Loath as I am to resort to a ‘back-of-the-cigarette-packet’ description: think of Desolus as Myst with some of the mechanics of Portal. It’s stronger than Myst, but not quite as slick as Portal. Don’t let this dissuade you, though.
Yet despite having been out on PS5 since mid-October, I’m seemingly one of only a few dozen players on that system. I must wonder why, as I really enjoyed myself here. Perhaps it’s been a victim of Sony’s algorithm and hasn’t been featured at all on the PS5 store page. Or perhaps its name was too non-descriptive and edgy for its own good.
Developed by Mark J. Mayers, who has previously been involved with Outer Wilds amongst others, this is very much his passion project, thirteen years in the making. I hope the player counts on the Trophy-tracking websites aren’t necessarily indicative of player counts. But I fear for Desolus, as even Steam’s peak player count was a mere sixteen a couple of days ago.
That might be due in part to the relative brevity of the experience on offer. Because it sure isn’t the experience otherwise. Compared to the somewhat similar The Alighieri Circle, this is far more freeform, with the possibility of missing collectables.
Getting completely stuck isn’t outside the realms of possibility either. That’s fine, though, as I often found revisiting a puzzle after a break was the best option. Without those pauses, I could’ve mainlined everything that Desolus had to offer in the time it takes to drink my way through a bottle of wine.
To continue the wine analogy, Desolus is better savoured over a few evenings or glasses. Getting stuck occasionally helped set that pace, but I was happy to take my time.
The last game I remember being this awed by the architecture in was Fumito Ueda’s Ico. Desolus has the same almost contemplative air and the same beauty to it. The portal aspect switches between the past and present of the nameless yet abandoned city.
Early on in this quest to save the titular city, you can trigger switches that open portals or affect items in the past or present and go through them too. No onward path? Grab a staircase from the past and place it in the present. As you progress through the distinct areas across Desolus, you’ll encounter varied spatial puzzles that up the ante in terms of difficulty. Sometimes thinking laterally is the best approach, as running headlong into the later Escher-likepuzzles can lead to bafflement, at least where I’m concerned.
Also, if you’re trying to mainline everything in one go, you’re going to miss the beautiful setting. It’s a bit like when I do a 5k run at race pace. My girlfriend will run the same course at a more relaxed pace and say to me afterwards, “Did you see that beautiful bridge or that tree on the right?” Yet because of my outright focus, I’ll have seen neither.
Take a moment to absorb the gothic beauty of Desolus, smell the flowers, if not metaphorically, then certainly figuratively. See what seems to have passed many others by and enjoy this uniquely beautiful experience. Yes, it’s a little brief, but it’s lovely.
Mark J. Mayers’ DESOLUS is out now on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC. Published by Quantum Astrophysicists Guild.