Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2018
Desert Child
Developer Oscar Brittain
You are a hungry, young hoverbike racer who needs to get off Earth before it E-X-P-L-O-D-E-S. Hunt bounties, throw races, and do whatever you can to get to Mars and win the Grand Prix. From the Steam store page
190 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 5, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
45
Mixed
84 positive · 101 negative
95% range 38–53%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 84 | 101 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
5 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mixed
201 of 357 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 190 · most liked firstThis ain't no dessert, child. Having said that, going into the install folder and taking out the music ogg files and listening to the grooves in your favorite music player IS recommended.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews, so you can be updated whenever I post a new review. Overall Rating - Unplayable Trash ☆☆☆☆☆ First Impressions Desert Child (DC) is a game I obtained from a monthly Humble Bundle, activating it when it had fairly solid reviews, which is still on display if you check the composite score at the top of the Steam store page. Scrolling down reveals a far worse opinion, which…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Slight recommendation! Desert Child is a good game that is visually exciting but has a dull game loop. It was tough to finish because while the developers build the game around races, they are repetitive. I struggled to keep playing Desert Child and actually closed the game a few times, intending to quit. This was before I even made it to Mars, but I’m glad I kept with it and finished the game. The biggest issue is how slow the progression is. It’s a super short game, and your only goal is to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the racing gets old fast and they don't change it up very much. then in towns this dude walk slow as all hell maybe its the fact he needs to down 4 bowls of raman before hes full. sorry there isn't enough gameplay here for this to be much fun and the snail pace in towns just kills it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pixelated arcade racing game with interesting aesthetics and retro like atmosphere. Game have side view perspective. Controls are ok for the most part. You boost and fire your weapons to get those coins and to fill up the nitro gauge while avoiding obstacles. Goal is to win the race with your AI opponent. Keep in mind that you can't pause game during the race - it's prohibited! Music is ok and sounds a bit crunchy. You can eat ramen or repair your bike between the races. Collect parts and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I dig this game a lot. Realistically though, this game is probably just okay. Desert Child is part walking simulator, part sound track sampler, part racing game. The game takes place in a post earth solar system. You play a lowly hoverbike racer trying to make it to the big race...ON MARS! You work your way up race by race, noodle bowl by McNoodle bowl, and the occasional five finger discount. The races are fun and zippy and I really the look of the hoverbikes. The walking simulator portion of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So the game takes place on a dystopian Earth, which is set to explode, because reasons. But you know what? The real dystopia is a game that won't let you rebind controls. Years after its initial release. In the 21th century. And then, once you reach the first hub, that will ask you to press a specific key to continue. And mark that key as a blank. A blank key you can't reassign. So you can't play the game. A game you paid money for.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The artwork in this game is fantastic, but unfortunately that's pretty much all the good that I can say. I found that the biggest issue holding this game back was the game design. The gameplay loop was just too repetitious and there are some staggeringly poor design choices, like the outrageously slow movement speed across the maps (especially considering how many locations there are to travel through once you reach mars). The difficultly felt like it was stagnant throughout most of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not worth it. As the "Beat the game" achievement states, only 3.4% of the people finished the game, despite being possible to complete it in under 3 hours. I will start pointing out that the retro style is cool and although I do not recommend the game, I do recommend to take a look at the soundtrack, which is pretty cool. Now, some of the many things wrong with this game: - Limited repetitive mechanics, lack of explanation when it comes to complete jobs - The navigation of the map is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tries to be stylish retro but failed horribly. You don't know what to do at the very beginning and very hard to grasp. Gave up playing it at the beginning. It is retro afterall because it reminds me of the times that you have no idea what to do with the game you've just got when there was no internet. <번역> 스타일리쉬한 레트로 게임을 지향했겠지만, 정말 처음부터 뭘 얘기하는지도 잘 모르겠고 비직관적이라 처음부터 포기하게 만드는 게임. 레트로이긴 레트로인게 인터넷 없던 시절 게임 키고 뭘 해야할지 모르는 그 막막함은 기막히게 잘 살렸다.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a good game, but it easily gets repetitive. The achievements are hard to accomplish, they are a real challenge! The graphics looks good, it brings good vibes and style to the game. The audio tracks are very good too, but slightly repetitive over time (since you might die a lot and need to restart tracks). The campaign is special and unique. I would recommend!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey. You ever get that feeling where there's a word that you know you're going to use over and over and over again in a review? Today, that word is chill, and I'm gonna do my best with my thesaurus here. I'd like to talk about Desert Child. It's a pretty chill game. To be honest, there's not that much of a gamey gamer's game here. Desert Child sticks to the basics with regards to gameplay, and instead coasts along with a dope sense of style. The game has a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me see what this game has to offer. -annoying music: check -bad controls: check -♥♥♥♥♥♥ story: check Yep, avoid this garbage. I would have been mad if i didn't get this in a humble bundle. No way in hell i would have payed for this and not refunded immediately.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately, not at all what I expected when I read the description for this game. Expectations: a fun futuristic action game with a cool storyline and characters. Reality: generic money farm, empty characters, a location called "mars" (although there is no hint that this is another planet and not earth lol) and some good races at the end. The only real plus is the musical accompaniment, the tracks here really rock. Respect to the musicians. Oh, and the game is short. I advise everyone to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing art, cool music and a fun concept. Unfortunately the gameplay is rather boring and shallow.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The good: the ost is great. Love the style. Some good humor. Some good visuals. The bad: The gameplay loop isnt for me. Not a fan of this side scroll race thing. Character walks too slow in the hub. Was not for me
