacticalstory-drivenatmosphericretromysterioustensestrategicsurvival

What players say

Players call it a nostalgic spiritual successor to It Came From the Desert but say it feels rough and unpolished. The turn-based combat and time management are praised, yet the limited storage and small combat maps frustrate. The final battle is notably hard, and the driving controls don't work on Steam Deck.

Screenshots

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More by Tim Rachor

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.