Desolate (video game)

Desolate (written in all caps) is an action-adventure game from developer Nearga and publisher HypeTrain Digital. It is set on the fictional island of Granichny, where covert experiments triggered a widespread mutation of the environment. Players take on the role of a Volunteer, an agent sent to investigate the island’s paranormal activity by gathering intelligence and completing hazardous missions.

**Gameplay** The game is a survival title in an open world, featuring a first-person perspective and a dynamic day-night cycle. Its core loop revolves around combat, exploration, and progressing through a campaign story. It supports both single-player and cooperative multiplayer for up to four people. Combat relies heavily on melee attacks, as firearm ammunition is scarce. Weapons—found around Granichny or taken from enemies—can be upgraded with modifications, and each weapon can be repaired only a limited number of times. Five survival elements are tracked: health, hunger, thirst, cold, and stress. Players scavenge medical supplies, food, and water to restore these stats. Crafting ingredients and blueprints allow them to build new items and equipment. Experience points are earned by completing tasks and defeating enemies. Accumulating enough experience grants a skill point, which can be spent in one of three skill trees: crafting, fighting, or survival.

**Plot** The story unfolds in Soviet-era Russia. In the prologue, Victor Ognin—founder of the New Light Conglomerate—sabotages his own company, an act that “will change the world forever.” This releases mutants and unnatural phenomena worldwide, with the epicenter on Granichny Island. The day of this catastrophe is called “Day X,” and Victor goes into hiding. Two years later, the player character—a Volunteer for New Light—is sent to Granichny to find a way to reverse the global damage. After earning the trust of local survivors, the Volunteer’s handler, 400, orders him to retrieve classified documents. These reveal that New Light conducted human experiments on islanders, including 400’s wife and daughter, both of whom died. Their daughter Lily now haunts the island as a ghost, menacing the Volunteer. Devastated, 400 abandons New Light and disappears.