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is a blurry story within the good-looking retro art. Repetitive walking between locations (in order to stock up on food and to fix your bike) and the lack of gameplay elements within the races you have to compete in, makes it a rather dull experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Style over substance" is so true with this game, the art direction and soundtrack are awesome but the actual gameplay is very shallow and boring Once you've completed your first race it's just going to be that same loop over and over to grind for the next part of the game, unfortunately the racing isn't all that interesting or mechanically dense so it grows tired very quickly and the characters you interact with between money grinding have no real personality The only reason I have 6 hours…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of those games most people will give a thumbs up simply because of the artsy style. To be honest, Desert Child's gameplay just isn't for me. The hectic racing around trying to shoot your opponent as well as "TV's" and other things while simultaneously avoiding barriers/walls, boosting your vehicle and keeping up with the train to replenish ammo.... just a bit too much in my opinion. The visuals and style of the game are good though. If this was a different kind of game without the racing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This feels more like an art project than a game. While its art is consistently well made, it has way too many game design flaws, leaving players wondering what they are supposed to be doing. First of all, you are dropped into a tutorial-like screen, where you are introduced to do the core mechanics: walk (extremely slowly), race, fix your vehicle, eat and sell energy cores... except that selling cores is not really something you will be doing a lot (the major influx of cash comes from other…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nope. Slow, boring, main gameplay is lost in a very bad decision to make the game a slog. Is there meant to be a story-based game? It's too boring and slow. Is this meant to be an action racing-shooter? Very little reward, and difficulty/gameplay is bad. Stay away.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The aesthetic is extremely nice. But as a shmup racing game, this is very boring. The control scheme was also very obtuse and bad at communicating how to do simple actions.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Empty. It's a racing game however the first 5 races are set in only 2 locations, apart from the view the rest are the same: shoot money/ammo box, avoid the barrier by pressing W or S and boost. No slightest excitement nor anything worth any attention. When not racing player can walk on a street with 3 shops, only to 1) Eat noodles 2)Fix the car 3)Sell a car part. No upgrades, no customize, no track pick. On the 5th race which is extremely the same as before I quit, I don't have time to waste.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →first hour was fun running through the city steal, eat, deliver, race, repair... but then it becomes an endless loop of the things above save your money and time
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →really chill game. desert child is great if you just kind of want to relax (and be very, very poor) in a funky future with occasional racing gameplay. the racing gameplay is, unfortunately, really shallow, but it's entertaining enough and the general presentation of the whole game def helps that. i really like how desert child looks and sounds, the soundtrack here is actually great pretty much all the way thru. despite my having a generally fun and chill time, there is def a part of me that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looks so good, but the gameplay is pure garbage
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a vibe over a game. i'm not quite sure what is being aimed for here, but i'd still recommend a cautious look. there's not much meat on the bones of the actual, more gameplay-heavy part of the game (the racing) and my impression is that they wanted to build an interesting world, but i think this would fall flat for most people.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a VIBE. It's so relaxing to just walk back and forth, learning a routine of repairing, eating and racing. The racing part itself is really fun and getting good at it feels awesome. In conclusion, it's great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoyed the artwork + soundtracks more than the gameplay. Repetitive but good for a short fun 1-2 hours of gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent art I guess? Gameplay is repetitive and absolutely worthless. Doesn't help its a grind
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring. Should have just been a visual novel if they didn't want to make interesting gameplay. Why put effort into making the game look good if the races bore me to sleep?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awful. Literally got stuck at the first town after the janky driving. Really did not enjoy and the art isn't great either. I really can't see the appeal
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a highly repetitive, mobile mini game dressed up in a LoFi Beats to Relax/Study To aesthetic. Boring and tedious.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Introduction Desert Child is a unique mix between racing game and life simulation. Pros & Cons Pros: + Beautiful pixel art with cool looking animations + Memorable soundtrack + Great balance between fast-paced racing and calm walks around town Cons: - Gameplay lacks in variety - Races have rubber banding, that makes it feel unfair when you lose - Not much in terms of the story Story You play as an unnamed man, who wants to take part in the hoverbike racing Grand Prix on Mars. In order to do…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game where you play a bike pilot earning money in races. Races where you shoot things. It's got a lot of style, but the races become repetitive fast and instead of giving you a menu to interact with different locations in the city you're in, you have to walk your character which can make it really confusing to find what you're looking for, and even more repetitive as you just walk back and forth to the same locations between every race. Basically you end up spending more time walking around…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great art style and music. Beautiful places. However, the repetitive gameplay and the maze-like structure of the city that you have to walk through slowly every single time ruins the fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: Try when the game is on 50% or more sale. Even then it's not for everyone. This game has it's charm, but I don't think it's for everyone. I din't finish the game, went in for the experience. Things get old fast though. I hate that the traveling is so slow in this game, and you need to start from the same point every time you finish an activity/job. You basically just keep racing for more money to progress in the game, and the hunger bar is just an excuse for you to travel around for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+Stylish +Punchy music +Walk the market, some random finds +Upgrade bike +Side hustles -Grindy -Racing is not really racing -Side hustles are almost the same as "racing" -Novelty wears off really fast It's not bad at all, just the looks oversell the gameplay. It's ok. PS: Game crashes silently (doesn't start) if it fails to connect to the Internet
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →19 minutes was all it took to know this game is trash
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has an amazing artstyle but unfortunately the gameplay is extremely unappealing and downright boring. Give it a shot for a buck or two but be ready to refund.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing through more of Desert Child, and come across a new location. Centrelink Bridge. Start wondering if this is by an Aussie dev, or just a coincidence. Walking in to the new location reveals all 🤣
unlabelledView post →15. Desert Child I love this game almost too much. Music, art, and gameplay makes brain very happy. Its also one of the games I will ALWAYS talk about if you get me talking about games long enough.
