Ren'Py - Desert Stalker [v0.16c] [Zetan]

A interesting concept with a well interactive story. Although correctly the story is in it's infancy and is fairly linear in what you can do. I believe this will be more and more expanded.

In the future I can see how many of the choices made can have an effect on different scenes or developments. Which is always nice to see.

The renders and art style are made to a high quality. Which not only includes the characters but also the killing scenes. Which provided a nice of gore and post-apocalyptic nature to the game. However, that content is optional.

Although, the text is interesting to an extend and provides a lot of flexibility in some case. I cannot deny that some sections are tiresome to read. However, it still is acceptable and does provided useful inside into the emersion of the game.

v0.05

== edit ==
I expanded bit more on the tiresome comment. However, some it contains spoilers to the game so I do not recommend people who have not played it to read this part further.

I just love this game. The story is totally different from other games and definetly one of the most interesting ones I played.

Not much of a review, but want to support this game with my rating and hope for future updates.

Based on the (as yet) unfinished v0.05c

My usual disclaimers when writing reviews on here are that A. I am here for the "plot" not the plot and B. I am very picky with visual novels and think broadly they can be very subpar. So, take both of those into consideration for my review when thinking about this game.


Pros

• Intriguing setting – A sort of cross between Fallout and Mad Max. It’s post-apocalyptic, although the nature of the apocalypse has not been defined precisely. There are towns/factions/mutants/gangs that drive around in pimped out muscle cars. It’s also set in Egypt so that they could get the desert vibes and also add in some Ancient Egyptian-themed clothes and culture. The latter bit in particular can be a bit silly, but it’s still actually pretty cool overall and I appreciate the imagination on display.
• Violence is the answer – The game is shockingly brutal at times… I fucking love it! It’s actually pretty cool to see a game that’s ostensibly set in a harsh and cruel world and then not shy away from violence and death. There are cannibals, decapitations and then a few murders. Quite simply it’s great to see a game that wants things to happen in it beyond moody and angsty melodrama and arguing.
• Choices – Fucking finally dude. A game that seems to be unafraid of you making large and important decisions that (MAY) have serious lasting consequences. Beyond just “do you stick your dick in the girl?”. There’s loads of them too, including in dialogue, which is precisely what you want from a game (interaction is key). Of course, the game has barely gotten started yet, so we’ll see if these things actually do have any longer-terms consequences because it’s too soon to tell that yet.
• Holy shit that’s hot – Desert Stalker whacks you right in the face with what it’s trying to do in the first few minutes. There’s a mix of two sorts of “themes” of kinks on display. One is an ALMOST (but not quite) free-use theme where “the strong can take what they want” and that includes women. So as you are someone strong, you get to just grab women when you see them and do whatever you like with them… That’s hot as fuck. The other main theme is a domination/force thing where, along the lines with the other bit, when you grab a girl and just start using her, usually they quickly get into it. This, obviously, will not appeal to some people (and also may not be the most realistic thing ever devised) but godammit if it doesn’t appeal to just about some of my favourite kinks and leave me really hungry for more… Sure it uses porn logic, but I’m never one to complain about that. Also sharing is totally optional! Wonderful!
• UI is great – nothing much to say here, but the “dating-sim” sections where you have control over where and what you do, the UI is very clear and crisp. Just quite nicely done and there’s obvious room for expansion.
• Hot girls – All the character models are super attractive and there seems to be some genuine effort to make unique-looking girls in more than a few places. This isn’t something I personally place a huge deal of value in (given that I’m perfectly happy with honey select) but it matters to some.

Mehs

• Writing – A lot of the writing is more than a little wobbly. Sometimes there are some pretty cool moments and on a very broad level there’s some obvious competence on display. The English seems to be very good, dialogue flows naturally (mostly), there’s some interesting set-ups and individual scenes. However, this is countered by scenes which also seem a little out-of-place with confusing interactions and responses, stuff like being allowed into a shifty/somewhat-enemy faction base and just being allowed to wander around. Or introducing a new character out of the blue and having them dump tonnes of exposition on you with your (supposedly alpha) character not arguing back whatsoever. By turns as well, some of the dialogue can be a bit stilted and awkward, but hopefully this is something which will improve over time. All in all, I’m willing to forgive some of the more awkward aspects because it’s balanced by a few better moments and I’m interested and invested enough in the actual broad direction of the plot.
• Animation – While the girls are hot as hell (with perhaps some slightly disproportionate body types) the animations in the game are currently all extraordinarily basic. Little more than few repeated stills. Not a problem essentially, but nothing to write home about.

