A good, interesting blend of genres in a video game is always desirable, and Saber Interactive and developer Serious Sim’s upcoming gameHeading Outdelivers in spades when it comes to that area, being a roguelike visual novel with driving/racing sequences. Inspired by classic ’70s road movies, the game sees you heading down south in order to eventually meet up with and challenge the land’s greatest racer. Is it a blend that works? Well, after having played it, it does indeed make for a captivating experience. And yet, it’s also one that felt familiar at the same time, odd as that may sound for a game such as this.
Heading Outsees you playing as an outlaw, starting out by choosing key details about your past that shape who you are, such as your past loves. It also has an impact on how people perceive you, alongside several other various choices to made in little side story vignettes along the way during your trip. As you begin to shape who you are through all of your actions, the radio hosts will begin commenting on your actions, building you up as some sort of folk hero, menace or more. And funnily, another game that kept racing through my mind as I experienced this was another sort of adventure game,Where the Water Tastes Like Wine.
Aside from also having a general focus on Americana (as well as survival elements), there’s a theme of evolving stories here as well, about how myths and legends are crafted as our outlaw carves a name for themselves with every stop they make. The stops themselves can even have similar surreal elements, such as coming across a massive, seemingly bottomless pothole, and choosing whether to throw a coin in it or not. It’s an impressive use of a similar angle when it comes to storytelling and it’s interesting to see it applied to a more relatively modern decade as well, complete with the proper vibes of the era in its music and atmosphere.
That said, whatWhere the Water Tastes Like Winedidn’t have was a giant red death cloud following you as you move. Yes, aside from making it to the top racer, another goal inHeading Outis to stay ahead of your ominous fear, an eerie force that follows you and seemingly infects the road you leave behind over time. This means being on the road as much as possible, but it also eats up focus, one of the survival elements. You also have to pay attention to your car’s condition, making sure that it remains in good shape. And of course, you need gas money for your trip as well, requiring you to make a few choices along the way to ensure that you don’t run out of cash. Like any good survival game, there’s a nice challenge in keeping everything balanced while staying ahead of the big threat.
To ensure that you wind up with the correct choices needed to balance out everything needed survival, the map screen inHeading Outallows players to pitch the next route to take, with its offerings and story moments marked on it (and changing with each run). While some parts allow you to enter races for money, thus bringing the driving sequences into play, what’s more interesting is that it also includes clashes with the law. The higher your wanted level is via your deeds, the more likely the fuzz is going to try and stop. Or maybe they’ll just try and take you down for speeding, since you actually have to keep accelerating during the map screens to move as well, paying attention to your speed limit. Get caught and it’s car chase time.
I Fought the Law
The chases with the cops are one of the big selling points when it comes toHeading Out.While the actual driving gameplay isn’t anything new, it still makes for something fun as you try to evade the law over the course of a song, ducking between cars and making use of off-road shortcuts along the way. The use of glowing red rear lights and yellow signs in order to assist players while standing out among the monochrome visuals is a great touch as well, making the visuals even more eye-catching. While some parts were unclear (I never could figure out how to get style points for your post-race ranking afterwards), it all still made for exciting action that tied in perfectly with the outlaw themes.
Review: Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a fantastic, mesmerizing trip across America and its parables and oddities throughout the ages.
But whileHeading Outdelivers solid driving gameplay, it’s in the area of story where it truly shines, be it in the hundreds of radio broadcasts detailing your character’s rise or the various detours along the way that get them there. And we’ll get to see more of this road trip and just what lies at the end of its eight-to-twelve-hour journey next month on May 7, whenHeading Outarrives for PC, with its twisted take on America in tow.
