I really enjoyed this. I started by trying to find the corner of pico-8’s map, realized it didn’t exist, thought for a bit about how I would code that, and then by that time just sorta kept wandering around. I’m not sure why I played for so long, given that the game was clearly not going anywhere… but then I would find more water and explore for a while more. and then I started to find a few strange, strange things! But only a few. after wandering for a while longer, I eventually sat down and died next to an un-touched bindle, not wanting to go on. (although I’m betting there’s more to this game that I didn’t end up finding… unless that dagger in my inventory was just meant to be morbidly thought-provoking?)

you really captured a specific mood with this game. nicely done! I once made a similar-ish game called remains and it was interesting comparing the differences in mood you conjured up here. thanks for the game!

interesting game. I managed to get the Eggplant my first run but didn't know what to do with it . I feel this game has a bit more depth than it lets on. 

You Die In The Desert  also reminded me of this other die-em-up https://dontfightducks.itch.io/chitin-creek

I’m not familiar with Saint-Exupéry outside of Le Petit Prince, so I’m not sure if I lacked the background to get a clue to where to go, but I wandered the desert for a while and kept finding water to keep me alive. But it didn’t seem I was going anywhere so I eventually stopped getting water so I could live up to the title of the game.

I tried again and attempted to find bread crumbs to follow – spirits in the right direction, etc. But no luck there.

On a whim, I tried one last time, found the nomad (don’t know how to interact), pickaxe (smashed lots of rocks for nothing?), divining rod (not sure if there was a way to use it), and myself quickly followed by death? (An apparition seems like a nice touch right before you die. It was an exciting cascade of new stuff, but eventually felt like nothing changed – now I walk through rocks but I’m still lost.

Evocative pixel art – simple but does well to convey the desert.

I did die quite a few times :D The experience seems like it can vary wildly. My first run I got so many doubloons, the second run I saw loads of ghosts and mirage people(?). The next one I did not find very much. It's neat that there are all these possibilities.

The title was prophetic—I died in the desert. There's a definite sense of wandering aimlessly in what feels like an infinite unforgiving expanse with just enough to keep you going if you stay alert.