Cons

• Relationship with the girls – In the game you have a wife who is more than happy for you to go around impregnating and dominating other girls. That’s great. You ALSO live with two other female main characters: Ain and Shani. The default relationship of these girls is “step-daughter”. Okay, so far so good… But their default relationship to your wife is “step-mother”. Which is… Odd… Who are their real parents? You also very happily go around treating Ain like a slut (hot as hell) but then get extremely bent out of shape when you stare at Shani’s butt (because you shouldn’t be looking at her like that). What is our relationship with these girls supposed to be?!? Are they MEANT to be daughters and “step-daughter” is just a way of getting around Patreon’s incest filters? Are they actually meant to be adopted daughters? Are they not meant to be related to each other? What is the situation here and why are we treating them differently? I want Zetan to sit the fuck down and explain: these are your daughters, and we call them “step-daughters” so I can sell the game. AND THEN I want him to have consistency with that in the game itself…
• Setting quibbles – I actually personally appreciate that Zetan has not dumped huge levels of exposition on us right at the start and is allowing us to gradually explore and discover things. However, I’m finding myself repeatedly more and more confused by the MC’s relationship with different people, who the factions are and their relationships. And then also just basic information about the world. For example, when a “Zone” appears, it would be rather nice is someone could possibly explain what the hell a Zone is. They’ve appeared before, sure? But are they some kind of weird anomalous local weather conditions or radiation zone? I think the solution here would be an in-game glossary/codex. Highlight certain words and let the player decide if they want to get a bit more information (or not) about some aspects. Basically, I need more consistency and more information about what’s going on. Edit (as of v0.08c): I've no idea if Zetan himself saw this but almost the update immediately after my review introduced a glossary, which rather nicely dealt with my complaint here.

Desert Stalker is going to be an absolute pain in my arse now. You might notice that I’m reviewing version 0.05. That means it is extraordinarily early days for a game that only came onto the scene late last year. I also then got absolutely hooked on it.

I love the fact that it isn’t shying away from rougher kinks and sexy stuff. That alone would be more than enough to make me follow its progress and desperately want more (personally I think there’s far too many vanilla games out there and not enough that let you grab a woman by the neck). I also really like that it’s incorporating sort of Fallout wasteland levels of violence. Basically we’re talking super hot fucking and intense action and so it won’t just be step-mom drama and arguing with your sister… All in all, it has tonnes of potential.

And it’s also only about an hour long... That was a pretty heart-breaking realisation. The free-roam segments currently only have three repeatable events which are fairly basic. A lot of the major plots have only just started. Many of the major relationships and girls have basically only just been introduced with very few actual scenes.

In short, the Zetan has fucked me over by getting me invested in his bloody game at a point where it’s years away from being at a point where I get to binge the whole thing… Fuck!

I’ll say it again, the writing is definitely a bit shaky and weak at times and the whole “dominant porn logic” might well put some people off, but for me this game has the potential to break the top 5 of all games on the site for me if it keeps going the way it is. I’m just more tolerant of these things when I am presented with an interesting story premise and then lots of actual hot fucking.

I’ll admit there’s refinement needed here, I mean why the heck is it set in post-apocalyptic Egypt but seems to have totally brand-new Pyramids and ancient Egyptian architecture? But again, I can handle the silliness.

Plus, can I say, that the game seriously deserves a gold star for apparently actually wanting the player to make decisions and be involved with the dialogue rather than just have a billion lines of text between us clicking the “sex scene time” button.

Looking forward to coming back in a year and seeing what progress has been made!

This is definitely one of those special games I felt the need to do a rating after trying it out. This game is so entertaining, it sets you up in a very interesting post-apocalyptic world that the dev clearly takes time to flesh out and develop (rare in these types of games). There is an interesting plot occuring within the game with what seems to be multiple characters and groups swaying the story in different ways. And of course, the sex.... sheeeeesh. The girls are really hot, and there is an interesting execution here where despite all the girls basically throwing themselves at MC, it isn't annoying and even somehow makes sense. Very excited to follow, and highly recommend trying it out!

What an absolutely brilliant game.

