E3 2019 - Checking out Overpass

One of the games I was most excited to see at E3 2019 was Overpass, a game that was about coming first, but also about finishing the race in the first place, sadly, there was some issues with the build, that made it unplayable when I was there, but I did get to speak with one of the developers about what the game is set to offer.

If you have seen the art, look above if you forgot it, you will notice that the theme of off-roading is front and centre here and that is because it is the core part of the racing experience. While almost every other racing game, only requires you to come first, Overpass has you learn the path you need to take first, in order to achieve a finish result. Each track has no set path to follow, just a general direction that you need to follow, be it on a point to point or a circuit, discovering the most suitable one for your vehicle.

While a part of the track that lies ahead of you, might seem open and ready for you to just barrel through, it might have a large drop just after it, and while that might not be to bad, the drop could only be on one side of your selected path. Each time you push forward, you need to plan where you are going to go next, because a wrong move will wreck your car and once that is done, so are you. Vehicle integrity is crucial in Overpass, because while you can take some dents against the bodywork, without concern, anything to major and you will find yourself restarting the track. On the upside, for those who just want to barrel around off-road, there is the option to disable the realistic damage, giving you more freedom, but even that is not unlimited.

The game is going to sport six different regions, which will cover terrain like desert, forests and snow, but while there are six overarching themes, there are over 40 hand designed tracks, meaning that there is no randomisation to worry about. With a host of real world vehicles to drive as well, there will be plenty for players to experiment with, just remember to keep the action confined to the game.