Overlanders

Genre: Futuristic Racing

Players: 1-5 Competitive (Online)

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in 3 in 1 – Multiplayer Bundle, along with Multi Quiz and Retro Game Pack)

Overlander is a Futuristic Racing game that reminds me quite a bit of the Star Wars Podracer series – it has a similar sort of floaty feel combined with high speeds and a sci-fi setting. However, that’s not to say that this game doesn’t have some unique features of its own.

The presentation here is really a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have consistently good framerates and imaginative courses. On the other hand, this game has some really ugly, blurry textures, and in many cases these textures are loaded in as you start the race, which is really jarring. This has the effect of making this game both look very good and very ugly at the same time.

Also, as far as the sound goes, again, mixed bag – this game has some good sound effects, but those are paired with a really forgettable actiony soundtrack.

The gameplay, also, is a bit of a mixed bag. It takes a moment to get used to the two-stick controls in this game, but once you do, driving your vehicle in this game feels amazing, really responsive even with the high speeds the game throws at you. However, there’s some wonky hit detection going on in these courses. Some massive rocks you can just drive over, and some you bash into. In a few cases, I found myself bumping into nothing I could see onscreen. It’s not enough to ruin the experience, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.

Also frustrating is this game’s multiplayer, or lack thereof. See, Overlanders does not support local multiplayer, and while it does support online multiplayer for up to five players… well, when I tested the game, there were no other players, so unless you have some friends willing to go in on the game with you, you’ll be playing against bots.

That’s not to say there’s not a lot of good here – the core racing is still fun, and there’s also a bit of creativity in a game mode Overlanders introduces called Monster Hunt mode. In this mode, the race keeps going, with the lead racer able to take potshots at a giant monster circling ahead of the racers on the track. The race ends when the monster has taken enough damage to be downed. Really cool idea, and pretty well implemented too… I just wish it found itself in a more polished game.

I feel like I’ve said “mixed bag” a lot here, and it’s frustrating that this is the case, because I really like a lot of what Overlanders brings to the table. The core racing feels great, the framerates are good, and the Monster Hunt mode is inspired. However, the game suffers from an overall lack of polish that really hurts it, and the combination of no local multiplayer and dead online also really hurts it. If you’re looking for a good game somewhat like the Podracer series on the Switch, you could do far worse than Overlanders. However, this game feels like a big missed opportunity.

tl;dr – Overlanders is a futuristic racing game that plays a bit like the Star Wars: Podracer series. The core gameplay here is good, with an inspired “Monster Hunt” mode that does something refreshingly new for the genre. Unfortunately, the game has a serious lack of polish, and the lacking multiplayer options really hurt this game’s longevity.

Grade: B-

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