Developer: Ironwood Studios
Publisher: Keplar Interactive
Reviewed on: PC
Purchased.
Since its first appearance in the 1972 novel “Roadside Picnic” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, “The Zone” has become one of the more interesting settings for science fiction stories. Films like Stalker, and more recently Annihilation, brought the setting to the big screen, while the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series of video games allowed you to actually step foot in this twisted reality. The most recent visit to The Zone comes in the form of Pacific Drive, the debut title from indie developer Ironwood Studios. It has you jump into the driver’s seat of a station wagon for a trip along the Olympic Peninsula, a large patch of forests and National Parks west of Seattle, Washington. It all sounds like a nice weekend road trip, until you realize the entire peninsula has been transformed into the Olympic Exclusion Zone. High walls prevent anyone from entering the zone, but perhaps more importantly they also prevent anything from escaping.
The setting is fantastically intriguing. The Zone trope is usually used as an excuse to put characters into a surreal reality where anything is possible. In this case, it’s used to explain why the game world shifts and changes with every run. Like an in-universe excuse for procedurally generated levels. Pacific Drive is equal parts driving and survival/crafting, as you’ll need to scour the wrecks and ruins of the zone in order to upgrade your car. These upgrades will allow you to stay in the zone longer, as well as protect you from the treacherous anomalies that stand in your way. It has an extremely deep upgrade system with many different types of gadgets and items to unlock. For instance, the crude metal door and panels that came standard with you station wagon won’t protect you for long. But lining them with lead and attaching lighting rods might give you a fighting chance. The number of things to unlock and systems to learn may seem overwhelming at first, mostly do to some cluttered and unintuitive menus. However, it all quickly falls into place once you wrap you figure out how to read and navigate the menus.
That’s because the acts of driving, exploring, and scavenging in Pacific Drive are extremely satisfying. Rolling up to a building, manually putting your car into park (don’t forget to close your door), then breaking in and swiping all the materials never gets old. You quickly learn which types of buildings hold the materials you need and prioritize them because you only have a limited time before the zone becomes unstable and kicks you out. It’s always a heart-pounding race to the exit when reality starts to fall apart around you, and you putter across the threshold with two flat tires, a door hanging on by the hinges, and tank full of fumes. It’s like trying to get to an extraction point in an extraction shooter with everyone else trying to gun you down. Everything’s led up to this point and if you can just cross the finish line you can take your hard earned loot home with you. It’s a stark juxtaposition: The relative peace of methodically looting punctuated by panic when the siren blares and The Zone reminds you that you’re merely a guest.
The looting loop is kept interesting with an ever growing list of hazards, environments, and things to collect. The further you venture into The Zone the more weird everything gets, and the better equipped you’ll need to be. You can of course die on a run, but the penalty is small: You only lose what you had collected on that run. This can be heartbreaking on a long, lucrative run, but it’s quick and easy to get back out there as the game is always generous enough to give you the basic supplies you need. Pacific Drive is a game that rewards savvy preparation and strategic risk taking, which is what I love most about it. Whenever I failed it was because I made a foolish decision, either because I reached too far or was ill prepared for what I was driving into. And each time I walked away with a better understanding of my limitations and the tools I needed to succeed.
Pacific Drive is a one-two punch of a fantastic setting and gameplay loop. It’s bizarre world is full of oddities that make every trip a mystery. The looting, exploring, and upgrading loop inspire you to keep pushing yourself into new, dangerous areas to get those rare items. The mystery of The Zone, the secrets it holds, how to escape it serve as an intriguing backdrop to a game that is always running on all cylinders. Make sure your bags are packed, the tank is full, and your hazmat suite is clean, because this is a road trip for the ages.
