Keep Driving Review — Road Tripping
Recently , I ’ ve been wanting to get on a road trip . The process as a child with ADD live a living nightmare , but as I ’ ve gotten old , the concept of escaping the stress of life with zero but the open Earth and the beautiful countryside around me has become a much more appealing illusion . Go on Driving be the first game I ’ ve seen that not only portrays that illusion but cause so in a creative and engaging way , turn the thought of a youthful twenty-something first road trip into an exciting RPG adventure .
Hold Driving is an atmospheric RPG with turn-based fighting and direction feature and be too what I would trace as a roguelite . The game start when you be invited to a concert on the other side of the nation and chore you with making the hard but stimulate journey thither . Along the path , you will collect hitchhikers , struggle obstacles in your course , and listen to some incredible music in what truly feels like a memorable adventure .
The first thing you do in Keep Driving be customize your quality through a variety of mere question . You ’ re hold a background that determines how your reference fares on the road with a variety of passive abilities , a selection of equipment to begin your journey ( I always pick the guitar and case of beer , put on ’ t take me why ) , and , most importantly , your relationship with your parents—a hilarious slider that get from 0 to 10 that influence how likely your parents are to occur bail you out if you ’ re meet with failure on the road .
Keep Driving separates each leg of your journey through stretch of road that operate sort of like roguelike levels . On each one , you ’ re met with unlike obstacle , with the hope of a series of award at the goal , coming in the form of workshop where you can buy goods , gas , or upgrade your car . You ’ re devote a map showing the many interlocked roads to your end and are able to choose any of the branching paths ahead at each node ( or lie stop ) at the goal of a stretch of road .
The road fortune in Keep Driving are portrayed as little turn-based struggle , challenge you to expend your accumulated goodies to protect your resources .
Regard , in Keep Driving , you get your energy , gas , car integrity , and mood to protect while on the road . Respective event can pretend these , but they be largely diminished through these turn-based fight , as road hazards constitute unlike threats to these resource . To overcome them , you apply a collection of card-like ability that each target a specific type of risk and in a specific order . The end is to apply the right cards to most quickly and efficiently need out the hazard before they start to diminish your resources .
Item can live compile and use from the glovebox and act sort of same card of their own with limited use . Other consumables can cost stored in your car , which expend a Resident Evil-style physical inventory space that must equal managed with each aim you compile . These objects can be car repairs you have yet to equip or consumables like bit or beer that aid you fight condition impression and delay on the road longer .
Your road trip comes to an end if you work out of energy or if your car breaks down . Doing so will devote you a sort of sub-game over where you can use the unlike tool at your disposal to seek and get the car or take a nap in the back seat . This is also where you can call your parents to bail you out if you select to own a good relationship with them . If you can ’ t do either , the plot ends .
The serious mode to head off catastrophe on the road be to pick up hitchhikers . These characters much get their own dialogue , sometimes a mission object to throw them off somewhere , and card of their own to help you out with hazards . Like your objects , they remove up space in the car , giving you limited way with the passengers you collect .
You can essentially show Keep Driving as the Oregon Trail of the 2000s , and the plot sure enough lives up to that vibe good . Along the style , you ’ ll learn incredible procedurally generated pixel art backgrounds that in truth paint the image of a European road trip . The different car you can unlock exist correspond for the era , and the game ’ sec incredible soundtrack of “ Local Swedish indie bands ” tone like what I imagine bring a road trip back then would receive sound like . I can ’ t tell you for sure—I was 2 .
I ’ ve even to complete a full map of Keep Driving , which I think speaks to the plot ’ s difficulty and playtime . Still , if the game ’ sec description cost to exist believed , I don ’ t believe the plot continues after you reach your concert destination and cause the movement back home . If this is the case , I would love to regard the game updated with more road trip adventures , maybe ones that take place in unlike country , own unlike quality , and unlike destinations .
The Final Word
Keep Driving is an incredible road trip adventure plot , in truth living up to the vibe of an early 2000s drive across the rural area . Every aspect of the game wowed me , and I equal lead with no desire other than to come still more from the experience . Here ’ sec hoping the developers found some future DLC for the plot .
Strain Hard Guides welcome a PC review code for this game . Find more elaborate spirit at popular and coming title on our Game Reviews page ! Keep Driving is available on Steam !
