What do you get when you cross pen and paper table-top RPG with the whole randomly generated survival genre… It might be Overland. Overland brings a fresh take on the whole roguelike survival genre.

In case of an apocalypse, go west

Overland puts you in charge of surviving a post-apocalyptic world. You make the decisions to get from the east of the U.S.A. to the west were your supposedly safer. As you progress more towards the West I found out, it actually gets worse but for some reason, you need to carry on going westward in order to survive Overland. With alien-like creatures chasing you around each part of the trip, you’ll need all the help you can get. Stocking fuel, finding suitable vehicles and finding whackable utilities to fend of the enemies will be your main focus during the whole of Overland.

Don’t go out alone

It won’t take you long until you encounter other survivors. Inviting them to tag along your trip could greatly improve your chances of survival. Most of these survivors have a specific trait that can further help you to get across the U.S.A. Getting a suitable vehicle with enough room for your band of survivors is also mandatory. Leaving your small sedan looking vehicle in favor of that mini-van offers you more room for survivors and a potentially greater chance of survival.

Small diorama-like maps

Each area you enter presents itself on a small grid-based map. Each survivor has a few actions to perform each turn. Moving is done on a grid which makes for some tactical planning. Not leaving your survivor standing next to a creature at the end of a turn might be very beneficial for your survival. After each survivor executes their moves, the enemies do the same. This concept feels very much like pen and paper RPGs like dungeon and dragons but, off course, in a whole different setting.

Grab and smash/fight or flee

Since each map is randomly generated, you never quite know what to expect. It’s up to you to make the best decisions based on the maps you are “dealt”. Sometimes it might be tempting to pick up an axe, while in reality, it becomes a sure way towards doom because of the many enemies surrounding the axe. The obvious tactic in most cases is to just flee and get to the exit point of the map as fast as possible. Keeping an eye out for fuel is crucial to keep your vehicle going so some hunting and gathering needs to be done. This tense decision-making aspect of Overland is what makes this a noteworthy experience.

Roguelike unfairness

As with most roguelike games, the randomness of the map, in this case, could potentially make or break your run. As you progress further and further, you’ll clear certain areas that act as a waypoint in case you reach your early demise. Be sure, you’ll die a lot once you get further because the maps keep getting more filled with alien creatures and exploding hazards. Your chances of surviving are very slim. Sometimes it might feel a bit unfair because you can’t really grow stronger as a group if the map doesn’t give you the opportunity to fight back.

Conclusion

The art style and gameplay concept stand out to me. The factor of repetitiveness and unfairness does make this game go bitter after a while. I truly enjoyed the first few areas but felt the interest in going even further into the madness getting lower and lower as I progressed. Some more variations or possibilities to upgrade your group on a deeper level might’ve done the trick.

7/10

Tested on Nintendo Switch