Desert Demolition
Nostalgia Factor:
I don’t have any nostalgic feelings for this game. Desert Demolition came out in 1995, and I just now in 2020 – 25 years later- got a chance to give this game a shot. I didn’t have high hopes for this game, as I had never even heard of it before. How would I feel about it when all was said and done? Let’s find out.
Story:
This game’s story is as thin as they come. If you choose to play as Wile E. Coyote, your goal is to run through five different stages (followed by a final boss) to catch the Road Runner. If you choose to play as the Road Runner, you have to run through the same five stages (and the same final boss) to get away from Wile E. Coyote. The end.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is fairly simple as well. Each stage operates on a timer. If you’re playing as Wile E. Coyote, time counts down and if you allow time to run out, the Road Runner gets away and you lose a life. Your goal is to run through each stage as quickly as possible, collecting items and power-ups along the way. You run, you jump, you speed dash. There isn’t much in the way of combat to be found here. This is all about making it through each stage as quickly as possible and collecting as many items as you can. The Road Runner appears occasionally, and if you come into contact with him you don’t catch him, but he drops items that give you points and additional time on your clock.
If you play as the Road Runner, your goal is to make it to the end of each stage while avoiding Wile E. Coyote. You can set traps as you go, which throws him off your path and gives you items. If the timer runs out, Wile E. Coyote catches you and you die.
Honestly, the game is a breeze. It took me a few minutes to get a hang of how to play the game, but once I figured things out it became as easy as can be. I completed the game with both characters within about 45 minutes. And that’s even after making it allllll the way to the end with Wile E. Coyote and losing all my lives on the final boss and having to start the whole game over again.
Graphics:
The game looks good! I would never say the graphics are beautiful or anything, but considering that this came out 25 years ago, I can’t complain too much. Things are bright and colorful. The characters and their animations are very well done. Each of the game’s separate stages have their own distinct aesthetic. No complaints here.
Sound:
Things sound pretty good too. A lot of the game’s music and sound effects reminded me a lot of Taz-Mania for the Sega Genesis. In fact, I can say with certainty that some of these sound effects were lifted directly from that game. I won’t complain, though. I liked that game’s sound effects and I like this one’s too. I wouldn’t say there’s anything too special or memorable about this game’s sound (or really anything special about this game in any category, to be honest with you) but I would never say it is poorly done or anything like that.
Overall:
This is a pretty easy game for me to grade. It falls directly into the middle of the pack in nearly every category. Nothing is spectacular. Everything is just okay.
Did I think the game sucked? No. I had a decent time with it. But was I nuts about it? Nah. Will I ever play through this game again in my life? Probably not. Desert Demolition offers almost no challenge and therefore offers zero replay value for me. I’ve seen everything this game has to offer, and I’m okay with that.
I think for a title that is nearly 100% average in every category across the board, a C would be a good grade for this game. But I'm going to dock it just a little bit for being too short and easy, and offering no replay value whatsoever. Yeah I had an okay time playing this game, but at least give me SOME reason to come back and play it again. I can imagine I'd probably be quite angry if I bought this game at full price back in 1995 only to find it contained about 45 minutes of gameplay.
Final Score:
C-
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