Art of Rally was a beautiful, stripped-down meditation on racing. Over the hill, the next game from Funselektor, looks like an equally minimalist and gorgeous take on off-roading van life.
Funselektor announced the upcoming project with a brief trailer that shows small herds of Land Rovers fording rivers, climbing tree-topped mountains, and navigating icy tundra. Lo-poly shapes and rich colors make the road trip look anything but tedious, ditching its predecessor’s finely tuned race tracks for open-ended exploration in the wilderness.
A press release announcing the game promises lots of different biomes, a day-and-night cycle, changing weather, and even mysterious portals linking disparate environments. Co-op will let players navigate the challenges and discover new areas together, and there’s even a gear system for outfitting vehicles before excursions. It’ll be the next joint venture between Funselektor and Strelka Games following 2024's racing sim manager, Golden Lap.
“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,” Funselektor founder Dune Casu said. “In a way, this game is similar to the experience I’ve had journeying across North America in my trusty camper van. 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 minimalism of past games like Art of Rally, while an aesthetic eye-catcher, has also carried through to the rest of the design. “Art of Rally’s minimalism serves a purpose,” former Kotaku writer Luke Plunkett wrote previously. “It’s not just a random aesthetic choice. It’s there to help create a zen-like experience. As is the electronic soundtrack that quickly retreats, kicks its feet up and puts on its slippers in the background. There’s no commentary, no pop-ups warning you about stuff, no other drivers out there, it’s just you, the car and a lot of gravel corners.”
I hope that vibe carries over into over the hill too, but with some extra companions along for the ride this time.
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