4/5 ★ – KeitaiOkami's review of Pacific Drive.

Pacific Drive is a unique take on the survival genre. At least that's what everyone says, I haven't played enough survival games to weigh in. But considering both your main mode of traversal and your main weapon is an old station wagon, I'd say they're right. In Pacific Drive, you play a driver who gets trapped in what is called an exclusionary zone, a walled off section of the Pacific Northwest where anomalies and radiation ravaged the area. With the help of a few scientists who communicate over the radio, you're tasked with exploring the zone and finding a way out while also upgrading your "new" car, garage, and yourself to survive the elements. What intrigued me from the first trailer was the customization and crafting elements of the game. After playing too many hours of Car Mechanic Simulator, this aspect piqued my interest. And the premise of completing runs to both gather materials and story information seemed like a recipe for a fun game. And I was absolutely right. PD is all about atmosphere. Each location changes as you revisit it, with new combinations of anomalies thrown at you. The urgency to gather what you need and either move to the next location or escape back to the garage is amplified by random storms that can eat you alive if you're not prepared. The game has a steep learning curve as a lot of the game's systems are explained at a rapid pace in the first couple hours. But, not everything is explained, so you have to figure a lot of the game out through trial and error. This can deter a lot of people from sinking hours into the game. But if you stick with it, the gameplay loop becomes very rewarding. The characters and voice acting are superb. You instantly grow attached to Oppy, Tobias, and Francis through the constant chatter over the radio. These conversations, along with journal entries and recorded radio shows, build the world in an organic way, in my opinion. My only major complaint is that some of the gravity of the story beats don't always coincide with the gameplay or the mission itself. This is especially evident in the climax of the game. I wish it was as epic as some of the earlier missions. That being said, this game does an amazing job of keeping you engaged and invested. As suggested in the story, you get every attached to your car and become obsessed with gathering materials to upgrade it further. Even now, after I've completed the story, I have to fight the urge to explore more areas and fully upgrade my car because I want to take a break and play other games. For its first game, Ironwood Studios knocked it out of the park. I can't emphasize enough how unique and special this game is. This is easily another contender for game of the year for me.