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Despite its look, Heading Out isn’t just a driving game. Running the open road is obviously a big part of it, but the story matters too. Each leg of your journey will take you through encounters with locals and cops, impromptu races, and radio station interludes, before ending in a town or city where you’ll gas up, stock up, get some sleep, and have some brief adventures before heading back out to the highway.
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(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)(Image credit: Serious Sim)
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After spending some time with it, I don’t think that’s a worry: There are three levels of difficult and I found the default setting quite manageable, and those who really don’t want to be bothered can opt for a “story” mode that should get them through to the next town with minimal fuss or muss.
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Which isn’t a guarantee of success: After a couple of bad calls (and a misclick on the interstate map that led me directly into trouble) my first run came to an untimely end, leaving me a virtual unknown, my story unfinished and untold.
Even so, I do wonder whether Heading Out’s take on a very specific sub-genre of film—the retro automotive action flick—will limit its broader appeal. Having played with it, I have a hard time thinking of Heading Out as a racing game: To me it feels more like an open-road adventure game, where the story, not the wheel time, is what really matters. That might be a little off-putting for people looking for a more straight-up racing game, but even though it’s an unusual formula, based on what I’ve seen so far it works: The road beckons, and win or lose I want to see what’s ahead.
Heading Out is set to launch onSteamon May 7.
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Thanks for the memories, Kowalski.
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