Pacific Drive is a curious game, to say the least, and one that left me with a very good first impression, but also a disappointment. Announced at a PlayStation event, the fact that it's exclusive to the console (it's also coming out on PC) always attracts attention, especially when we don't know exactly what the game is about when it's announced.
But shortly after the announcement, we learned that it was a rogue-like game, like many games we see on the market today. In that sense, there was a drop in hype for me, but I was still interested because it had good ideas and a look that caught my eye.
My experience
The game will be released in a short time and I, through Save State, had the opportunity to test a Pacific Drive demo that contained some of the game's initial missions, about two to six hours depending on how you play. At first, my experience was both surprising and frustrating.
But I'll make it clear that the reason it was frustrating was purely down to me, because when I took control of the car, I just got excited and went racing with it lol. But this isn't a racing game, it's basically an exploration game. Our objective is clear: to improve our car.
From what I played, I understood that the car was a type of magical object called a Remnant, this being the first time that the object has appeared in the form of a car. Our character and the car have a very strong bond that goes beyond the simple emotional, and this bond will surely pass on to us as we evolve the car.
Survival Like
As I said, Pacific Drive is basically a survival game, where once you get out of the car, you can explore the scenery in search of parts, craft items, weapons and so on. It's a world full of dangers, such as robots, explosives, sources of electricity, radiation and so on. And our goal, as I said, is to evolve the car.
To do this, you explore the scenery in search of parts and, when you return to the "base", you can improve both the car and the base itself - and your character, of course. The game has several blueprints for items that will make your gameplay more complex and fun.
After my initial frustration, when I read the objectives and dialogues carefully and saw what really needed to be done, my experience became much more enjoyable and fun, to the point where I immediately wanted to return to that world. The story didn't grip me so much, but it is very present in the game and this is one of the things that disappointed me.
Full English
The fact that she's there all the time is great, don't get me wrong, but the downside is that, at least in this demo, the game has no Portuguese subtitles. For those who don't understand and who are interested in the game, it's quite frustrating because it will take more effort to understand everything that's going on. And, of course, a little more attention (I say this from personal experience).
But after playing the beginning, I preferred to stop because the game left me very interested, so I'd rather wait for the full game to get fully immersed in this universe. And this text could be longer, but it's a text of first impressions, so, in my opinion, I prefer to give as many details as possible in the upcoming review that we'll do when we have access to the full game.
So, in terms of first impressions, I can't think of a better one. The game surprised me by breaking away from the standard rogue-like gameplay that we see so much nowadays, delivering a complex and fun experience at the same time. Driving and exploring in this game is very enjoyable, I'll definitely want to come back to it! How about you? Are you interested? Let me know in the comments...
See also:
PS Plus Extra games for January 2024 revealed
English 
Portuguese