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{{trope}}
[[File:PMsndlnd_6069.png|link=Paper Mario (Video Gamefranchise)|frame|If you can't '''sand''' the heat, get out of the de-- [[Incredibly Lame Pun|OW, OW! STOP HITTING ME!!]]]]
 
 
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Some desert worlds have stages that take place in or on the Pyramids; others may include oil refineries as part of the stage or in the background. Cities and towns in this world are often [[Qurac|Arabian]] in appearance, even if the people do not quite fit the distinction. The music will also usually be Middle East inspired.
 
Enemies in this world usually include vultures, snakes, [[Scary Scorpions|scorpions]], [[Sand Worm|huge sandworms]], giant antlions at the bottom of sand traps and other [[Big Creepy -Crawlies]]. Also vaguely [[Qurac|Arabian-style]] bandits -- turbaned and scimitared versions of whatever [[Mooks]] the [[Big Bad]] hires. Expect [[Everything Trying to Kill You|homicidal animated]] cacti, [[All Deserts Have Cacti|even if the desert is clearly not American]]. Be sure that any attractive underdressed women that you meet are planning to poison you, stab you, and set you on fire.
 
Provided you manage to enter the desert without having to accomplish some kind of [[Impassable Desert|quest]] beforehand, you'll have to deal with [[Quicksand Sucks]]. Also common are [[Sand Is Water|rivers and whirlpools of sand flowing into]] [[Bottomless Pits]]. Camel may be found around here, usually to ride. [[Aladdin (Disney film)|Watch out, they spit!]]. Flying carpets and dust devils are another common mode of travel. Be assured that you will going to a [[Temple of Doom]] at some point. The nongame varient is the [[Thirsty Desert]].
 
Named for the Desert world in ''[[Super Mario 64 (Video Game)|Super Mario 64]]''.
{{examples}}
 
* The desert in ''[[ActraiserAct Raiser]]'' has a pyramid hidden in the sands.
* The Despair Desert in ''[[Alundra (Video Game)|Alundra]]''.
* Desert Buttes of ''[[Backyard Sports|Backyard Baseball]]''. No quicksand, though, as it's a sports game.
* Gobi's Valley in ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]''.
* In ''[[Baten Kaitos]]'': Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, late in the game, one of the optional sidequests place the characters in a desert, where shifting to a new screen uses up one of your supplies of water. If you lose it all, you collapse and end up back at the entrance. Luckily, you are given several opportunities to stock up on water before entering and while in the desert through oasises; however, some of these oasises are mirages.
* ''[[Bio MetalBIOMETAL]]'' has the second stage.
* ''[[Breath of Fire]]'' games each have a Huge Desert in them. The one in 3 is unique because you can only cross it by using the stars to navigate and walking during the day saps your health. It takes at least a week of game time to cross the desert.
* Reptilia in ''[[Bug! (Video Game)|Bug]]!'', an American desert filled with cacti, [[Scary Scorpions|scorpions]], ''literal'' [[Strong Ants|army ants]] that fired grenades, cowboy snakes, green chameleons ([[Fridge Logic|don't ask]]), and the ever-annoying [[Invincible Minor Minion]] [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|horned lizards]].
* This is the theme of two levels in ''[[Castle Crashers (Video Game)|Castle Crashers]]''. Here you find scorpions, men wearing turbans, men wearing weird chainmail helmets, a giraffe animal orb as well as the shovel item, some aliens (sure, why not?) and a giant sandcastle. You spend the last part of the desert area playing volleyball with the badguys, which makes you wonder if the desert is both a desert and a beach.
* Sandy Grave and the Forgotten City in ''[[Castlevania]]: Portrait of Ruin'' both start in the desert and lead into pyramids.
* Sand Zone from ''[[Cave Story (Video Game)|Cave Story]]'' is the game's local reservoir of sand<ref>And there's no [[Slippy-Slidey Ice World]] to apply sand to. [[And That's Terrible]]!</ref>. Also a location of [[Psycho Serum|red flowers]] storehouse.
* Fiery Sands, the third dungeon in ''[[Children of Mana]]'', is one of these
* Earth Dragon Island in ''[[Chrono Cross (Video Game)|Chrono Cross]]''.
* Sand Ocean from [[F -Zero]].
* ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]'': While not an entire desert, the underground cave where Chrono and company defeat a sand-creature so that Fiona can rebuild the forest is full of whirling sand that act as super-fast moving sidewalks for the characters, and all of the animals there are weak to water/ice.
* Aegis in ''[[Contact (Videovideo Gamegame)|Contact]]'' is an island that has sand, pyramids, tourists, and a hilariously inept [[Redundant Researcher]].
