Keep Driving Review (PC)

It’s late, but time is irrelevant. The road before you stretches for miles, making you yourself believe that there isn’t a destination, but perhaps an infinite loop of winding paths and elusive highways. You’ve barely any gas left in the tank, and the faint silhouette of a hitchhiker is clambering down the sidewalks, board in hand and hoping that you’ll make a pitstop to help them reach their haven. This car of yours—an old sedan that has the structural integrity of a paper spork—isn’t capable of handling such a ruthless tour of the country, much less a detour through an alternate loop. But you’ve little choice, and the only thing that matters most to you right now is the festival. It’s late, but you need to Keep Driving. If there’s a silver lining hanging on the horizon, then you’d better put your foot down.

Keep Driving isn’t so much about the destination, but the journey. Well, the destination does have some significance here, given the fact that it resembles the crowning achievement of an extensive tour around the country. But that isn’t what this “atmospheric management RPG” wants you to think. No, what the game wants you to believe is that, with each quarter mile you travel, there’ll be something new to discover—a person of interest, a prestigious landmark, or perhaps even a place of inspiration to help you surpass that final hurdle. This is what the game does best: it makes you question your whereabouts, and it keeps you guessing where the next milestone will come from. I’m all for that unhinged train of thought.

So, what is Keep Driving, if not an excuse to put the pedal to the metal? Ride shotgun with me on this, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

One More Mile

Keep Driving is a management RPG that casts its focus on three things: a run-down vehicle, a swathe of beaten roads, and a festival, the latter being the one thing keeping you from turning back and calling it quits. And that’s more or less what the story is about; it paints it in black and white that, to achieve your goals, you must make it to this peculiar festival on the other side of the country — even at the expense of your private possessions, like an old truck, for example. In this journey, while traveling as a young explorer with little to lose other than a few hours of time, each checkpoint presents a unique opportunity for you to explore, whether it’s an old country road, a bustling highway, or a dirt track fit for a motocross tournament. The question is, is how can you reach your destination?

Keep Driving provides a procedurally generated world—a map that contains numerous routes on a map, all of which can be accessed or, if you’re willing to return for a second tour, revisited in a later attempt. In each run, you can unearth various locations, pit stops, and the chance to upgrade, customize, and tailor your vehicle to suit your needs. From basic components to purely cosmetic bumper stickers — the game requires you to keep on top of your car. And that makes sense, given that you’re traveling so many miles in the same old junker. Granted, it isn’t quite as complex as, say, Pacific Drive, but it makes a genuine effort to provide enough variety to keep you second-guessing your decisions and sourcing fresh ways to tackle the journey.

The Long Road

The journey itself isn’t all that long; in fact, if you put your foot down and travel the correct routes (if there are any), then you ought to be able to reach the final frontier in just under two or three hours. But, that isn’t to say that you’ll be able to reap what you sow; the destination reminds you of the spots you missed along the way, effectively making you more likely to rewind the clock and attempt an alternate course. It’s all rather Road 96 in that regard; it contains several different paths to choose from, but at no point does it tell you what you might encounter along the way. It’s procedurally generated, too — so it’s more or less a mystery, regardless of the signpost you choose to follow.

Keep Driving isn’t just about driving. Well, it is, but it is also about tackling certain obstacles on the road, like tractors, traffic jams, and other agricultural thorns in your side, for instance. And that’s where another aspect of the game comes into play. Aside from having to tinker with your vehicle and bolt on the occasional upgrade, the game also tasks you with completing a bunch of turn-based challenges—short mini-game battles that revolve around your choices and your ability to think on the spot. Admittedly, these challenges aren’t particularly difficult, so to speak; if anything, they’re a subtle addition to an otherwise straightforward objective. But that’s okay, because they add more value to the pot.

The Last Hitchhiker

If Keep Driving was based solely on the concept of driving without the added luxury of being able to take in the sights and listen to its stories, then it probably wouldn’t be worth getting out of bed for. However, that isn’t the case here, as the game does, in fact, feature some interesting characters and eccentric personalities, most of whom can be found on the road and at various milestones during the campaign. Granted, not every living soul can spin a compelling yarn, but each conversation does have a unique twist to it, and thankfully, they break up what would otherwise be a silent and somewhat dull journey.

The pixel art style is a neat touch I’ll give it that, and it certainly works well with its soundboard and other visual elements. It takes me back to those early Flash days, if anything — and that’s a treasure in itself, given the often overwhelming nature of the vast majority of most modern-day titles. Sure, it’s a little in-your-face, and there’s a fair amount of clutter to it, but it’s also bursting with a solid retro-like vibe that is bound to resonate with older fans of the minimalistic art style. It’s certainly no masterpiece, but then, it doesn’t aim to be anything short of faithful to the perseverance of old-school habits.

Verdict

It doesn’t take much to realize just how much love was poured into Keep Driving and its procedurally generated world of automobile-based shenanigans and spontaneity. It’s a short one, and not to mention an RPG that lacks the same level of depth as several of its big-budget adversaries, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any less of a memorable experience. The pixel art style meshed with a clean collection of intriguing stories and tailorable details makes for an immersive coming-of-age tale — and that’s something we can all take a moment to appreciate, despite its occasional flaw or lack of technical polish. It’s an indie game, too — so that alone gives us enough of a reason to chuck in a few added bonus points.

If you’re one for taking relatively short romps through randomized scenarios and exchanging small bursts of success for minuscule upgrades, then chances are you’ll find plenty of interesting story beats and crossroads to keep you behind the wheel in Keep Driving. As I said, it’s a short ride, but with a handful of additional routes to travel and a generous selection of characters, conversations, and customizable features to sift through, there’s no reason to rush through to the final destination without taking the opportunity to explore its surplus of alternative routes along the way. To that extent, it isn’t so much about the destination, but the journey, and more importantly, what you make of said journey.