It wasn’t perfect, and it certainly didn’t hold your hand, but the superb Art of Rally remains one of the most beautiful and balanced racing games of the last five years. Today, developer Funselektor finally revealed a spiritual successor — one that takes the driving experience onto even trickier terrain.
Over the Hill celebrates the “golden age of offroading” that promises a gorgeous world of challenging trails that you can conquer on your own or with friends, using vehicles inspired by iconic autos from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, like the Land Rover 110, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Ford Bronco.
As the second game created by Funselektor and Strelka Games, who collaborated last year on the impressive, F1-inspired management racer Golden Lap, Over the Hill draws on the personal experiences of Funselektor founder Dune Casu. He left behind Vancouver’s high rental costs and transformed a cargo van into a fully functional camper, containing a kitchen, bed, solar panels, and — crucially — a workspace.
“After having developed several games about motorsport, we wanted to go off-track by offering players a vast world to lose themselves at a slower pace,” Casu said. “There’s something special about being in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere, from the peace, the sounds of nature, and less distraction from the civilized world. I hope this game can really drive that feeling home.”
The experience aims to offer a free-roaming off-road exploration game with beautiful visuals, modeled after the minimalistic art style of Art of Rally. Across a range of familiar biomes and terrains, the world is subject to day and night cycles, and changing weather that hope to deliver an ever-changing and consistently original experience.
Over the Hill also aims to reward dedication with numerous progression routes. Portals link environments together and unlock new areas. Each region has its own objectives, challenges, and hidden gems. You can also customize your ride with equipment that makes certain journeys easier to navigate.
From its trailer, the real charm of Over the Hill seems to be its multiplayer appeal — a lo-fi take on Expeditions: A MudRunner Game that focuses less on overcoming hurdles and more on shared relaxation.
There’s no firm release date for Over the Hill just yet, but you can wishlist it now on Steam. There aren’t any plans for a console release just yet, but Art of Rally found itself on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch around a year after its PC debut — and this follow-up seems like the perfect day-one multiplayer debut for the likes of Game Pass.