Slowdrive

You know the drill; you see an inexpensive Steam game that might be a bit of fun for a few hours. Launch it, start to play….and next thing you know you’re FORCING yourself to quit because you suddenly realize how late it is and how much your fingers are starting to hurt. Wait, that’s NOT part of the “drill”! But it just may be SLOWDRIVE. (Certainly was for me!) Slowdrive is an exceptional game, (as the current 100% rating confirms) and at an exceptionally affordable price The premise is a rather contrived one, but well in keeping with the amusing concept of a slot driving to find a new tree branch to hang from. Were Slowdrive simply a driving game it would be enough, but it isn’t just a driving game. While driving, players may choose to follow the marked roadway, or may take obvious (and even HIDDEN) shortcuts, or a combination of both. On many levels the roadway may be enough for a one-star completion, but discovering unmarked jumps or off-road areas may be necessary for a better score. Each level offers one, two or three stars based on successful completion, and stars collected unlock new areas. Despite owning dozens of Steam driving and racing games, AAA and indie, never have I seen a game where the winning (or losing) time may so often need to be measured in 1,000ths of a second. Literally, the difference between success or failure in Slowdrive can occur in less time than is required to blink. But while Slowdrive IS certainly a driving game, it’s also often a “launch the car like a rock” game, and a “fly through the air precisely” game, and a “ride a frictionless platform” game, and a “drive on two wheels” game, and a “try not to be crushed by huge blocks” game, and a “drifting extraordinaire” game. If it can be done in, around, to or about a vehicle, Slowdrive likely includes it. And having done all that, you can also choose to do it from a driver POV, as well as find hidden leafs(sic) on EVERY level to be able to change the color of any one of five cars. (Cars are unlocked by completing areas, but all cars perform identically.) Slowdrive accepts controllers, and apparently even wheel controllers, which is remarkable for such a small game. In choosing to play Slowdrive, you have chosen to play a driving game, a platformer, an amazing physics-based game, and so much more. While it can reach some very difficult levels, there is always enough material available to provide numerous, and varied choices. No driving game I know of offers as much variety and entertainment as does Slowdrive. Thank you. As with most Steam games, offline time in Slowdrive is not tracked.