* Area 5 of ''[[Contra]] III: The Alien Wars'' is a top-down desert with 'shifting conveyor belt sand' and 'swirling spinning sand.' The boss of the level must be fought while on 'spinning conveyor-belt sand', forcing the player to turn at the same speed of the spinning sand in order to keep the boss's weak point at sight.
* ''[[Diablo]] II'', Act II is set in the desert surrounding the city of Lut Gholein in the region of Aranoch. Prince Jerhyn, ruler of the land, is dressed in white robes and a turban, and has (or had, rather) a harem living in his palace, which has a giant onion-shaped dome [[Qurac|typical of Mughal architecture]].
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* The Noise Dunes of Fantasy in ''[[Eternal Sonata]]''.
* Pretty much every ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' game has a Huge Desert somewhere.
** The one in ''[[Final Fantasy V (Video Game)|Final Fantasy V]]'' even has a pyramid.
** Bikanel Island in ''[[Final Fantasy X (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X]]''.
** ''[[Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XI]]'' has the Altepa Desert, a vast desert region with an elaborate system of ancient ruins just underneath the sand.
*** The area around Bastok is also a badlands type area (described ingame as a desert), but doesn't fit the strict "endless sand dunes" definition.
** Pretty much the whole start of ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]'' is a Shifting Sand Land. The first town of Rabanastre is in the middle of the desert, and the first three zones outside the town are two deserts and a flood plain in the middle of the dry season... that happens to be named "Giza". Later in the game there is also the Ogir-Yensa and Nam-Yensa Sandseas, primarily featuring a series of decrepit oil rigs and home to a race of humanoid arthropods who happen to carry scimitars and dress like bedouin.
** Final Fantasy VIII has the aptly named [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|Desert Prison]], which actually consists of a series of screws that go up and down into the desert ground.
** The Lynari Desert in ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' is extremely large and requires purposefully sinking in quicksand in order to access the rest of the map. There are [[When Trees Attack|cactuar]], [[Snake People|lamia]], and scorpion enemies. In single player mode, the moogle companion is easily tired in the extreme heat of the desert.
* ''[[Golden Sun (Video Game)|Golden Sun]]'' has a desert, where it eventually DOES become too hot for the group and they start taking damage unless they rest at an oasis. And the oases are magically hidden, to boot - you have to use a spell to see them.
** A second desert later on in the game isn't as hot, possibly because of all the sandstorms caused by dust-devil lizard monsters.
** The sequel has another desert, although there is no heatstroke mechanic there. Instead, there's a monster that digs through the sand that must be lured into a certain area with judicious use of the "Pound" spell.
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* ''[[Guild Wars]]'' has several: The Crystal Desert in ''Prophecies'' (including pyramid teleporters, sandworms and ghosts) and the Desolation in ''Nightfall'' which includes sandworms {{spoiler|that you can ride through a Pac-Man maze}}.
* [[I Don't Like the Sound of That Place|Antagonistan]] in ''[[Heavy Weapon]]''. The boss is appropriately enough, a giant robotic [[Sand Worm]] that leaps out at your tank from under the sand.
* The Kar-Nyar Desert in ''[[The Horde (Videovideo Gamegame)|The Horde]]''. The gimmick of the level is that it requires the player to direct a moat to irrigate the land and allow grass to grow so they can build.
* The Dunerys level in ''[[Hydorah]]'' comes complete with sandstorms, a [[Sand Worm]] like boss, and even a [[Temple of Doom]].
* The Deserts around Spargus City in ''[[Jak and Daxter|Jak 3]]''.
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** ''[[Space Quest]]'' has the planet Kerona, where you will die of thirst unless you drink the dehydrated water in your survival kit.
* The Great Sandsea in ''[[The Last Remnant]]''.
* ''[[Deadly Creatures (Video Game)|Deadly Creatures]]'' takes place entirely in the real-life deserts of the American southwest.
* Pretty much any ''Zelda'' game has one of these.
** Gerudo's Valley and the Haunted Wasteland in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'', the latter of which contains a river of quicksand.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess]]'' has the Gerudo Desert (luckily, no quicksand or mazes here) followed by the Arbiter's Grounds, a sand-filled [[Temple of Doom]] with many quicksand pits that must be waded through, other times crossed with the magnetic Spinner. Switches or objects are sometimes buried in the sand as well, requiring you to dig them out in wolf form.
** The Lanayru region in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword]]'' has a desert, albeit one with [[Tomorrowland]] and [[Eternal Engine]] elements.
