Summary
Featuring a blend ofSTALKERandAnnihilationvibes, “survival driving sim roguelike"Pacific Driveis the debut title from Ironwood Studios, composed of veteran staff who have worked on some notable games like multipleHalotitles,Mortal Kombat 11, andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, among others.Pacific Driveis a much different experience than any of those, though, and can be a bit hard to describe as it pulls from a variety of genres and designs to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts.
Pacific Driveis set in an alternate timeline where a secret experiment in Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula created a region within it that is essentially the equivalent ofSTALKER’s Zone, where strange and dangerous anomalies and creatures appeared in the aftermath. The story centers around an anonymous citizen who finds themselves suddenly trapped in this Zone, with their only means of escape being to restore a run-down station wagon and navigate their way through the treacherous environment while uncovering the truth behind the disaster. It quickly becomes apparent that this seemingly unassuming vehicle is more than meets the eye, and, in fact, could be said to bePacific Drive’s real protagonist.
In Pacific Drive, the Car is the Most Important Character
Pacific Drive’s Narrative and Mechanics Place its Strange Vehicle Center Stage
Pacific Drivewastes no time in immediately introducing players to its concept of “Remnants,” ordinary-looking objects with a mysterious underlying nature similar toControl’s Objects of Power. Opening exposition outlines how these items affect the people they “bond” with, forcing them to increasingly fixate on them as their supernatural influence seeps further into their psyche. This is quite a clever meta way of seamlessly tying gameplay and narrative together, since obsessing over upgrading and customizing the beat-up old station wagon is the players' first, last, and only line of defense against the otherworldly phenomenons. In fact, this is precisely what players will be doing for most of their time inPacific Drive.
As fans unlock deeper reaches of the map,Pacific Drive’s environmental hazardsand road conditions are almost always more dangerous to the vehicle than the player’s avatar, and neglecting to properly equip and protect it will result in certain failure. By gathering and investing enough resources though, players can eventually turn it from a rusty jalopy into an armored behemoth capable of withstanding radiation, acid rainstorms, and more, while they continue piecing together the history of events that led to Remnants and the Zone.
Pacific Drive’s Car is the True Star of the Game
SincePacific Drive’s protagonist is mute and completely unseen throughout the entire course of the game, it’s clear that the focus is not really on the figure behind the wheel, but the wheel and all the other constituent components of the scrappy station wagon itself. Extensive upgrade and customization options via fun cosmetics make each fan’s version of their Remnant wagon unique to their experience, granting it much more of a personality and coming across likePortal’s beloved Cuberather than just a necessary but inanimate means of mechanical traversal.
The car can even randomly acquire odd quirks, like the radio changing channels when a door is opened. These are not necessarily detriments, but they do again impart a sense of personality and behavior onto it that brings a unique flavor, making it feel like an old friend with its idiosyncrasies, which is exactly what the game wants players to feel. The diegetic UI/menu elements and presentation also complement this, adding another layer of immersion. WhilePacific Drive’s eerie atmosphere and dark road trip stylingsput players in the driver’s seat, by design it’s the car that’s the true breakout character. It may not be flashy or sporty, at least at first, but as players treat it well, in turn it becomes a reliable and stalwart companion, with more charm and presence than their actual character.