The setting is perfect--Max Max meets Cleopatra with a dash of Fallout. During my time with this game, I became deeply invested in the world and story. The main character is given a role where he has flexibility in solving problems. His relationship with family, servants, and the various factions of the wasteland all come across as natural and immersive. The girls are sexy and full of character, and if you're a harem-builder, you'll feel like you're actually doing so naturally and purposefully rather than as a cheating scumbag.

On the technical front, the game starts out average but quickly improves. Renders get rapidly better across episodes and some moments demonstrate exemplary cinematography. Free-roam provides a welcome break from the PowerPoint presentation but doesn't leave the player hunting for content. Lewd scenes, though sometimes a bit short, are titillating not only visually but contextually, made more exciting by the story and choices you made regarding character relationships.

All in one, one of very few games that I played from start to finish without stopping simply because I wanted to see what came next. Supporting the dev on Patreon was a no-brainer.

Man what an awesome game. Fresh premise, quality renders, great writing and meaningful choice.

Pros

• World Building: Post apocalyptic Egypt is a fantastic setting. Custom cars, roaming gangs, and several characters borrow from Mad Max, but the almost ancient Egypt setting with melee weapons only, a feudal system, and classic architecture all give the game a unique and interesting environment. I'm not a huge fantasy or sci-fi guy in any medium, and I particularly find that adult games in this genre quickly lose my interest when I am not getting constant faps. Complete opposite here, story and setting are just as much of a reason to play the game as the sex.
• Family Life: Incest and infidelity are optional, but if you chose to partake, normal in this world. At home are three women, all of which have a customizable designation, but make sense as your wife and two daughters (or step if you want). The wife is gorgeous and devoted, servicing you at any time and happily permitting you to sleep around, even with your own daughter, if you so chose. The youngest daughter is a big tittied ditz, that lives to please and will service you on her own, with your wife, and can even be shared with guests. Your relationship with your eldest daughter is different, at the outset the game tells you that you want more for her, a life beyond domestic submission, but her gorgeous character model and strong personality make the temptation hard to resist. All three of them plus the side character slaves and house guest create a sexy and unique home dynamic.
• Meaningful Choice: Your decisions in this game are not simple yes/nos but deep and thought out actions and dialogue options that develop your unique relationship with each character. Already your actions have meaningful consequences in terms of different paths and character development, and the large scale branching narrative is setting up nicely.
• Diversity: Lewd games are fairly homogenous, it is refreshing to see women that look different in this game. I hope characters of color and different body sizes are continually added in the future.

Cons

• No skip feature

A good story that i actually dont get bored of and im geniunely interested in it
The soundtrack is surprisingly very good in this game, +1
So many choices and options that it makes you immersed into the game.
It can be brutal sometimes but everything is optional, it gives you a warning beforehand.
This game has almost everything, its pretty good tbh, i would recommend this to someone for sure, at least to play it 1 time.

This game (v0.05c ) was a revelation to me.
At first I smiled at "Adult-oriented RPG" genre.
Turned out that was not a joke at all...

Pros:

• This game perfectly combines adult themes (including a lot of sex/erotica) with serious and intriguing plot which is not falling to be just a boring filler between sex scenes "bla-bla skip that dialogue show me more tits please".

• RPG. There is absolutely no grind or other "level/stat up" shit which you might expect from something than runs on RenPy and called RPG. RPG here means "role-playing": you make choices and face the consequences.

• Player hub (house) where you return from your missions + family that is waiting you there. You don't need to corrupt your all family members because most of them are already yours by all means. From one side this means there are almost no "incest corruption" themes which we get used to see in other games. On the other hand there are a lot of scenes where you are the man of the house and everyone accept it naturally, which we rarely see in other games.

• There is a lot of different sex in this game. From traditional loving one to hardcore/extreme/humilating/sadistic one. The renders are very nice.

• Dark themes. There are only a few good games which aren't afraid to show things like blood, gore, slavery, cannibalism and so on. What is even more important, they are presented not as something bad, but something kind of natural in the cruel post-apocalyptic world.

Cons: did not find any...

Personally, I would like to see more dark choices, not only from MC, but from his family members.

To conclude, there is so much pontential in this game and I really hope the rest of the game will be at least that good as current version (v0.05c).

And last final thing to mention:
The idea to train your daughter and alter her "moral" position is absolutely stunning. Looking forward to see more situations in which Shani could show her good/bad or even acquired sadistic attitude/aligment in future updates!

