The Desolate Hope
Side-scrolling sci-fi platformer with RPG battles against a computer virus
Scott Cawthon · Released May 5, 2014
- Reviews
- Very Positive
- 92% of 2,218
- Recent reviews
- Very Positive
- 93% of 16 in 30 days
- Players
- 2
- daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
- Steam Deck
- Playable
- Last update on Steam
- Unknown
- no patch notes on Steam
What is The Desolate Hope?
This single-player platformer and RPG takes place on an abandoned research station, where a digital helper controls a service robot to protect sentient computers from a virus. You explore the station and its simulations, shoot enemies, collect money and power-ups, and upgrade your fighters. Smaller simulations switch to overhead dungeon crawling.
For you if...
- +you enjoy games that switch between different play styles
- +you like exploring strange science fiction settings
- +you enjoy boss fights involving buffs and status effects
Not for you if...
- −you want to play with friends rather than alone
- −you prefer platformers without separate RPG battles
- −you want clear instructions on how to progress
What players say
92% of 2,218 reviews are positive · 93% of 16 in the last 30 days
Players praise the robot art, story, varied gameplay, and boss battles. Some complain about poorly explained progression, grinding, and bosses they find frustrating.
Screenshots and trailer
The Desolate Hope system requirements
Minimum: 1 GB, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB of disk space.
As published by the developer.
Can my PC run The Desolate Hope?
Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.
Set up my PC →Minimum
- OS
- XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
- Processor
- 2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon or equivalent
- Graphics
- 1 GB
- Memory
- 1 GB RAM
- Storage
- 1 GB available space
Does The Desolate Hope have co-op or multiplayer?
No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.
Does The Desolate Hope run on Steam Deck?
Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.
- Default controller config not fully functional
- Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
- In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
- Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
- External controllers are not supported for the primary player
PC version details
- DRM
- None declared on Steam
- Controller
- Keyboard and mouse
- Platforms
- Windows
- Steam features
- Family Sharing
- Languages
- Text only: English.
Does The Desolate Hope use AI-generated content?
No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.
Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 25, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam
