At the risk of sounding like some bizarre, video game equivalent of a Reform candidate, cozy gaming is starting to take over, isn’t it? It started with life sims, then farming games and now it seems like cosy vibes are creeping into every genre under the sun. Not that I’m complaining, I love chilling out with my Switch or Legion Go and unwinding with something low stakes. Over the Hill is a new driving game that definitely looks the part in terms of its cosy vibes, but beneath that is a game that’s much tougher than the visuals might suggest.
To put it simply, Over the Hill is basically a lovely looking Mudrunner game. You’re given a gorgeous open world to explore and a jeep to traverse it with, and while that might sound simple enough, it’s not an easy world to navigate. These are largely untamed wilds, and while paths might have been cut across the terrain, they make for anything but smooth driving. Rocks, roots and rivers are just some of the obstacles you’ll need to overcome, and thankfully your jeep is up for the challenge. Shifting between high and low gear can be done at the touch of a button, with low gear helping you move through mud or over difficult terrain, which at times brought me flashbacks of doing the same in Roadcraft last year.
The world is packed with things to find, from cabins that act as respawn points, to broken down jeeps you need to winch out of rivers. One of the first things I found was the Bumpy Lakeshore Challenge Trail, a checkpointed drive along the shore of the lake, taking me along uneven grassland, up across rocks and across a waterfall. I was fully expecting this to be a walk in the park as the visuals had lulled me into falsely believing this would be a largely simple affair, but the trail surprised me and I failed the first few times as I got over-confident while cutting across the rocks by the waterfall. Never did I feel like I was 100% in control of my jeep, and a single wrong turn could easily have left me wheels-up in the drink.
This happened more than a few times as I explored the world, and while it’s frustrating having to respawn back at the nearest cabin, thankfully the world is pretty enough to take the sting out of it. Based on the Canadian wildlands of British Colombia, the word to describe the world in Over the Hill is “rugged”. It really does feel untamed, with rivers barely having finished bridges over them at times, and large swathes of overgrown land surrounding every cabin. It’s visually very clear what the terrain will be like to traverse too, which is handy for planning routes. The map system is very generous and helps with this, providing ample markers for every activity and point of interest, as well as highlighting the paths available.
That said, I did have a few gripes with the demo. Performance is ropey, which detracted from the experience quite considerably. Now, I caveat this by pointing out I’m on a Legion Go 2, but it’s handled far more expansive games than this with fewer issues, and even with the settings down low it was never exactly “smooth”. I also took issue with the camera: it feels like it wants to position itself at a 45 degree angle, which from an aesthetic point of view is lovely, but when you’re trying to navigate a particularly treacherous trail and having to wrestle with both the terrain and the camera to keep it in view, it’s a bit annoying.
It’s also worth pointing out that the entire game can be played in co-op too. While I didn’t get a chance to try this, I can see it making traversal even better as getting stuck or tipping over doesn’t necessarily mean a respawn if a friend can tow you out.
That said, there’s still a good game here once you get over the dissonance between the lo-fi visuals and the rather hardcore handling of your vehicle. I’ve no doubt people will love exploring the wilderness and seeking out its challenges, and will find it a relaxing and potentially even meditative experience.
Over the Hill is coming to PC via Steam in 2026.