Caravan SandWitch review

After thirteen mainline titles, the Assassin’s Creed series has likely satiated the heartiest appetite for open-world exploration. But when climbing soaring spires and scouring the environment for collectables is tackled by as indie developer, the concept can feel revitalized. And largely, that’s the case with Caravan SandWich, the inaugural effort from Plane Toast – a plucky, fifteen-person studio situated in southeastern France.

A tidy prologue introduces players to Sauge, who’s seen boarding a space-train to Cigalo.  She’s returning after receiving a distress signal from her older sister, who disappeared six years ago. But when the crimson-haired protagonist is reacquainted with family and other friends, they all insist the transmission couldn’t have been sent. A corrupt corporation that rules Cigalo has seized control of the airwaves. It’s not a spoiler to state that Sauge is here to revert power back to the people while discovering what happened to her sibling.

Reinetos Deserve Their Own Game

Arguably, the water-logged landmass of Cigalo is Caravan SandWitch’s star. With a topography of craggy sandstone, man-made scafolding, and a whirling harbinger of destruction in the backdrop, the setting is distinctive. Ecological negligence might have devastated the landscape, but Cigalo isn’t another dystopian retread. No, almost everything here is drenched in radiant sunlight, there arepatches of flora, and the surrounding waters are impossibly azure-hued. It’s also filled with enough panoramas and concealed alcoves to make SandWitch’s seven-hour adventure memorable.

Well, at least the last six and half hours are noteworthy. Caravan SandWitch’s introduction is filled with too many NPCs who chatter away tangentially. Yes, it functions as world-building, but the pacing is too sluggish, there are too many personalities, and the script is clumsily worded. As such, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and uninterested when you really just want to begin exploring. Later, you’ll have to carefully pay attention to what people say in SandWitch. Once the questing commences, many impart their instructions only once. Similarly, Plane Toast should notify players that any uncompleted expeditions will be forfeited as they advance into the next chapter.

Item Collection x Verticality

Play revolves around hunting down four different types of collectibles by car and on foot. The former method of traversal puts you in the driver’s seat of Cigalo’s last remaining vehicle. Driving around and gathering equipment is an integral part of SandWitch’s gameplay loop. Here, you’ll augment your vehicle with new tools like an environmental scanner and a grappling hook. In turn, those devices let you access previously prohibited areas, plunging you deeper into Cigalo.

Except for performing the intermittent leap, scrambling through Cigalo is refreshingly uncomplicated. Sauge nimbly runs, scampers up edges, and scale ladders as she strives to deactivate signal jammers. Knocking these dishes out produces its own reward, as in-game messages become unscrambled, and your map acquires new details. If you’re a fan of tranquil, circular experiences, SandWitch is poised to please.

Mercifully, both Sauge are her vehicle are indestructible. Falling from high places, crashing your vehicle into a wall, or even plunging the van into the ocean doesn’t carry any penalty. Initially, I worried if a game without combat, fail states, or timed goals would lack a sense of urgency. But soon, the grip of combing the landscape for collectables took hold and I was only challenged by the tedium of an irregular resource collection assignment. Given that your van can fast-travel back to base at any time, SandWitch rarely feels like it’s squandering your time. Save for the slow introduction, this is one of the most promising indie efforts of the year.

Conclusion

If you’re rather relax than get riled up once more over a mistimed parry, give Caravan SandWitch a go. Sure, there’s the intermittent instance where advancement is unclear, and the script could use another edit. But there’s laidback enjoyment and the delight of discovery as you traverse Cigalo’s dense landmass, tracking down collectables and information about your sister.

Caravan SandWitch was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.