Over the Hill Is a Driving Game That Asks You to Slow Down

Over the Hill is the next game from the makers of Art of Rally, and Eurogamer says it takes a very different approach. It leaves out racing completely and leans into the relaxed free-roam style of its predecessor. It even starts with a golden Buddha statue teaching you the basics.

The whole game is about slow, off-road exploring across large, open areas of colorful wilderness. If you want clear goals or fast racing thrills, it may not be for you. If you enjoy wandering and being curious, the reviewer says it offers its own kind of driving fun.

You begin in a 4x4 trail vehicle that does not move quickly. As the Buddha teaches, you bounce over rocks, crawl up hills and winch yourself out of mud. You switch between low and high gears to get a better grip depending on the ground. Even a few hours in, with new vehicles and upgrades, the pace stays slow and careful. The map includes the wooded hills of the Canadian Valhallas and the rocky Algerian desert. Caution is usually the best approach, unless you like getting a car out of a forest with a 65-point turn.

Gentle guitars and harmonicas play as you roll toward your next goal, which you set yourself. Developer Funselektor keeps things light. The maps are marked with question marks, which are possible places to visit, and with camps you can unlock to use as fast-travel points. At camps you can also speed up time to escape rain or sandstorms, drive at night or watch the sun rise.

The question marks lead to different rewards. Sometimes you find only a crate with a silly decoration, such as a yeti-shaped car antenna or a kayak for your roof. Other times they set off a series of route points that tempt you across tricky ground, such as around rocks at the edge of a lake or along an uneven cliff to a faraway overhang, with a reward at the end. There is also multiplayer, so you can roam with friends.