Among the many AAAs that Sony Interactive Entertainment showed during its State of Play on September 14, 2022, we discovered a certain Pacific Drive. This is a new license developed by a young studio, Ironwood Studios, which offers us a ride in a hostile nature where natural disasters are more and more frequent and more and more paranormal. A theme that could echo what is happening to us at the moment, except that the game is above all a science fiction. Where Pacific Drive is even more atypical is that it defines itself as a first-person survival game, essentially taking place behind the wheel of an old station wagon somewhat reminiscent of the Ghostbusters' Ecto-1. In the announcement trailer, we can see that our main character can get out and back from his car, since one of the gameplay mechanics is to collect resources in order to maintain and improve his car. Basically, as long as we keep it working, it will protect us from the surrounding dangers.
As for the story, we find ourselves in 1955, during which the United States government seized a region of the Pacific Northwest. The Olympic Peninsula has become a testing ground for new technologies, but these utopian creations have had an impact on nature: severe radiation, environmental collapse and supernatural horrors. The government walled off the area and established the Olympic Exclusion Zone, and what happened inside was never revealed to the general public. This is where the player comes in, and as he is curious, he will venture into this forbidden zone. On site, we will therefore find this station wagon barely running in the depths of the woods, as well as an abandoned car workshop which will become the base of all operations to repair and improve the racing car in complete safety. Built like a "road-lite", each trip from the garage to the Zone is riddled with danfers that will force us to survive as long as possible. The locations change with each passing storm, making each trip a different experience. Pacific Drive is expected in 2023 on PS5 and PC.
