Over the Hill Review

Over the Hill is an exploration game at its heart, utilising four-by-fours to travel the world. Discover wildlife, trails, and collectibles all from the comfort of your device. Explore vast wildernesses, snowy mountain caps, undulating deserts, hidden oases, and more. Each biome has a map to uncover, plus multiple points of interest and camping spots, all inspired by real-world locations.

Over the Hill is designed for solo adventures or with up to three friends. I have spent my time in-game cruising around solo and have found this game a great travel companion. Working on all three of my computing setups: my main PC, my custom Steam Machine and the Steam Deck. The Deck is my preferred platform for most of my playthrough, due to travelling and the calming effect the game has.

The game encourages exploration and travel, as well as stopping from time to time to just observe the scenery. The world is simplistic, and in that it is also beautiful; there are multiple different biomes, each with unique wildlife. Capturing photos of ducks or fish in a pond, discovering deer hidden in tall grass in the tree line, or capturing a grizzly on the waterfront- all of these brought joy to me.

The vehicles to explore the world vary as much as the scenery and are inspired by models ranging from the sixties through to the eighties. My favourite was called the Trail Rat. It was one of the first vehicles I unlocked, and I was soon in love; its wide and long wheelbase made it stable, and with a few upgrades I found it was great to get to most places. It did get a little sway with the suspension upgrades, and that occasionally resulted in me being more roof-oriented than practical.

The upgrades for the vehicles are straightforward, with the choices being the amount of equipment, motor strength, traction, and suspension, as well as some to prevent the engine from flooding in the water. These are also coupled with items that can be attached to the vehicle for aesthetic purposes. These items are unlocked through discoveries in the world, from cabins and camping sites through to crates and trails scattered across the biomes. These aesthetic items allowed me to make the vehicle mine and can be as simple as a bulbar or as complex as lighting and gear.

There is also gear that can be utilised; initially, only one slot is unlocked, but over time and by acquiring the in-game currency, four slots can be unlocked. The items that can be used are winch posts, timbers, campfires, meteor locator, and a few other practical items that assist in various ways. I often used the winch posts to reach hard-to-get-to areas, and the jack tool to flip my vehicle back to its wheels.

Weather conditions fluctuate throughout the game, which can sometimes make areas a challenge. Camping at a fire or cabin allows time to progress to skip bouts of rain or snow. Both can make some of the hills extra slippery, making it a more difficult challenge to reach the peaks of hills or mountains. Day/night cycles also play a part in the game, as they give a great sense of change. Night driving can sometimes cause issues due to not being able to see what lies ahead. Especially on the rougher terrain that forces the headlights into the sky. I got trapped a few times due to missing a hole and ended up wrong side up.

However, the day/night cycle does lend itself to the photography aspect of the game. With some stunning sunrises and sunsets. Nothing better than setting up camp at the lake with a glorious sunset painting the sky in the background as the sun falls and the moon rises, and the stars begin to glitter.

Overall, Over the Hill is a relaxing game about finding your own path through this digital world. It has many biomes to explore with or without friends; it is, however, much more fun with friends. I found the game a great and relaxing way to pass the time, and pass the time it did. When I was locked in and playing, I found myself losing hours of time. This is my perfect cozy kind of game.

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