Great game, one of the best I've played in a long while. As of June 6th, 2021 it's a bit short, however I am looking forward to future updates and subscribed on Patreon. Game has a pretty good story, interesting characters, varied settings, and good renders. Only thing to note is a lot of the NSFW content is non-consensual despite the author (probably for financial reasons) saying it is all consensual.

A very interesting world that keeps me intrigued. Really love the "free use" mindset the game has. 5 star for me for sharing options, which is something that is sorely lacking in many games.

There is not a big amount of content right now, but it should definitely not blueball you, unless you have a specific character in mind, because not all have h scenes yet.

The game is very unique. Although I haven't scoured through most of the games available here, it is nice to see a game outside of college/work genre.

Most of the brutalities can be halted by choice, so that should not halt you from trying the game

Longtime lurker here. But I had to log in and post my first ever review because Desert Stalker is NUTS

This game has amazing potential, immersive world building, and--best of all--characters who are SEXY AS FUCK!!! This game truly is a diamond in the rough for fans of post-apocalyptic setting and hardcore male domination. I lost count of how many times I busted a nut

On a more serious note:

Despite the incessant debates over whether the game is too gory or whether it should include an NTR option, I for one applaud Zetan for more or less sticking to his guns and incorporating violent sexual themes and NTR. I've been following this game closely since its initial release because I recognize this developer's courage to defy the nauseating sex game cliches and develop HIS vision of the game on HIS own terms.

So, big props to Zetan!! And if you don't mind me pitching in my two cents, no scene so far has topped that very first one with the raider girl Asha being humiliated. I'd LOVE to see more degrading sex scenes like that (it could be another option if some people prefer to do without the hardcore) That would make this game even more fucking AWESOME!

I really enjoy the setting and worldbuilding that has clearly gone into this. It's compelling without being overly technical. The girls' models are also really excellent, especially the wife and daughters. I appreciate the variety of different approaches that the game allows you to take in every situation, both plot related and sexual.

Review based on v0.05:

Do you want to live out your power play fantasy where all the different L.I's can be treated in the way you like? Be it rough and strict or kind and lovingly? Do you want a game where violence actually is violence (Blood, beheading etc) ? Do you want a game with a interesting and new kind of story, with sandbox elements that arent only there to pad out the game length? Then this game has that and so much more to offer. Great looking characters, hot sex scenes, an interesting and overall good phased story, a negative is that the story does a couple of times just jump from setting to setting without much explanation, like when you are taking the family to the market the story goes from the house to the market abruptly, just feels rushed and should have had a short scene there which would have fixed that issue. Its got a few more like that but nothing that takes you too far out of the game. Playtime so far is about 2 hours if you don't rush through it.

Oh and since I know some will ask... The sharing (Or NTR for some) is 100% optional!! Before the first scene you are asked if this is content you would like to see or disable, hitting disable will remove all future sharing content and you will live out your life with a harem where sharing was never a question. People saying anything different are just lying.

TL;DR: Highly recommended if you are looking for a little rougher adult game.

Version: v0.05

Review:
I feel like I've been tricked when I saw high rating, but wait, the problem is that the game has a size of approximately 2.25gb and there is almost nothing. I don't mean the game is bad, but I mean it's too short, as if it were a demo.
History:
At the moment you have some interest, but after a few minutes you've already lost your interest and starts letting the game continue, will read a short passage, will read another, just to choose certain decisions, which at the moment will not influence much, just some things that I will explain shortly afterwards, which in this case is the gameplay.
Gameplay:
This is the critical point of the game, where you think it's a sandbox but it's a very short game. Is it a sandbox that works? yea, but it could be cleaner. Example, you are playing and a quest pop-up appears, you do it but don't say it's completed. And then you have to go and see to see if it was completed or not, but making it clear that there is not much difference, because you are going to do it, the problem is that there is no sequel, as most likely the continuation will be for the next update. The game is only 5 days and you can do things now because the game will tell you what to do, which is good. But don't waste your time, after you've done all the interactions the game asked for, there's nothing to do and close the game.
Graphics & Sexual Content:
The graphics aren't good, what's really good are the girls' renderings, not all, but Ain, Zhara and Shani are very good, the others, it will depend on your taste, as I said, there are good and bad renderings, but it's normal.
There are few sex scenes, some are good and some are reasonable, but the game is a bit short, unfortunately, so there wasn't much to enjoy. You can check the images in the game folder, if you don't want to waste your time.