unlabelledView post →The only problem with this game is that there isn't enough of it. I would absolutely play 20+ hours of a game just like this. I was a little bummed to find the ending so quickly. The mechanics are just plain fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not great only 4% of players beat the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looks like the intro to Flashback. Shame about the gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got mixed feelings about Desert Child. On the positive side it has a super soundtrack once you get the full music variety on Mars. Also the art style greatly displays the atmosphere of the game end-to-end. The city is alive and atmospheric and the details are many. On the negative side stand the core gameplay mechanics. Creating a world is one thing, but filling it with interesting things to do is another story. Here the game does not live up to its world building at all. There are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Racing part was too repetitive, and the RPG elements too disappointing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sometimes, a game can really be elevated by the atmosphere it has. That's the case for Desert Child. The gameplay itself is fine - the racing is basic but fun for a while, though walking around town is a little slow. But the combination of music and graphical style really makes Desert Child succeed. There's a lot of Cowboy Bebop influence here, and the game puts across a similar sense of cool style. It makes you feel like a down-on-your-luck racer, who is still super cool despite being…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a boring game. Racing and shooting is nothing fun and between this you sloooow walk around confusing city to do stuff. There are better pixelart games than this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →awful unplayable steering
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →once a dead man, always a dead man
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good graphic design reminding the "Cowboy Bebop" fashion style which is a mixture of common sci-fi background and classical western movie, the first one giving the "physical" part of story and the second one defining the spiritual part that though may be the most boring part of the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hard to see racing, strange UI choices, annoying controls.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a console ported 2D retro pixel endless runner/shmup where you drive a badly rendered pixel hoverbike thing and shoot things while being unable to stop, because it makes perfect sense if you can build a gravity defying hoverbike, you wouldn't have invented "brakes" technology yet. The quality of implementation here is on par with the quality of game conceptualisation, that is to say, some of the worst I've seen. You know when the first thing you see launching a game is the developer…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really cool looking racing game in which the racing is awful.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Desert child is a nice 2D hoverbike-racing game. The art-style is unique. The controls are fluid and the gameplay is fun. 10€ seem a bit too much for this simple 2D racing game. Buy it when it is on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →* It's a good game, it has very interesting visuals and art. I was very impressed with the different point of view (panoramic like point of view ) you see the character walking around the city. * Regarding to gameplay, it's meh. It's a racing game... but I guess the gameplay is not the may focus here. * This game has a lot of pop culture filling the world and gives a feeling of real even though the action is based in a possible near future Mars thing. * Most of the time you'll race to get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tried this game because it looked interesting. Played on and off for quite a while because it's not the type to be played for an extended period of time. Although it was a unique experience, I would not recommend this game because it was a tedious experience! - the pacing felt sluggish - getting around the map was frustrating (could use a fast travel option since you'll be waking a lot) - winning in races was determined by luck - gets repetitive very fast - final boss was atrocious All in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you liked the 2003 flash game StickRPG AND you like horizontal side scrolling racing, then you'll like this game. If the answer to either of those was no then ass, because that's what this game is, and the best part of the entire game is the pizza delivery song. The bike customization, music, and humor was all solid, but other than that there aren't any stand-out elements of this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Acquired through Humble Bundle. Controls are effed. Can't remap controls in settings either. Cringey, embarrassing, edgelord descriptions of common things like "Settings" and "Start" in the menu. It's like an immature teenager wrote them. Just so embarrassing. Immediate turn-off. Constant reloading is required in races and really saps any enjoyment. Fire at things for a few seconds, spend another few seconds to reload via a truck. Becomes tedious very quickly. Walking feels interminable. So…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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