There are games that are conceived with a very specific idea in mind. An action game, a puzzle game, a platformer or, again, a sports and racing game. Often, however, it is decided to go further, often giving birth to really interesting hybrids (or it would be better to talk about experiments). With Overpass, developed by the team Zordix racing, in fact, an attempt was made to create a racing game that would break the barriers of the simple simulation or arcade product, proposing in fact the first, true soulslike in the racing field that has ever been seen in circulation. On paper, an absolutely winning (and certainly very original) idea: it's just a pity that the final result is anything but amazing.
The simulation becomes frustration
Taking its cue from the old Motorstorm, Overpass proposes itself with a racing that loves to immerse the player in the mud, even if it were Mudrunners. The virtual pilot is in fact called to tackle circuits immersed in sewage, full of rocky paths, climbs or descents at breakneck speed (which cannot fail to remember the equally well-known Trials). We are therefore very far from the solid asphalt, so much so that the bumpy roads will be the masters, all to be overcome obviously in the shortest possible time and avoiding overturning above. Reaching the best possible lap time and consequently a respectable position in the various races are the leitmotiv of the Zordix title, putting aside the competition in the strict sense.
Yes, because it is on board of Quads or equally agile ATVs, the various races that we will be called to face will all take place strictly alone, therefore far from the enthusiasm of the other pilots, whether they are controlled by the CPU or by another player connected to the network. The focus of Overpass is therefore to give the best of ourselves, look for the best corner or the ideal acceleration, doing everything to not get bogged down or, worse, stuck behind an obstacle that will seem insurmountable. A particularly difficult track passage can in fact be transformed into a penalty on the final time, which will force us to repeat a single race over and over again (hence the initial comparison with soulslike). Said that way it wouldn't even be too bad, were it not for that Overpass suffers from various technical problems which make it a lot less fun than it might seem.
Driving has never been so unpleasant
To this is also added one really bad response to commands, which also peeps out a vehicle physics that will be the primary cause of accidents most of the time against our will (so you can only imagine the frustration that follows). The feeling of really being in control of our vehicles will therefore be completely nullified, in favor of a constant trial and error in order to overcome yet another obstacle or apparently impassable climb. Added to this is a camera that will never help in times of need as well as a chronic lack of variety in the various means available, with the exception of a handful of licensed vehicles, including Yamaha, Suzuki, Polaris and Arctic Cat. In addition to simple single rides, Overpass also offers a mode career which will also allow us to modify or repair our vehicles, thanks also to different options tuning available in our garage (all in all well implemented). It's just a pity that everything else is just the result of a series of discrete ideas but put on the track absolutely in bulk.
