Who made It Came from the Desert?

It Came from the Desert was published by Cinemaware, released in 1989.

What kind of game is It Came from the Desert?

It Came from the Desert is a action, adventure game for the MS-DOS.

Can two people play It Came from the Desert?

No. It Came from the Desert is a single-player game, so it has no two-player mode.

How much data does It Came from the Desert load?

The It Came from the Desert ROM is 1506 kB. It is fetched once when you press play and then cached by your browser, so returning to the game does not download it again.

It Came from the Desert Game (1989) - DOS

Name: It Came from the Desert
Availability: InStock
Author: Cinemaware

Action / Button	Keyboard Key
D-Pad (Up / Down / Left / Right)	`Arrow Keys`
Button A	`Z` or `J`
Button B	`X` or `K`
Button X / Turbo A	`A` or `U`
Button Y / Turbo B	`S` or `I`
Select	`Shift`
Start	`Enter`

Gamepad Input	Retro Function	Keyboard Key
D-Pad / Analog	Character Movement / Steering	`▲` `▼` `◄` `►`
Button A (East)	Primary Action / Attack / Fire	`Z` / `K`
Button B (South)	Secondary / Jump / Cancel	`X` / `J`
Button X / Y	Special / Turbo / Extra Fire	`A` / `S`
Select	Insert Coin / Select Option	`Right Shift`
Start	Game Start / Pause Game	`Enter`

Gamepad Input

Retro Function

Keyboard Key

D-Pad / Analog

Character Movement / Steering

▲ ▼ ◄ ►

Button A (East)

Primary Action / Attack / Fire

Z / K

Button B (South)

Secondary / Jump / Cancel

X / J

Button X / Y

Special / Turbo / Extra Fire

A / S

Select

Insert Coin / Select Option

Right Shift

Start

Game Start / Pause Game

Enter

Emulator Core Engine	Technology	Multiplayer	Gamepad	Touch	Ads	Action / Switch
EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)	`WebAssembly / JS`	YES	YES	YES	NO	▶ ACTIVE
MS-DOS (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡
JS-DOS v3.0 / DOSBox Engine	`Emscripten C++`	YES	YES	NO	NO	PLAY ⚡

Emulator Core Engine

Technology

Multiplayer

Gamepad

Touch

Ads

Action / Switch

EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)

WebAssembly / JS

YES

▶ ACTIVE

MS-DOS (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

JS-DOS v3.0 / DOSBox Engine

Emscripten C++

YES

PLAY ⚡

It Came from the Desert is a 1989 DOS action-adventure game by Cinemaware that pays loving tribute to 1950s B-movies. Set in the remote Nevada town of Lizard Breath, you play as geologist Dr. Greg Bradley, investigating a meteor strike that has mutated local ants into giant, aggressive monsters. The game operates on a strict 15-day time limit, requiring you to investigate locations, gather evidence, and convince the skeptical townsfolk of the danger before the horde overruns the town.

How to play

Gameplay mixes adventure mechanics with distinct action sequences. You navigate the town map to talk to residents and collect clues, transitioning into mini-games for combat—such as shooting the antennae off giant ants or driving to escape pursuers. Time passes continuously as you travel or sleep, making route planning essential. Control is handled via the keyboard: use the arrow keys for movement in action scenes, and Space or Enter for interactions and menus.

Tips

Time is your most valuable resource; if you are injured, you lose precious hours confined to the hospital and must complete a wheelchair mini-game to escape.
Focus on gathering hard evidence early, such as ant tissue samples, to convince the mayor to mobilize the police and National Guard.
In top-down combat against the ants, always aim for their antennae—it is their weak point and the only reliable way to stop them with your pistol.