Introduction

Somewhere between Aladdin and your favorite high school romcom lies a little gem known as Arabians Lost: The Engagement on Desert. It's a game that's exactly what it says on the tin: You lose something about Arabians, and it's all set in one grand, sandy hell of a desert. This is the kind of game that, given the sheer absurdity of its premise, makes you wonder if they just took a bunch of tropes, threw them in a blender, and pressed 'puree'.

Gameplay

You play as Aileen Olazabal, the rebellious princess of the fictional kingdom of Gilkhatar, who wants nothing more than to escape her royal duties and, perhaps, date someone who doesn't insist on calling her 'Your Highness.' Spoiler alert: her parents have other plans (what's new?). They decide it's time for Aileen to tie the knot, and thus begins her quest to raise 10,000,000 Gils in 25 days-because nothing screams romance like a good ol' financial pressure cooker. The gameplay consists largely of choosing from dialogue options, often leading to dates with a bunch of suitors who are basically your typical anime brooding types but with less hair gel and more existential dread. You'll make critical decisions, balance your budget like you just graduated from University, and learn the fine art of flirting. Pro tip: Sending payment through bank transfer never works out well in these games.

Graphics

Let's take a moment to appreciate the graphics-or, as I like to call them, 'artistic decisions'. It's early 2000s visuals at their finest. Character sprites seem to have been designed by someone who finished drawing camp at 3 AM and decided to add a suspicious amount of glitter. The backgrounds are plain enough that if they existed in real life, you might mistake them for a cheap green screen. Yet, amid the texture-less sands and out-of-place shrubbery, the distinctively anime character designs shine through; big, expressive eyes and hairstyles that defy the laws of physics are abound and expectedly adorable. So while your character might be engaged in a life-or-death struggle to raise money, at least she looks cute doing it-if only she could switch those cute outfits for something less frumpy.

Conclusion

Arabians Lost: The Engagement on Desert is like the desert itself: dry in some parts, with a sprinkling of interesting characters and entertaining dialogue. It's a fun experience for gamers craving a bit of otome romance. If you find yourself stuck in the house, tired of endlessly scrolling through TikTok while seeking validation from strange internet strangers, this is a solid option. Sure, it might not solve all your problems, but at least you'll be the proud owner of a video game that necessitates the most absurdly high goal for romance. So grab your PS2 controller and prepare to raise those Gils; your happy ending is just a few silly choices away. Or, at the very least, you can walk away knowing you didn't pick the boring mundane life of being a princess.

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