‘Art of Rally’ Creator Is Making the Most Chill Overlanding Game Ever

The developer behind 2020 indie darling Art of Rally is working on another off-road driving game—one that blends that title’s calming, minimalist visual design with exploration. It’s called Over the Hill, and if you enjoyed Art of Rally for its chill vibe and less for the racing part, you’re probably going to love this.

The game’s announcement trailer hits all those familiar beats of developer Funselektor Labs’ previous work: tall grass and taller trees; sunsets with vibrant, gorgeous gradients; wide-open expanses; long shadows; and treacherous heights. It’s about the journey here, not the destination, and although specifics on gameplay are light at this moment, it sounds like missions will take you all over a map comprising varied biomes and changing climates, with plenty of sights to see and collectibles to hunt down. Dune Casu, the main dev behind the game, says that it was inspired by his experience “journeying across North America in [his] trusty camper van.”

Even better, players are encouraged to embark on these expeditions with their friends, in a variety of trucks and SUVs paying tribute to iconic models of the 1960s through the ’80s. Art of Rally certainly united a strong cast of unlicensed rally legends, so we’re excited to see what Over the Hill has in its garage. Modifying your vehicles is also said to be critical in negotiating the game’s unique environments and the respective challenges they bring.

If this whole thing sounds like aesthetic Snowrunner or Mudrunner to you, you’re not alone and, I’d guess, probably not far off. The thing is, that style of gameplay would seem to be a perfect fit for the peacefulness Funselektor cultivated with Art of Rally. That game never quite clicked with me, personally; it had nothing to do with its quality or ideas, but more that I struggle with top-down racers where I can’t fully see the road ahead of me, and Art of Rally demands absolute precision. I totally get why people loved it—I wished that I did back when it came out—and I’m pretty sure that perspective could work for me at a much slower pace.

That said, we don’t yet know how the game will play. One modder actually found a way to enable a behind-the-car chase cam for Art of Rally, and who knows, maybe Funselektor will provide something like that in Over the Hill. The similarly low-poly, minimal-detail look of the terrain causes me to think otherwise, like this game is also intended to be viewed from a distance, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Over the Hill doesn’t yet have a specific release date, but according to Funselektor and publisher Strelka Games, it’s “coming to Steam soon.”

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