Platform reviewed: Steam
Price: $17:99
When I was asked if I wanted to review Keep Driving I knew this game was for me, as it's a game about getting your license and hitting the open road with your beater of a car. Since I started driving I can remember I’ve always preferred to drive over flying, as there’s a certain beauty in traveling across the country and I was excited to see if this game could capture that magic.
Starting up I’m greeted with a character creator letting me set up some backstory for my wandering driver. What’s my relationship with my parents? Does my character have a job they can pull experience from when something happens on the road? Once I was ready I loaded into my car, after a quick step inside my house to pick up the care package my mom left me for my first big trip. I opened my map, picked my first stop for supplies and hit the open road.
Right away I can tell I’m in for a good time, as the game's soundtrack comes to life the music matching that feeling of hitting the road on your own for the first time, so much so I had to go to Spotify and add some of the tracks to my own road trip playlist. On the way to my first pit stop for fuel and food, I was quickly introduced to the game's unique turn based combat system. I had to use my actions represented by rear view mirror decorations to eliminate hazards created by driving over some potholes, matching symbols representing attacks from the potholes to eliminate them.
Right away, it's clear that this game is all about resource management. Skills only have so many uses in a day before needing to rest to recharge. There’s fuel, money, energy, and your car's durability, I had to make sure one had enough to get me to the next stop. There’s also hitchhikers who may be a benefit or a detriment to your trip. YCJY Games, the developers of the game, found a perfect balance of gameplay challenge with the beauty and calmness of road trips, my favorite little detail was the daydreaming sections where my character would have an internal dialogue with themselves, reflecting on random thoughts or experiences. Capturing the therapeutic feeling of cruising along on the open road.
Final Grade: A
YCJY Games found a perfect balance of challenging gameplay mixed with the beauty and calmness of road trips. The soundtrack immerses me in the game, giving me that sense of wonder. Keep Driving is a perfect unique blend of gameplay and nostalgia for anyone that has no plans but hitting the open road.
Review code provided by Future Friends Games