* ''[[Little Big Adventure]]'''s Desert Island may not fully fit this trope, but it is still interesting, especially in the second game. Here we got: [[Qurac|Arabian]]-themed buildings, a camel, a wizard on a flying carpet, a [[Temple of Doom]]... and homicidal moving cacti (really).
* ''[[Magical Battle Arena]]'' has the Desert Planet stage taken from ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''.
* Every ''[[Mario Kart (Video Game)|Mario Kart]]'' has had a desert race starting with ''[[Mario Kart 64 (Video Game)|Mario Kart 64]]''.
** ''Mario Kart 64'' has Kalimari Desert.
** ''Mario Kart Super Circuit'' has Yoshi Desert and Sunset Wilds.
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** ''Mario Kart Wii'' has Dry Dry Ruins, a desert-themed battle course called Thwomp Desert, and Desert Hills as a retro track.
** ''Mario Kart 7'' has Shy Guy Bazaar, and Kalimari Desert as a retro track.
* Several of these are to be found in the ''[[Mega Man (Videovideo Gamegame)|Mega Man]]'' franchise, usually with Arabian-themed bosses at the end.
** Pharaoh Man in ''4''.
** Flame Man from ''6'' takes place around in an [[Qurac|Arabian]] temple filled with oil.
** Overdrive Ostrich's stage in ''[[Mega Man X (Video Game)|Mega Man X]] 2''. First part of the level features a sandstorm (albeit one created by a machine). The boss fight zone wraps around, creating a sense of "featureless desolate expanse."
** The first ''[[Mega Man Zero (Video Game)|Mega Man Zero]]'' has one which, like some other areas in the game, hosts more than one stage; in fact, it is technically the most-visited area mission-wise, with two missions fully traversing it and two missions requiring you to travel a short distance through it before going underground. This is perhaps intentional, since it's the first game in a series in which most of the Earth is now a barren wasteland. All four times you must deal with [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|fire-breathing camels]].
*** Part 2 kicks off in a desert as well, and has you face off against a titanic Scorpion robot.
** ''[[Mega Man ZX]]'' features a desert as well.
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* The Selenetic age in ''[[Myst]]'' is a desert island with a touch of [[Lethal Lava Land]] and a [[Rollercoaster Mine]].
* The Ruborian desert in ''Overlord''.
* The Dry Dry Desert in ''[[Paper Mario (Video Gamefranchise)|Paper Mario]]'' (pictured above).
** The Gritzy Desert of ''[[Mario and Luigi Partners In Time (Video Game)|Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]''.
** And Yold Desert in ''[[Super Paper Mario (Video Game)|Super Paper Mario]]''.
** The Dry Dry Desert makes a return in ''[[Mario Kart (Video Game)|Mario Kart]]: Double Dash!!'', this time with huge quicksand pits.
** Teehee Valley in ''[[Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga (Video Game)|Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' is more or less this.
* Motavia in ''[[Phantasy Star]] I'' and ''IV''.
* ''[[Pokémon]]'' has a few examples of this.
** ''[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (Video Game)|Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]]'' versions feature a desert area in Hoenn's Route 111, complete with fierce sandstorms (in fact, the desert cannot be crossed without obtaining a pair of Go-Goggles, leading to a rare case where [[Goggles Do Something|the goggles do SOMETHING]]), homicidal cacti, bizarre spinning artifact-creatures, and weird convergently-evolved-to-be-ant-lions things. There's also the Desert Ruins in the southern area of the desert, which house the sleeping legendary golem Regirock.
** Oh yes, and in ''Emerald'', there's the Mirage Tower that disappears into the sand once you get a fossil from it. Clearly a load-bearing fossil. Also, underneath the desert is the Desert Underpass where the other fossil that disappeared before in Mirage Tower becomes available.
** ''[[Pokémon Colosseum]]'' and ''[[Pokémon XD|XD: Gale of Darkness]]'' take place in Orre, which mostly IS a Shifting Sand Land.
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* ''[[The Sims]] 2'' has Strangetown, which is located in the desert, although its actual Sims are mad-science/supernatural themed rather than Arabian.
** The Sims 3's first expansion pack, World Adventures, has Egypt as a travel destination.
* Nasr and the Temple of Pyrynn in ''[[Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|Skies of Arcadia]]''.
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]:
** Sandopolis Zone in ''[[Sonic 3 and Knuckles (Video Game)|Sonic The Hedgehog 3]]''.
** Hidden Base and Sand Ocean in ''[[Sonic Adventure 2 (Video Game)|Sonic Adventure 2]]'' as well.
** And the first level of ''[[Sonic and The Secret Rings]]'', fitting for a game based on the [[Arabian Nights (Literature)|Arabian Nights]].
