REVIEW / Caravan SandWitch (Transfer)

Caravan SandWitch is that comfortable highway travel you didn’t know your gaming center wanted. It’s like for those who had been installed a Mad Max film, but it surely ditched the chaos and went on a sluggish, soulful journey via a post-apocalyptic global. You play as Sauge—who, sure, is as easily cool as their identify sounds—rolling during the dusty stays of your own home planet in a rather busted, extraordinarily adorable van, in search of his long-lost sister. There aren’t any weapons and no game-over displays. It’s all simply vibes, discovery, and a complete lotta center.

The instant I booted it up, I used to be hit with the sport’s artwork taste like a heat sunbeam via a cracked window. The arena of Caravan SandWitch is straight-up beautiful. Assume comfortable brushstrokes, sparkling sunsets, and rustic ruins wrapped in flowers that appear to have a tale of their very own. Whether or not I used to be zipping throughout sand-swept hills or poking across the skeletons of previous business websites, each forestall alongside the best way felt like a portray I sought after to are living in. And the nature designs? Adorably bizarre in one of the best ways. Everybody I met seemed like they belonged in an indie comedian, whole with their very own quirks that cause them to adorable.

The narrative unfolds gently, like a letter from any person you haven’t heard from in years. It’s intimate, earnest, and filled with moments that tugged at my comfortable gamer center. I wasn’t simply chasing after Sauge’s sister; I used to be speaking to ordinary, gorgeous individuals who’d carved out lives on this crumbled global. There’s no dramatic exposition sell off, no over-the-top cutscenes—simply authentic connections and slow-burn storytelling. Additionally, aspect notice: the search log is styled like a social feed, which is weirdly captivating and made keeping an eye on duties really feel like I used to be scrolling via an excessively healthy model of Instagram.

Now, in regards to the van—my rusty, trusty trip friend. Riding round Caravan SandWitch is a deal with…as a rule. It’s were given that quirky indie-game physics really feel, which is adorable till you’re seeking to do a good flip and unintentionally barrel-roll off a cliff (sure, that took place, and no, I don’t wish to speak about it). As you move, you get some funky little upgrades, like a scanner and a grappling hook that opens up new exploration routes. Alternatively, the loss of rapid trip did take a look at my endurance. On occasion I simply sought after to skip the scenic path and get again to the plot, however the recreation used to be like, “No no, darling, benefit from the adventure.” 

What I in reality preferred used to be the sport’s daring selection to head complete pacifist. There’s no battle right here, and in truth, it used to be a breath of unpolluted, post-industrial air. With out the drive of enemies or demise, I may simply…exist, discover, and soak within the temper. It used to be healing in some way that few video games dare to be. It let the emotional beats breathe, and gave me time to connect to the arena at my very own tempo. Now not each recreation wishes to lift your blood drive, and Caravan SandWitch is aware of that.

That mentioned, I’d be mendacity if I mentioned it used to be all easy crusing. I bumped into a couple of technical oopsies: body fee drops and awkward animations. There additionally appear to be one too many aspect quests that felt like glorified errands (e.g., pass communicate to X, then again to Y, rinse, repeat). None of it broke the sport, but it surely did make me sigh and breathe in just a little deeper. A little bit polish and diversity within the quest design would’ve long gone a protracted option to stay the momentum flowing.

However in spite of the ones tough patches, I discovered myself lingering in Caravan SandWitch longer than I anticipated. There are nooks and crannies begging to be explored, tiny environmental main points that whisper tales for those who’re paying consideration, and a hauntingly hopeful surroundings that sticks with you. Even after the credit rolled, I discovered myself hopping again into my van simply to revisit puts I’d overlooked and take a look at in at the characters I’d grown weirdly connected to.

Base line? Caravan SandWitch is a soulful highway travel via a global that feels forgotten and lovely on the identical time. It’s now not seeking to be a blockbuster—it’s right here to inform you a tale, grasp your hand, and possibly make you’re feeling just a little one thing in that dusty gamer center of yours. Is the sport imperfect? Positive. Is it well worth the trip? Completely.

This evaluate is in accordance with a retail reproduction of the sport equipped by means of the writer.