Why I did gave 1 star?
The game has potential, because it's a game that has a different story and a different theme, but I don't want to say that it's good, at the moment it isn't. The game has 1.7gb of JPG images but there's not much, yes, that's impressive. In addition to the gameplay being quite short, anyway, I cut all the cheapness in saying about the images folder, the game's secret is there. I hope the developer improves his ren'py engine (this is not bad) and that he manages to organize himself, make the game more optimized, how can I say, because you think, a game that contains 2.35gb has a lot of content, but no, it doesn't even take 30 minutes of gameplay. So the character models as I mentioned are great, then it would be a sad waste of time. At the moment I don't recommend it.

Excellent. I must admit that this game (for me) holds probably the most potential of any game here. What started out as something I thought would fizzle out like so many before, has continually grown with each update. Beautiful renders, intriguing storyline, surprisingly good immersion/fantasy fulfillment, and even a decent amount of choice. The recent UI overhaul really sealed my hopes and recommendation for this game as it was very well done (while style not overly complex or time consuming for the player) and I think shows the creator's interest and commitment.

There is still a while to go, but it is already a wonderful game as is, with much promise for the future. I don't even really have any cons, other than the lack of a strong gallery, but I do hope that choices have more carry over in the future, events at the home receive further focus, and that choices/options remain a priority (please, please don't force lesbian content, a simple choice option before it would be so easy and be a God sent to players like me). But really that's just hopes for the future. Again, right now it's an excellent game and one of my biggest recommendations.

This is still early, the story still rolling out, characters and places still being explored and the world expanded.
And it's one of the best titles out there. It's damn near flawless. Great scenes, great characters, fantastic models. When this gets an update, is jumps straight to the front of the Queue. GREAT job here, please support this game!

One the BEST DAMN GAMES PERIOD

After reviewing and playing so many of the games I LOVE the feeling of being hit with something new. In this case, gore in a dystopian future done extremely well. Im not a fan of gore unless I'm watching horror or playing Fall Out but man is it done impressively and immersive.

PROS
- Dialogue is awesome, story was interesting, so much so I barely CTRL Skipped
- Ain is one of the sexiest models on this site and my new waifu. Jeez did I get diamond
- The game is awesome and it doesnt give off the feel of other games that parody a genre and try too hard. Its gritty, in your face, and has a decent amount of fap
- Sandbox in this game is the best on this site HANDS DOWN. Should be the golden standard for sandbox. Scenes move along like a VN and then you have markers to tell you how to advance the story. Some scenes are repeatable if you miss them.
- COMPLETE CHOICE
- MC is not some douche, he doesnt look or sound like a teenage boy, he doesnt get pushed around by anyone, he will BANG A GIRL right in front of the other ones and does not care. That choice alone made me diamonds. Especially the scene where you get to grope a certain character in front of a character to make her jealous but not have any real consequence if you do.
- Models are unique and HOT

CONS
-No Rollback
-No Gallery
THATS ABOUT IT!!

Play this game!!! For goodness sake. I dare someone to give it anything under a 5. Finally another game that lives up to the hype. All the kinks (sharing, gore...etc) can be turned off at anytime and you always have a choice. Playing a game like this and then playing another game from a different dev with horrible mechanics/ blueballing bs and terrible updates will truly make you appreciate a dev like this. PLAY THIS GAME.

This game was a bit of a surprise. The world and the story are engaging and interesting. The scenes are good and the choices allow you enough freedom to actually play around and role play a character. The sandbox dynamics, which I usually dislike in games, are done very well. There's just enough to get you to click around, but not so much that clicking around becomes a chore, and the next story mission is clearly marked on the home screen. I'm thoroughly looking forward to further updates.

UNIQUE. That is the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking of this game. It also has actually interesting and eventful events in the game in line with it's apocalyptic dystopian setting! The game has a dark atmosphere with a couple of dark scenes stuff like the characters being open to incest, slavery, sexual degradation (girl being used as a toilet), indirectly shown canabalism, straight up gore and torture and so on. so yeah if you cant stand this stuff AT ALL then this game isnt for you. But if you can handle it being shown once or twice and are fine with dark stuff it isn't being done to any of the major characters then I don't think it will ruin your experience.