Pacific Drive Review

In Pacific Drive, the debut adventure-survival game from Ironwood Studios, you work with what you have. And what you have is a station wagon. But when that vehicle is all that stands between you and the radiation fields, chaotic storms, and unexplainable floating metal monstrosities, you’ll be glad to have it.

Pacific Drive takes place years after a mysterious incident where experimental technology turned Washington’s Olympic Peninsula into the Olympic Exclusion Zone, a chaotic death trap at risk of expanding to the rest of the country. Arda, the corporation responsible for the technology, walled off the region, hoping to contain the problem. For most people, the Exclusion Zone is not something to worry about, but when the protagonist of Pacific Drive is accidentally transported inside the wall, exploring will be the only way out.

The aforementioned station wagon becomes the only salvation as well as the primary tool for venturing into the ever-changing landscape. To escape the zone, players will methodically map out the region, collect resources, and avoid anomalies. Every minor decision makes a difference when running out of gas or popping a tire could mean the end of the road. But at least you can always try again. Pacific Drive brilliantly combines survival horror with action, adventure, and a simplified driving/mechanic simulator to become one of the most unique games of the year.

Step Into the Garage

The first thing you’ll find in the Exclusion Zone is the station wagon. Once inside, shocked but friendly voices contact you over the radio and guide you to the primary safe haven of Pacific Drive, the garage. This is where players will repair and upgrade the station wagon after each mission (and trust me it will need repairs). You can take your time to fill up the gas tank, charge the battery, and load up on supplies without worry of imminent destruction. While the garage is the safe space to make repairs, it also provides a much-needed window of time to decompress after tense runs out into the chaos of the zone.

The first thing to do when you return each time to the garage is to check the status monitor, which will give you a checklist to prepare your vehicle for the next mission. This will always include repairing damage to the exterior, ensuring the headlights and tires are in good shape, and filling the trunk with med kits, road flares, and whatever tools you can create. Methodically accomplishing this routine preparation is well-simulated and satisfying. It’s not so tedious that it gets boring, but it also isn’t completely disconnected from reality either.

The garage is the calm before the storm. Inevitably, you will have to venture out onto the road again if there is any hope of returning home. Pacific Drive expertly conditions the player to carefully consider every decision before hitting the road. On my first few runs, I never thought to fill up the extra gas canister in the trunk before leaving, and of course, I ran out of gas on most of those runs. Like a good rogue-like, Pacific Drive will take some trial and error before getting a firm grasp on the best strategies, but it is surprisingly intuitive, and most of the time it rewards the player’s creativity.

*The Scrapper: one of the primary tools to take apart non-station wagon vehicles.*

*A glimpse at the dashboard.*

Ignore the floating objects in the distance.

Into the Storm

I had a very distinct gameplay trajectory in Pacific Drive. The first three hours or so didn’t give me much trouble. At one point I got lost, my headlights went out, and it was dark so I walked off a ridge and had to stumble my way back to the car. But that was the worst of it. So I got confident. On the next mission, I saw that the quickest route to my destination passed through some areas of high instability. “Please,” I thought to myself, “I can handle it.” Twenty minutes later I was screeching back into the garage with one door, and no headlights. When I stepped out of the car to assess the damage, I realized I was completely missing a tire. Not just flat, the wheel was ripped clean from the axle.

Overall this was an important learning experience. It taught me a lot about how the game works and how to handle a bad situation. I learned to always bring a spare tire and to protect the headlights at all costs. My next run was much more careful. I chose a safer route and scavenged as many materials as possible. At one point I found a boarded-up gas station and broke my way inside with a crowbar. Expecting piles of loot, I was at first disappointed to only find a workbench. But as I stepped up to see what I was working with, I realized I had enough metal scraps to replace nearly my entire exterior with steel paneling.

I felt so accomplished when my all-steel station wagon pulled back into the garage that I actually took some screenshots because the car was looking so sleek. It is important to mention that I am not a car person. I am far from one of those people who knows the make and model and can appreciate the beauty of a car. So companionship with a virtual station wagon was not a feeling that I was expecting. Pacific Drive manages to perfectly capture a sense of isolation, and after carefully maintaining and learning to rely on your vehicle, it only makes sense that this station wagon would feel more like a noble steed with character and personality than, say, an old hunk of junk.

*Offroading is always an option.*

Not always a good option.

Escape the Zone

Pacific Drive does have a narrative to follow. Immediately upon entering the zone, two voices chime in on the radio. Unable to respond, the player follows their instructions and arrives at the garage, where a third voice (the garage’s owner) joins the fray. The voice acting is great, and each of the three characters have distinct quirks and personalities right off the bat. Escaping the zone is the primary motivation at first, but that eventually evolves into something more. Francis, Tobias, and Oppy may not be in the car with you, but they are all along for the ride as important guides and mentors.

Aside from the narrative that comes baked into the game, something that struck me was the player’s ability to create their own stories. Ironwood Studios has uploaded some great videos about working on Pacific Drive and in one of those videos, a few developers share short stories about their experiences. One person talked about how they spent so much time driving all the way up a hill only to have their car be swarmed by anomalies that sent it straight back down. Another person was pulled out of a tough situation by a normally dangerous anomaly.

Pacific Drive manages to capture a rare magic that only certain video games have. The chaos and randomness of the game world is only matched by the unpredictability of the people playing the game. The choices that players make in the garage and on the road are the first steps towards the suspenseful, heroic, and hilarious tales they will tell their friends about. No two runs will ever be the same, and Pacific Drive allows players to create some truly memorable experiences.

*Be careful when searching for loot. I once opened a trunk and only found a monster inside.*

*It never hurts to stop and admire the scenery.*

In Conclusion

There is so much more to talk about with Pacific Drive. From the sheer amount of customizing that can be done to the station wagon, both practical and not so practical. To how funny and terrifying it is to have the genuine experience of fumbling with the keys as an anomaly approaches in the rearview mirror. Also how the developers included a quirk system that makes every car a little unique. I think my quirk is that the hood flies open anytime I put the car in reverse, but I’m still sorting that out. Plus the many other ridiculous stories I could tell of my experiences, like the time I threw a small anomaly off a bridge because I panicked and didn’t know what else to do.

Overall I have difficulty coming up with anything to dislike about Pacific Drive. The gameplay can be tedious and requires some trial and error to grasp how it all works, but that’s just part of the challenge. The development team also included some accessibility options, particularly for people who might get motion sick from the bumpy motions of driving (or crashing) the car. Not every video game will fit every person’s taste, but I will be hard-pressed not to recommend this to anyone I think would have an interest in rogue-likes, horror-survival games, and just great video games in general. Pacific Drive is an impressive title from Ironwood Studios, especially as a debut.

Thankfully, you don’t have to take my word for it entirely. If this sounds the least bit interesting to you, there is a free demo available on Steam that will give you a glimpse of what to expect. Thanks to Ironwood Studios for the chance to get an early look at this great game. Pacific Drive launches for Steam and PlayStation 5 on February 22nd, 2024. Safe travels!

Step Into the Garage

Into the Storm

Escape the Zone

In Conclusion

Verdict

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