Caravan SandWitch Review

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Indie games in recent years have captured my attention way more than AAA titles. Which may be thanks to big studios and their obsession with rubbish like battle passes and microtransactions, but that’s a discussion for another article… Let’s focus instead, then, on developer Plane Toast’s debut outing: Caravan SandWitch, a unique, charming exploration adventure that has all the ingredients to potentially be one of this year's best indie titles. Despite only being revealed a few months ago (more devs should do this please, I don’t like to wait), I’ve been following this title during this short time with a keen interest. However much I was anticipating this wonderful looking title, would it meet my lofty expectations?

In Caravan SandWitch, you play as Sauge, who decides to return to her home planet of Cigalo after receiving a distress signal from a spaceship belonging to her long-lost sister, Garance. With this being the first hint of her sister's whereabouts in the six years since she vanished, Sauge sets out to find the spaceship in the hopes of finding some clues about what happened to Garance and potentially being reunited with her after so long apart.

And so, Sauge sets out to solve the mystery of Garance’s disappearance with nothing more than sheer determination and a slightly worn-down van. During your adventure you’ll meet a widely diverse cast of characters, from the humans that chose to stay on Cigalo after the majority of the population left, to the indigenous frog-like Reinetos, and even the mystifying SandWitch… The pacing can feel a little rushed at times, and I often wanted the story to slow down just a bit to let me enjoy the moment, but as it is, Caravan SandWitch tells an engaging tale of mystery, humanity, and never giving up hope on those you love.

The fact that Sauge has been away from Cigalo for so long helps flesh out not only her and the world around her, but the characters she meets across her journey. Whether Sauge is catching up with old friends, reminiscing about people and places from her past, or discovering more about the mystery surrounding her sister, she always has something to say which helps give context to this intriguing world.

At first glance, it may seem that the world of Caravan SandWitch is lifeless and rather bland thanks to its dusty desert setting. But whilst Cigalo may be a world brought to ruin thanks to its previous inhabitants, to say the environments are lifeless and bland would be selling the game's aesthetics criminally short. We’ve seen games in the past that opt for a wasteland-esque setting that leans too much into the realism, and the whole thing ends up with a colour palette consisting of three different shades of brown and a bit of grey here and there.

Thankfully, Cigalo is a rich, vibrant world with plenty of colour, and the developer has done a great job in giving some of these large, open areas their own individual look. Granted, this isn’t a post-apocalyptic world or anything like that, but the planet of Cigalo has been stripped of most of its natural beauty thanks to the over-exploitation of its human colonisers. It’s full of lush, vibrant forests and tranquil beaches, interspersed with ancient ruins and abandoned technology just waiting to be explored. And, of course, peaceful villages populated with all manner of friendly folk in need of assistance.

As for the sound design, this was ever so slightly hit-and-miss for me. Now, the actual soundtrack and ambient sounds are great and definitely adds to the stress-free atmosphere the game is trying to create. I do wish there was a bit more musical variety, though, and despite not minding a lack of voice acting, the keypad-like sounds when a character is talking were a little jarring.

Although the majority of the time, Caravan SandWitch runs fine, I did hit a few bugs here and there. Notable ones include not being able to talk to a quest giver until I reloaded my save, a few frame rate drops when driving, and placeholder code instead of dialogue were amongst the most egregious. Other than these happening on the rare occasion, and a mini-map that can get a bit too cluttered to be of much use (especially in areas with several NPCs), it’s a well-designed game, and one I often found myself enjoying just aimlessly exploring.

Your time in Caravan SandWitch will be split between controlling Sauge on foot with the occasional simple platforming or puzzle sections and driving the van across treacherous terrain. I say treacherous, but there’s never any actual danger present during gameplay and, as such, this combat-free experience will likely put some players off as there is little in the way of challenge. However, those of you who enjoy exploring, collecting, and just soaking up the atmosphere, this is definitely not a game to overlook.

For the majority of the game, you’re free to explore wherever you like, with more of the map becoming available as you progress through the story and upgrade the van. You’ll then need to find signal jammers to actually be able to see that map (think practically any Ubisoft game), but these are always found in places you’d be exploring anyway, so it’s not like you’re going out of your way to find them. Most of the time you’ll be collecting electrical components found scattered throughout the world, which are used to upgrade the van. Not only that, but many of the citizens of Cigalo also require your foraging skills, and though this does lead to a bit of repetition in terms of quest variety, exploring every nook and cranny of this world never grew stale.

Each task you receive, be it a main quest or optional objective, is tracked via your Toaster device. No, not that kind of toaster, this one is a watch that connects you to a social networking site. Here, all of your messages are kept, allowing you to choose which task to focus on next. In its basic form, it’s a quest list, but styling it in such a way makes it much more charming than a generic to-do list. Some of these tasks are time-sensitive, however there’s always a helpful reminder before you’re set to end a chapter and a list of which quests will be unavailable should you carry on in the story.

Some may think that the gameplay is too simplistic and challenge-free for it to remain engaging, and whilst I can’t wholeheartedly disagree with that, there is genuine fun to be had by just wandering around this fascinating world with nothing to worry about (apart from the whole missing sister thing, that’s kind of important!), it ultimately comes down to a matter of taste. If you’re after something with a bit more excitement and nail-biting adventure, then this may not be the right game for you. If, like me, you enjoy the thrill of discovery, all whilst uncovering an intriguing mystery, then Caravan SandWitch could very well be what you’re looking for.

In the opening paragraph, I asked whether Caravan SandWitch would meet my expectations. And, for the most part, it did! Sure, some technical issues and some samey fetch quests aside, this is a genuinely charming, relaxing journey through a uniquely stylised world. I strongly urge any fans of “cosy” games to check this one out, although if you’re not a fan of that genre, maybe give the demo a try anyway. Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised!