Over the Hill: Off-Road Camping is More Fun with Company – PC Review

Since its market debut, Funselektor has distinguished itself with atypical driving games characterized by very "zen" atmospheres. With Over the Hill, the Canadian studio abandons race cars and competitions in favor of robust off-road vehicles and rugged mountain passes, without losing its touch. You can imagine it as a combination of a random MudRunner and the recent Big Walk. We do have to navigate challenging and decidedly unsuitable terrains for vehicle wheels, but without too much effort, and we can drag up to three friends along for the ride, tugging each other with the tow hook and laughing at our misfortunes. Because there are many destinations, but it's the journey that counts.

After a brief tutorial literally given by Buddha, the game will leave us free to go wherever and however we please on the trails. In Over the Hill, there isn't a real objective, but rather several regions with diverse topography, full of lost objects, suggestive views, and challenges to overcome. The map sizes are quite generous and will initially be obscured and without references, except for the shelters, which we can use as checkpoints to recharge and move quickly. The idea is to aim for one and try to reach it without crashing, gradually revealing new secrets until the entire area is unveiled.

The main resource in the mountains are supply crates where we'll find purely aesthetic decorations for our vehicle, such as bumper reinforcements, flashing lights, antennas, roof luggage, tools, spare wheels, strings of Christmas lights, toilet seats, animal skulls to glue to the hood... There's a lot of stuff, allowing us to add a personal touch to our motorized adventure companion. We also have panoramic viewpoints for some souvenir photos, wild animals to capture (just be careful not to disturb them too much), and meteorites to dislodge. Each discovery will provide us with credits to improve vehicle performance at the garage, such as engine power, suspension height, body rigidity, impact and flood resistance, inventory capacity... To unlock new ones, however, we'll have to complete the winding paths that will put our mastery of the driving model and physics engine to the test.

With a controller in hand, Over the Hill discretely simulates the behavior of wheels on rough and muddy terrain. Cruising speed is low, but we'll often have to slow down further to avoid damaging the chassis or gain traction with a low stance. In case of difficulty, we can hook onto trees or bushes for an extra push, and if these are absent, we can take a picket from our "backpack," along with other tools to help us in the trickiest situations. Supplies are scarce, but there are no penalties or costs for using them. Repairs are also free, and we'll never truly be stranded; however, as the "health bar" decreases, the vehicle's performance will worsen. The ground deforms slightly as we pass, but it doesn't seem to affect road holding, unlike downpours and blizzards, which make everything slippery.

It's a calm, unpretentious experience, ideal for unwinding and getting lost in picturesque, unspoiled nature, amidst the rumble of the engine, the rustle of tires, and serene melodies on loop on the radio. However, although there is a single-player component, the developers have definitely favored larger convoys, resulting in a balance that is not very favorable for solo adventurers.

Basically, players' kits are the same in both modes. What changes is the number of off-road vehicles on screen, which adds chaos but also valuable support for getting out of trouble. Getting stuck on rocks or overturning is a matter of moments, but simply clinging to companions or being pushed will get you back on track. What do you do alone? There isn't always a log to leverage, especially in the most barren areas, and we usually have a couple of spare pickets, which certainly aren't enough for longer climbs. Abandoning a climb after so much effort is quite frustrating and goes against the spirit of the game. For this reason, I would increase the quantity of transportable items when offline; I don't think anyone would mind.

Another aspect I would revise is the management of the car fleet. There are indeed a lot of vehicles and, despite the absence of visible parameters, each boasts pros and cons when considering factors such as top speed, torque, weight, ground clearance, steering angle, center of gravity... We can switch from one to another at any time to verify it in person; however, given that each vehicle is upgraded separately and there aren't physically enough resources for everyone, one is a bit reluctant to invest money to maximize their performance. Unless you intend to regularly reset progress or grind meteorites. Perhaps the cost of the various power-ups could have been increased, but made available to the entire roster, and at the same time ensured that individual elements could access them once a certain number of kilometers had been covered, as already happens for special liveries.

These are, however, considerations that do not greatly affect a formula that works very well and, as reiterated several times, performs best in multiplayer. Perhaps the atmosphere won't be as relaxing with a chorus of voices cackling as you throw each other off cliffs, but the excursions couldn't be more fun. The servers support rooms for up to four players, public or private via password. The quality of the experience varies based on the host's connection, with lag and awkward collisions if stability isn't top-notch, but otherwise, I haven't encountered any problems. The game also already supports mods, which we can bring online with us. Mostly we have alternative skins and some model swaps, but if this is the situation before day one, it's only a matter of time before new mechanics emerge. One thing that's missing? The ability to draw on the map. It's convenient to place markers, also visible to others, but being able to trace routes would greatly help communication (a bit like in Slay the Spire 2).

The package currently includes two regions, Canada and Algeria, for a total of five maps. Biomes and level design are well diversified, challenging enough, and rich in opportunities for more or less unorthodox explorations. Seeing everything will take you about 15-20 hours, more if you aim for 100%. Tackling the adventure solo is feasible but requires more patience; better with friends, unless you really love the genre.

On the technical side, low-poly models and warm pastel colors denote a truly charming picture, with excellent lighting effects and quite nice views. There's a clear contrast between the minimal vegetation and our hyper-accessorized off-road vehicle, which thus stands out in the scene; moreover, a series of expedients ensure that our position is always clearly visible even in the middle of the bush. On PC, the game is light, with fast loading times, stable performance, and many options to further optimize the load. The soundtrack is pleasant, fading into the background to leave the stage to rather credible environmental effects, including chirping, wind gusts, and raindrops tapping on roofs. There's great peace, unless you catch the usual joker with the police siren blaring through the valleys (which would be me).