// PC GAMER — GAMING
Over the Hill's Next Fest demo promises a stylized off-roading game for people who actually like to drive
Forza Horizon is fine, I guess, but for my money this is where it's at.
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I was never able to get a feel for Funselektor's top-down driving game Art of Rally, or its predecessor Absolute Drift: I like rally in real life, but sliding cars around corners at screaming speeds from a weird perspective and with no tactile feedback just didn't work for me. I had higher hopes for the slower pace of the studio's upcoming Over the Hill, and after trying the demo that dropped today with the start of the Steam Next Fest, I am very happy to say that yeah, this is the one.
Over the Hill is a very stylized take on off-roading: You're not going to find high-fidelity mud here, or detailed first-person views from behind the wheel. It's really more about the broader experience of being 'out there,' going slow, taking your time, and thinking about how you're going to get where you want rather than just hammering on it. You can hammer on it if you want, and it'll carry you for a while, and also likely put you over onto your roof when you're not expecting it.
The game world itself is very much like that too: Not realistic, but evocative in a way that I think makes it more powerful—a bit like Firewatch in that regard, and in visual style too, at least for this demo. This playable portion is set in a beefy chunk of Canadian wilderness, and while Funselektor emphasized that it's still "a work in progress," there's a lot to see and do.
Trails of different types lead to points of interest where you'll find customization items and in-game currency, there are cabins that serve as save points, "challenge trails" wait to test your patience and precision, and scenic lookouts provide an opportunity to just kick back and enjoy the view, and play with the game's photo mode if that's your thing.
You can (and surely will) also leave the trailers completely and just go bombing around wherever you want, within the limits of your vehicle's capabilities, which—as an entry-level machine—are pretty limited indeed. But that's also how you find the interesting stuff: The map will guide you to nearby POIs, but it can be a lot more fun to just get out there and see what comes up.
It's probably wise to play it a little safe until you've got some of those cabins unlocked, though. The first time I fired up Over the Hill I found and immediately embarked on a challenge trail that led me across some rocks to a gorgeous waterfall, and I was this close to completing it when I misread the trail, ended up in the water, and drowned my engine. The only checkpoint I had at that stage was the one at the very beginning, so—right back to the start I went.
See that very narrow rock trail in front of the falls? Good luck.
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