Pacific Drive (PS5)

Atmosphärisch unheimlich dichtes Survival-Abenteuer in einer ausgesprochen plastischen Welt, das auf Dauer zu einförmig und vorhersehbar wird. Steuerung und Optionsvielfalt verdienen einen Preis!

Pacific Drive ist wie geschaffen für Fans von Survival-Spielen und Sci-Fi-Abenteuern. Mit seinen fesselnden Anomalien und subtilem Horror, dem enorm wichtigen und umfangreichen Instandhalten des Kombis und der etwas frustigen Unbarmherzigkeit. Pacific Drive bietet eine einzigartige Erfahrung mit charmantem Flair und ist ein tolles Erstlingswerk der Ironwood Studios.

There’s a lot here that feels great, but it’s the inconsistency that lets it down. All those great moments are padded by a framework that doesn’t do them enough justice. Too much emphasis on scrounging, an unfocused narrative, and a generally poor feeling of momentum and progression.

With its wonderful depth in both story and gameplay, Pacific Drive is an early hit in 2024. It sets out to create a world that fits comfortably in the New Weird genre but brings its own style and substance to it. The road from unreliable bucket of bolts to souped-up charger is a fascinating one whether you're unraveling the game's many mysteries or improving your wagon for its next road trip. Though the game can be especially hard to decipher, difficulty options help to counter some of its more overwhelming aspects. I'll stick to bikes in my day-to-day life through the actual northwest, but in Pacific Drive, I'm up for another joy ride through one hell of a winding road.

A punishing, exhasperating slog, or an off-beat love story between driver and car, human and the Zone? Pacific Drive is both and then some.