Nathanial Eker
Nintendo LifeReview: Desert Child (Switch) A Hilariously Offbeat, Indie Hovercycle Racer
Published 4/26/2024
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
80
+25 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalCritic Atlas
Making subjectivity useful.
PS4 / Linux / PC / Mac / XONE / Switch - 12/11/2018
Desert Child
In Desert Child, you are a young and talented hoverbike racer who needs to figure out how you can scrape enough cash together through racing and odd jobs to punch your one way ticket to the Red Planet to enter the biggest race in the universe, the Grand Prix.
- Developer
- Oscar Brittain
- Publisher
- Akupara Games
Personalization locked
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Critic average
55
Average of 13 scored external reviews.
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Reflex / execution-heavyDefining · Curated baseline
Unconventional / experimentalDefining · Curated baseline
Atmosphere-driven / aesthetic identityDefining · Curated baseline
Whimsical / playful / lightheartedStrongly · Curated baseline
Highly replayableStrongly · Curated baseline
Story / character-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Systems / mechanics-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Exploration-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Show 12 more descriptors
Combat / action-focusedStrongly · Curated baseline
Loot / progression-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Side-content richStrongly · Curated baseline
Serious / dark / groundedModerately · Curated baseline
Strategic / planning-heavyModerately · Curated baseline
Cozy / low-pressureModerately · Curated baseline
Punishing / high-pressureModerately · Curated baseline
Buildcraft / customization-heavyModerately · Curated baseline
Puzzle / logic-focusedSlightly · Curated baseline
Short / focusedSlightly · Curated baseline
Run-based / proceduralNot present · Curated baseline
Multiplayer / socialNot present · Curated baseline
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Review coverage
Critic signal strength
Numeric critic scoring uses full scored reviews once available. Review-in-progress scores act as temporary early signal only until full review scores exist. Unscored reviews still count as coverage, but they are not included in the critic average.
High confidencePolarized
Critic avg
55
13 scored reviews
Total coverage
13
All coverage currently scored
Score range
35–80
Lowest to highest scored review
Signal shape
Polarized
Score range is 31+ points
Critic landscape
The critic average is 55 across 13 scored reviews, with a 45-point spread. Critics are far apart on this one.
How to read this
Treat the average carefully. A polarized landscape is where reviewer match, review text, and score deltas matter more than the headline number.
Most scored reviews currently sit in the Below 70 band.
Score distribution
Shows how included scored reviews are clustered across the normalized 100-point scale.
13 included scored reviews
90–1000 reviews · 0%
80–891 review · 8%
70–791 review · 8%
Below 7011 reviews · 85%
Showing 1-10 of 13 matching critic reviews. 13 total critic reviews. Page 1 of 2.
Dillan Combs
Pure NintendoReview: Desert Child (Nintendo Switch) - Pure Nintendo
Published 12/28/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
50
-5 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalCeidz
PS4Blog.net[PlayStation 4] Desert Child Review
Published 12/26/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
65
+10 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalKevin Tucker
ShacknewsDesert Child review - Race, ramen, repeat
Published 12/19/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
70
+15 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalSteven Santana
DualShockersDesert Child Review – Free Enterprise on Mars
Published 12/18/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
35
-20 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalSam Brooke
Push SquareDesert Child - A Fantastic Retro Racer That's Way Too Short
Published 12/16/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
60
+5 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalNindie Spotlight
Nindie SpotlightNindie Spotlight Desert Child Review
Published 12/13/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
50
-5 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalJoe Juba
Game InformerDesert Child Review – Just Scraping By
Published 12/12/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
60
+5 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalMichael Leri
Game RevolutionDesert Child Review – Hip Hop, Hoverbikes, and Ho-Hum Gameplay
Published 12/11/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
50
-5 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalMatthew Zawodniak
Nintendo World ReportDesert Child (Switch) Review
Published 12/11/2018
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Scoring alignment
—
Score
35
-20 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalPlayer reviews
Player reviews
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