Take a road trip through mankind’s folly
In the mid-20th century it seemed that new science, from DDT to nuclear power, would save us all. By the time the ’70s rolled round, the legacy of ignorance, corporate greed and government arrogance was clear. So it was, in one beautiful corner of the Pacific Northwest.
Amongst the redwoods and fir trees, research into a potentially limitless energy source – LIM – unleashed a series of increasingly deadly anomalies. In the end the government evacuated the population, walled off the whole peninsula and left it to descend into eldritch chaos. This is the setting for PacificDrive, a debut first-person driving-survival-adventure game by Seattle-based Ironwood Studios, a proudly anti-crunch group with an eclectic track record in the industry.
A humble delivery driver, you get sucked into the exclusion zone by an escaping red goo vortex, and find yourself sealed inside the Olympic Peninsula’s 400ft barrier with no way out. But help is at hand. There’s an old radiation-proof station wagon, a safe garage for crafting, upgrades and repairs, and some helpful, albeit caustic, voices to guide you through the zone. Gather resources to fix your car, survive the next outing and find a way home. It also seems that the old station wagon that you are driving is a Remnant, an object of some power. Are you the chosen thingamabob, or what?
THE RISK/REWARD GAME LOOP, ONCE YOU’RE SETTLED INTO IT, IS A GOOD ONE
WOULD YOU KINDLY
There’s nothing truly original going on here, and you could name dozens of games with similar themes, characters and mechanics. But the whole package is delivered with sufficient enthusiasm to make it seem fresh, albeit a moody, earthy, rain-soaked fresh. Tara Langella happily chews the scenery as Ophelia ‘Oppy’ Turner, ostensibly the scientist behind the pandemonium, but now a voice on the radio guiding you round her abandoned garage. She bickers over the air with Francis and Tobias, the requisite conspiracy theorists, who are there to muddy whatever waters you’re being served. Is she GLaDOS, Atlas or Delilah? Only time will tell.
The other voices you hear on the FM radio along with some very beardy tunes are entertaining enough – “I have your lamas” being a highlight – but I was a little perplexed as to who was talking. Were they inside the wall too? Or is the weird leaking out into the lands beyond? Again, I suspect all will become clear, and I’m here for it.
The risk/reward game loop, once you’re settled into it, is a good one. To get out of the zone, you have to head out and find resources, and try not to consume more than you reap. You are safe in your car for the most part, but can’t stay there if you’re going to progress. You can run towards that shack, but you’re prey to radiation and passing anomalies. Drive off-road