** Shamar in ''[[Sonic Unleashed (Video Game)|Sonic Unleashed]]''.
** Sand Hill in ''[[Sonic Adventure (Video Game)|Sonic Adventure]]''.
** Mirage Road in ''[[Sonic Rush Series (Video Game)|Sonic Rush Series]]''.
** An obscure example - Yellow Desert in ''[[Sonic Blast (Video Game)|Sonic Blast]]'', for the Game Gear.
** Dusty Desert in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 (Videovideo Gamegame)|Sonic '06]]'', of the [[Sand Is Water]] variety.
* The second worlds of both ''[[Super Mario Bros 2 (Video Game)|Super Mario Bros 2]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros 3 (Video Game)|Super Mario Bros 3]]''.
** And ''[[New Super Mario Bros (Video Game)|New Super Mario Bros]]''.
*** And ''[[New Super Mario Bros Wii (Video Game)|New Super Mario Bros Wii]]''.
** The sixth world of ''[[Super Mario Bros 2 (Video Game)|Super Mario Bros 2]]'', as well.
** And, of course, our lovely [[Trope Namer]], ''Mario 64''.
** Birabuto (the first world) of ''[[Super Mario Land (Video Game)|Super Mario Land]]''.
** ''[[Super Mario Galaxy (Video Game)|Super Mario Galaxy]]'' has the Dusty Dune Galaxy, while [[Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Video Game)|the sequel]] has the Slipsand Galaxy.
* Arabian Night from ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]] 4'', Whoopsy Desert and Disturbing Tomb from ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]]: Shake It'', and Pecan Sands from ''[[Wario World (Video Game)|Wario World]]''.
* The main Mushroom'''y''' Kingdom in ''[[Super Smash Bros]] Brawl''. It's World 1-1 of the original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', [[After the End|although looking a bit less lively]]...
* Similar to the ''Golden Sun'' example, ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'' has a desert area where you have to find cacti that contain water for your party to fill their canteens with. When they run out of water, they start to take damage.
* A good 90% of the maps in ''[[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]]'' used to be this, even including an Egypt-themed map. More recent maps, however, have focused on diversifying the themes, with more alpine and industrial landscapes.
* [[Tomb Raider|Lara Croft]] has been to Egypt a couple of times. Averted, in that, when you are in Mexico in ''Underworld'' it is scruby and wooded, rather than being a stereotypical American desert.
* In keeping with the [[Wild West]] theme, practically all of ''[[Wild Arms 3 (Video Game)|Wild Arms 3]]'' takes place in a desert. You even have a [[Sand Is Water|sand cruiser rather than a ship]].
** Sand rivers and ocean themed areas appear in most of the other games in the ''[[Wild Arms]]'' series, as well.
* The Wasteland levels in ''[[Video Game]]/Wonderboy'' and ''[[Adventure Island]]'', where [[Wizard Needs Food Badly|food]] [[Drought Level of Doom|is scarce]], unsurprisingly.
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* The second stage of Ice Cream Island in ''[[Kirby]]'s Adventure'' and its GBA remake is a desert island.
** ''Kirby's Dreamland 3'' gives us Sand Canyon as the third world.
** ''[[Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards (Video Game)|Kirby 64]]'' also has Rock Star, a desert planet, as the second planet Kirby and company can travel to.
** Sky Sands from ''Kirby Air Ride'' is a desert track. And not to mention, Top Ride's Sand track.
** ''[[KirbysKirby's Epic Yarn (Video Game)|Kirbys Epic Yarn]]'' has Pyramid Sands and Dusk Dunes as sand-themed levels, both located in the second world, Hot Land.
** Raisin Ruins in ''[[Kirbys Return to Dream Land]]'' also has a fair bit of [[Ruins for Ruins Sake]], as the name would imply.
* The Sandsea in ''[[Dragon Fable (Video Game)|Dragon Fable]]'' and ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds (Video Game)|Adventure Quest Worlds]]''?
* ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' has the Triet Desert, complete with sandstorms and an oasis.
** And [[Sand Worm|a giant hulking sandworm]] that can [[Nightmare Fuel|swallow you whole]]!
* The first Ark level in ''[[Halo 3]]'', and the Sandbox/Sandtrap multiplayer maps.
* The South Shrine from ''[[Shining the Holy Ark (Video Game)|Shining the Holy Ark]]'' is set within a massive pyramid. Despite the fact the closest village is made up of Ninjas and the Kingdom itself is your [[Standard Fantasy Setting]]. Inside you get to face mummies, sand monsters and also travel on the ceiling.
 
{{reflist}}
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/892972"