The premise is simple: your cursor becomes the hero. You dodge endless waves of enemies, collect loot, upgrade your weapons, and try not to explode from the pressure of a bullet hell unfolding across your once-sacred desktop. Imagine Vampire Survivors got stuck in Windows 98 and decided to fight back using Clippy’s rage and the recycling bin’s forgotten files. That’s this game.
It sounds like a gimmick - and honestly, it kind of is. But it’s the best kind of gimmick. Developer Brandon Hesslau took a clever idea and absolutely packed it with content. You’re not just dodging pixel blobs. You’re shooting solitaire cards, CD icons, Minesweeper bombs, and even the paint bucket from MS Paint gets in on the fun. Each pointer you can choose (and there are a lot! remember when we used to download pointers?) comes with its own unique buffs, and the upgrades are so specific and absurd that you’ll find yourself constantly debating whether to invest in damage, top up your health or upgrade your rotating ring of disembodied “hand” cursors.
And don’t let the simple look fool you - there’s real depth here. Each level is a room in a dungeon, and every run presents you with a new randomly generated layout. You’re navigating from chamber to chamber, surviving escalating waves of enemies, collecting coins and power-ups, and desperately trying not to get cornered by a mob of pixelated wizards and flaming .exe files. It's part bullet hell, part nostalgia fever dream, and somehow… it works.
There is also a cat. You can pet. So… game of the year.
One of the smartest touches? You don’t even have to open the game in a window. You can play directly over your actual desktop or choose from themed backdrops like swamps, forests, or caves. I personally prefer the built-in dungeon themes (I panic too easily when my actual work files are under siege), but the retro aesthetic ties it all together perfectly - from the faux Minesweeper map system to the pixel art menus and animations. It’s like being sucked into your childhood PC and loving every second of it.
The game is also built for short sessions. Need a five-minute break? Fire it up. Need to alt-tab out when your boss walks by? Boom - it minimizes into a little sword-shaped assistant like an edgy Clippy. And just like that, it’s gone. It’s practically designed for procrastination.
Sure, the mechanics are simple. The cursor shoots automatically, and all you do is move around to survive. But the difficulty ramps up fast, and the sheer number of weapons and upgrades makes every run feel fresh. Before you know it, you’ve been playing for 40 minutes, sweating bullets as your desktop dissolves into retro mayhem.
If you grew up with Windows 95/98, or if you just appreciate when games do something a little weird and wonderful, Desktop Survivors 98 is a no-brainer. It’s the kind of indie gem that reminds you games don’t need to be complicated or even particularly polished - they just need a good idea and a developer with enough love to see it through.
Trailer:
So yes, my cursor is now a warrior. My desktop is a battlefield. And honestly? I’ve never been happier.
Highly recommended. Just, you know, maybe don’t let HR see it.
You can purchase the game here
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co
