Drive Together Preview

It is often said that a problem shared is a problem halved, and I generally believe that! Doing anything, especially an annoying task, is often better with a friend as company is usually much more enjoyable… however, I never thought to implement the proverb when it comes to operating a vehicle. Regardless of my hesitation, Otakumi Games’ Drive Together does just that.

In the game, up to four players are tasked with driving a car along a road filled with obstacles and dangers. Depending on the number of captains on this fourth-wheeled ship, a single person will be in charge of one or two directions: hitting the gas, reversing, turning left, or turning right. As the vehicle can’t turn without moving, the group must work together to navigate the sharp turns and hazardous traps of the physics-defying road they find themselves on.

Drive Together has a bit of a Foddian twist to it, featuring difficult stretches and requiring very precise movements to progress; the game does not pull its punches! However, the title is surprisingly generous with checkpoints, at least in this early build, so I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a rage game.

The obstacles themselves are fun and varied, though they do become a bit abstract near the end. Drivers start off simply navigating sharp turns, then graduate to avoiding spring-loaded launching pads, giant fans on icy roads, and floating platforms. The dangers were navigable, for the most part, though the final challenges were a bit odd, as a rotating propeller platform’s blades would move independently of the car, meaning the vehicle would simply fall off instead of being carried along, as one would expect.

All in all, Drive Together was a fun little game to enjoy with friends. The fair checkpoints helped to curb most of any frustration it may cause, whereas the simple gameplay makes it easy to pick up and play. Definitely a good addition to a game night, once it is out!

Drive Together is being developed and published by Otakumi Games. There is no release date known at the time of writing.