Keep Driving Preview

Steam Next Fest is always a fascinating time, as you never really know what kind of gems you’ll find and what will turn to slag as soon as you press play. One of the titles that caught my eye whilst browsing the never-ending lists was a small title about road tripping: Keep Driving!

In this demo, we pick from two drivers and are given the story so far: Summer is ahead and we have nothing but time, so we head over to our friend's house, a beloved classic video game in tow and plans for a wild weekend in mind. As this is (seemingly) set in a facsimile of the U.S., however, our friend lives about 500+ kilometres away, so this will take some driving. Your car has a set number of inventory slots and seats for you to use and as you begin you are given some options on what items you start off with and how good your relationship with your parents is (it comes into play, trust me).

Once you’ve picked your setup (I went with a case of beer, an electric guitar, and a bad parental relationship), the game proper begins. The gameplay is divided into two segments: in town and driving between destinations. While in town, you are free to drive your surprisingly dextrous car to the left and right, with points of interest dotted around the area. The points are often shops from which you can buy more provisions (if you have the money), garages for auto repair, establishments for food or lodging, or opportunities to earn some money. After you’re done with a location, you open up your map, select the next destination from adjacent towns, and get on driving!

When on the road, the management elements of Keep Driving come into play: your car and driver have multiple meters to gauge how things are going from the level of petrol, your car's general condition, and your own energy levels. As you travel, you will go through multiple road events that act as the “combat” of the game. As each event begins, you will have a set of symbols generated that you must remove. If any symbols are left after a round, they may damage their corresponding resource, like your petrol level. To combat this, you have multiple skills as well as some items that you can use, each able to nullify a certain symbol or set of symbols. As soon as you clear all the symbols, the encounter is over and you can keep roaming on. However, some elements can make this more or less difficult.

The type of road you’re on may affect these events, with highways being fast but often involving petrol-decreasing events for example. Additionally, if you yourself are under a debuff, such as sleep deprivation, it may also add more symbols or make them harder to get rid of! Driving drunk is also very difficult, as it will constantly add more and more symbols to remove, in addition to making each round of any encounter timed. Don’t drink and drive, kids.

Luckily, some items and car upgrades can help you with these situations. A flashlight in the car will remove one symbol from nighttime events, whereas being especially happy may help you avoid some nasty damage. You can also pick up hitchhikers on the routes — assuming you have enough seats for them and room for their stuff — that add some skills to your repertoire, but may also have some unsavoury habits, like littering in your car. As you travel with your new companions, they gain experience and can learn new skills! If nothing else, the company is pleasant, as the gang talk among themselves or give you little missions to complete during your long ride. And hey, if you get sick of them, you can kick ‘em out!

If, despite your efforts, you do happen to lose your last point in any of the meters, the game is not yet over! Depending on which resource you run dry on, you may be able to take a long nap to restore energy, call a tow truck to fix your broken-down wreck, or call your parents if nothing else is possible, which is where that relationship I mentioned comes into play. If they dislike you, you may be out of luck.

Keep Driving is a weirdly engrossing little game with a simple core loop that regardless manages to challenge and require some proper planning. The simple but charming graphical style, road trip spirit, and general laid-back style of the game keep you entertained while the little bits of humour and character make you want to keep going. The demo was a bit short, ending after you make it to your friend's house or fail trying, but it most certainly did its job as I can’t wait to see this title fully launched!