Pacific Drive
" Immersive action-adventure driving survival with rich story and sound, but repetitive grind "
Pacific Drive Review
Pacific Drive delivers a unique blend of survival, exploration, and driving mechanics set within the eerie and atmospheric Olympic Exclusion Zone. Players pilot a customizable station wagon through procedurally generated biomes filled with anomalies, crafting resources, and story-driven encounters. The game excels in its immersive sound design, art style, and narrative, which many players find emotionally resonant and compelling. The driving mechanics strike a balance between accessibility and challenge, offering rewarding vehicle upgrades and a sense of progression.
However, the gameplay loop can feel repetitive due to frequent backtracking and resource grinding. Time limits and certain game mechanics sometimes frustrate players rather than challenge them. Technical issues like occasional bugs, unclear HUD elements, and performance hiccups have also been reported. Despite some pacing and difficulty concerns, the game is praised for its originality, atmosphere, and engaging story, making it a worthwhile experience especially for fans of survival and roguelite genres.
Highlights
Players highly praise Pacific Drive's atmospheric world-building, combining beautiful visuals with a haunting soundtrack that enhances immersion. The driving system is well-crafted, offering satisfying vehicle handling and meaningful customization. The narrative is touching and integrates smoothly with gameplay, supported by strong voice acting and intriguing lore. The game's procedural generation provides replayability through diverse biomes, anomalies, and modifiers. Additionally, the radio system adds charm and depth, delivering both music and narrative snippets that enrich the experience.
Criticisms
Common criticisms include the game's repetitive resource gathering loop and frequent backtracking, which can dampen motivation. Some players find the time limits and certain mechanics more annoying than challenging. The ending has been described as underwhelming or too open-ended. Technical issues such as bugs, occasional crashes, and unclear UI elements hinder the experience for some. Performance optimization remains a concern, especially during intense moments. Lastly, limited soundtrack variety and lack of quicksave options during missions were noted as areas for improvement.
Pros
- • Immersive atmosphere with outstanding sound design and art style.
- • Engaging and emotionally resonant story with strong voice acting.
- • Satisfying driving mechanics balancing accessibility and challenge.
- • Meaningful vehicle customization and upgrade system.
- • Procedurally generated biomes and modifiers increase replayability.
- • Unique radio system adds narrative depth and entertainment.
- • Balanced risk-reward gameplay with soft roguelite elements.
Cons
- • Repetitive resource gathering and backtracking can feel tedious.
- • Time limits and some mechanics frustrate rather than challenge.
- • Ending considered underwhelming or too open for some players.
- • Technical issues include bugs, crashes, and unclear UI elements.
- • Performance drops during intense action affect gameplay smoothness.
- • Limited soundtrack variety leads to repetition over long playtimes.
- • Lack of quicksave during missions causes loss of progress.
Rating Criteria
About This Game
Deluxe Edition
Get ready to blast off with the Pacific Drive: Deluxe Edition! This bundle includes the game plus an additional items pack themed around space exploration, that you can use to customize your station wagon.
About the Game
Pacific Drive is a first-person driving survival game with your car as your only companion. Navigate a surreal reimagining of the Pacific Northwest, and face supernatural dangers as you venture into the Olympic Exclusion Zone. Each excursion into the wilderness brings unique and strange challenges as you restore and upgrade your car from an abandoned garage that acts as your home base. Gather precious resources and investigate what’s been left behind in the Zone; unravel a long-forgotten mystery while learning exactly what it takes to survive in this unpredictable, hostile environment.Features
- Outrun the storm while facing strange perils in a world that shifts with every journey into the Zone
- Your car, your way – scavenge resources to craft new equipment and configure your wagon how you want. Experiment with different mods and car parts to navigate a treacherous landscape, and look good doing it
- Unravel the mystery of the Olympic Exclusion Zone, an abandoned research site in an anomaly-filled version of the Pacific Northwest
- Original score by Wilbert Roget, II and featuring 20+ licensed songs
DRIVE TO SURVIVE
It’s you and your station wagon against an unforgiving, vicious world. It’ll take more than a fresh set of tires to keep you alive, on and off the road. Your faithful wagon can be upgraded and reinforced to protect you, but the car is going to take a beating. Keep your gas tank filled and your panels intact to withstand the radiation permeating the Zone. You’ll be pushed to your limit - making repairs on the fly, scavenging materials wherever you can, and adapting your rolling fortress to tackle the many life-threatening dangers that lurk in the shadows.
INVESTIGATE THE ZONE
The experimental leftovers of the secretive ARDA organization remain scattered across the Zone, and finding answers won’t be easy. Everywhere you look you’ll find anomalies, surreal forces of a twisted nature that make your journey more difficult... or more interesting. Silhouettes in the dark, rolling piles of scrap metal, and towering pillars of earth - each trip is packed with otherworldly hazards. As terrifying as those may be, nothing compares to the overwhelming power of a Zone Storm. Stomp on the gas and outrun it if you can - these rolling maelstroms rend the landscape and obliterate anything that sticks around too long. Don’t let that be you.
REPEAT
Check the map, pack some gear for the trip, and hit the road. Gather resources and collect data as you go, there’s all sorts of useful stuff inside the walls of the Zone. Make it back safely and use the contents of your trunk to improve your car and garage. Every time you venture out, new trials await: bizarre weather, unforgiving landscapes, and experimental remnants. The golden rule in the Zone is ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ — some materials can only be found in the most dangerous places. Be smart out there, and don’t waste time — it’s going to be a long haul.
Face the supernatural dangers of the Olympic Exclusion Zone with a car as your only lifeline in this driving survival adventure! Scavenge resources, load up your trusty station wagon, and drive like hell to make it through alive.