We all have a past that often follows us through life, haunts our dreams, and no matter what we do, we can't escape it. And it's precisely this idea that the highly original game Heading Out is built on.
Describing it in one word or categorizing it simply isn't possible. On one hand, you have a story told in an absolutely stunning comic book style with excellent voice acting. On the other hand, there's no shortage of racing.
But there's also a third side with light management of your supplies, a fourth side with planning your journey across the United States, a fifth side full of choices and consequences, a sixth side involving roguelike elements, and a seventh side making the game essentially a music-enjoying experience.
I have to say, it's been a long time since I've encountered a game that mixes so many genres that I wouldn't have dreamed of combining. This risky venture by Serious Sim studio has mysteriously succeeded, resulting in a very engaging, highly atmospheric, and all-around entertaining game.
The Legend Called the Jackal
You are someone fleeing from your fears, quite literally. They chase you from the East Coast of the USA and are always on your heels. Your goal is somewhere in the western half of the continent, so you choose various highways crossing many states and occasionally stop in larger cities.
In this part, you aren't the driver. You look at a map of North America, follow your indicator along a winding line on the map with a few bubbles. You can increase speed, but this will raise fuel consumption and won't endear you to the state police.
These bubbles are various events. Sometimes it's a story snippet with a choice. For example, you witness police brutality against young people of color, and it's up to you whether to avoid getting involved and drive on, challenge the officer, or try to persuade him if you have enough reputation.
Your choices are appropriately rewarded, potentially increasing or decreasing your reputation, fame, and the extent to which law enforcement is after you. Sometimes you'll earn or spend a few dollars, repair a damaged vehicle, or simply regain your strength.
In addition to stories, you can encounter radio broadcasts and listen to various anecdotes with excellent voice acting that often don't shy away from social and political commentary (some of which might be quite explicit, potentially shocking more sensitive players).
Listening to Victory
And in the remaining cases, you'll be racing. As you progress through America, your fame will grow, and people will learn from radio broadcasts about the mysterious Jackal fleeing the law at top speed to an unknown destination.
Some road users will want to race you, giving you a chance to win a few dollars for gas, vehicle repairs, and various boosts. The races are unusual and somewhat similar to those in Gran Turismo 7.
There's no finish line here. Instead, you need to be in first place when the song ends. And the soundtrack is truly excellent. Just like the races themselves. You drive on a single road in regular traffic, through endless plains and city streets, sometimes with the option to take a shortcut, which isn't considered cheating.
It takes a while to get used to the car controls (ideally with a gamepad), but soon you'll be handling your car like a well-trained steed. The game features four cars, each slightly different in handling, so I chose based on appearance.
It's not primarily a racing game. It's a narrative game with visual novel elements, where you occasionally solve things behind the wheel. Sometimes it's not an adrenaline-filled race, but a leisurely drive with calming music; other times, you're escaping the police or weaving through heavy traffic to avoid a traffic jam.
In any case, the great driving, story, and music are dominated by the visual presentation. The game is black and white, full of comic effects, with striking red, occasionally yellow, and rarely blue elements, making it one of the most impressive visual stylizations I've ever seen.
I truly believe this is an example where it makes sense to talk about pure art. Not a minute passed without me admiring the game, and I'm not just talking about the 3D world you drive in. The comic book "pages" telling the story and their phenomenal illustrations are also captivating. For this, the graphics department deserves recognition.
On the Edge of Need for Speed
Heading Out is a well-executed road trip that often reminded me of the Need for Speed movie, sharing the basic premise – a chosen driver, unbeaten, racing across the continent, with the entire journey narrated by a radio host.
The movie wasn't great (but the cars and chases were fantastic!), but in the game, it works wonderfully, adding atmosphere and often making me feel like a celebrity everyone roots for, but who disappoints. If you reach your goal and face the greatest racer of all time, whose defeat is your ultimate goal...
You die. Remember how I mentioned it's a roguelike? I meant it. There's a constant cycle of trying to win against death, but the game has several acts to complete before the plot can finally unravel.
This includes successfully completing an act, where you seemingly lose but the game progresses. If you fail to reach your goal due to running out of gas, falling asleep, or just not rushing enough, your fear catches up with you, ending your effort prematurely.
In such cases, you have to repeat the entire act. And since it can take from about 30 to 60 minutes or more, it's not a small loss (the game can be completed in a few hours, depending on how much you die). The game, however, is quite forgiving in its default settings.
If you have experience with racing games, you likely won't lose often, and if you don't turn off the display of your choices' consequences, you won't be deciding based on feeling but clear values (for a greater roleplay experience, definitely turn this off).
I'm convinced of one thing – Heading Out definitely won't be a game for everyone, and I'm not entirely sure what type of player the developers targeted. It's not purely a racing game, but you can't do without racing, and you can't just restart races; instead, you have to repeat the entire act. You plan routes on a map and manage resources, all while listening to music, podcasts, and small and big stories.
It's a truly peculiar mix that personally struck a chord with me. The game floored me with its stylization, music inclination, natural radio storytelling, and especially its road trip component. If you enjoy exploring new territories and aren't afraid of bold experiments, you should give Heading Out a chance.