Fun fact: The physicality of climbing an actual hill sometimes depends on your current stamina and endurance, so it could take you awhile or with no effort at all.
If this feels like a weird segway into talking about a driving game that’s also about climbing hills and terrain of various shapes and sizes, then switch that to Engine power and suspension travel, and technically I have talked about the game, sort of.
Over The Hill has a simple premise, to drive around in 4x4s that are perhaps older than the player and go explore. That’s it really and it’s a beautiful sight to see, in my view.
Presentation
You could tell from the get-go that Over The Hill is crafted with the same care that both Absolute Drift and Art of Rally gotten, with how the game looks with its vibrant colors and its perhaps Funskeletor’s now iconic low-poly minimalistic look that now goes for our advantage as, the terrain is very readable for the travels that you and your 4×4 would be doing and most of it looks very screenshotable too, as you go from Forestry area to even Winter Wonderlands as the game progresses.
The weather also helps with the atmosphere, with rain making you feel like just going across a river rather challenging, but that the fun of this sort of art-style, it just lends well with this sort of game. Cold and Wet at one point, Sunny and Illuminating at another time.
As for performance, it just fantastic on PC, especially on my RTX 2060 powered PC and does run around 60fps at most times on Medium to Low settings, with each drive being smooth as you want it for an exploration game such as this.
The music selection is quite an interesting one, with some being more serene that matches the scenery, and quite up to par with the likes of Art of Rally and even Golden Lap as well, which does help getting into the zone as you and your buddies go and try to make it in one piece for the next checkpoint or a new vista.
And what about the story, you might ask? Nothing much to add in this, besides meeting the guy who we meet at the start of the journey, embarking you to this adventure, its just about you, the road ahead as you climb hills, collecting meteorites and saving other vehicles on the trail to add more to your collection. And that’s all to it.
Gameplay
The handling of these vehicles that you get to explore with are quite easy to drive, as it’s all down to how you manage the footpath roads, and how you load your automobile at the point where you could be stuck, or be home free towards the next checkpoint in the form of Cabins that are rests spots or even time skips.
It controls are simple to understand too, even for beginners of the racing genre. With the buttons being quite sensible placed, like the ability to winch your vehicle attached to the Triangle/Y Button, and the gearing being in Square/X is quite optimal, if I do say so myself.
Along your travels, you can be upgrading your whip, as the kids would say, into more powerful machines that you cross rivers or climb uphill in half the time, or even change your look in the other various different machines that are prominent from the 60s to 80s era, all of that can be purchase via it’s currency, pebbles, which is both hilarious and quite in-tune with its cozy-atmosphere. Perhaps we’re like otters and we do our buying power via these pebbles.
Besides exploring around the two maps (so far) in Valhalla, Canada and Algeria, you could be doing the challenges that are dotted around the map that could test your merit in your machine, as the trek to the final checkpoint could see smaller roads and even sharp road that leads to a deadly drop. It’s quite a nice change of pace to do, besides the cozy exploring. Plus, you also get to take photographs of the scenery or wildlife if you want to hone in your BBC Wilds career.
Content![]()
Usually, I would put in the time to complete a game around here, but I do feel like Over The Hill is a sort of game that’s you could put it down for awhile and then pick it up like nothing has changed, it’s that type of relaxing game that we need in rotation sometimes.
It’s essentially those friend-type games too where you could bring some friends along and just explore together, reaching the “Peak”, so to say. And with the promise of Mods on the way, I could see people putting more “familiar” cars or even locale that I feel can help its longevity, I cannot wait to see what the community can cook up after release.
Personal Enjoyment![]()
My enjoyment for Over The Hill is perhaps similar to another cozy game that I enjoyed playing recently, which was Big Walk and it has the same premise, more or less. Only this one is more in the realm of Mudrunners (which they have a partnership too!) but more chill, even with extreme weather showering your knock-off Hilux.
It’s a game that’s all about exploring the unknown, be it solo or with the close buddies, and it’s perhaps could land in my personal Games of 2026, with how nice it feels to peel back more on the map.
Verdict
Over The Hill is another entry in our frivolous naming convention that is “Friend-Goumet”, it’s holds it own as a pretty good racing game, where you could enjoy just going anywhere and everywhere. Perhaps seeing a mountain where you could go there, be it slowly and with some restraint but you will get there.
Just grab it, kick back and enjoy it.
Played on PC, Review copy provided by the Publisher.
Over The Hill
Holds it own as a pretty good racing game, where you could enjoy just going anywhere and everywhere. Perhaps seeing a mountain where you could go there, be it slowly and with some restraint but you will get there.
- Presentation 9
- Gameplay 9
- Content 9
- Personal Enjoyment 9