Now Playing: Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive is a third person action / platform game that was originally released on the X-Box One in 2014, with a PC version (bundled with all DLC) released in 2018. I noticed it on sale on Steam recently and decided to give it a spin, attracted by the colourful visuals and environment traversal which appeared fairly reminiscent of Jet Set Radio.

What I discovered, however, is that Sunset Overdrive really isn’t anything like Jet Set Radio at all – despite the rail grinding and the ‘graffiti tag’ collectibles. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed by this – in fact, I was kind of surprised by just how good Sunset Overdrive turned out to be considering how little I’ve seen it mentioned or discussed since its original release.

It feels like something of a hidden gem and it’s one I’m very glad I picked up on a whim when I saw it go on sale alongside Quantum Break (review coming soon). Sunset Overdrive is set in Sunset City which has become overrun by ‘OD’ – mutated citizens who drank the latest energy drink from FizzCo. You create your own (fully voiced) character and you are, more or less, a superhero.

I don’t know if everyone in Sunset City can grind street rails, telephone / power lines or bounce 100 feet from cars, umbrellas and industrial fans, but you can, and the game doesn’t waste any time trying to explain how or why – you just can. But if you are a superhero, you’re certainly a lazy and reluctant one. Your primary goal is to save yourself and escape Sunset City.

 

The fact that your character is such a self-serving, sarcastic kind of asshole is one of the things I love about the game. The VA is perfectly on point throughout, at least for the female character type. Humour is at the forefront of a plot that sees you working with other survivors not just to escape, but to bring down FizzCo, which is attempting to cover up the outbreak by erasing the evidence – the evidence being you and the other survivors. FizzCo, naturally, has a robot army.

The humour, like your character, leans heavily on the sarcastic and occasionally breaks the fourth wall and, like all humour, it’s going to be subjective and you’ll either find it funny or you won’t. Despite a few times when the game tries a little too hard, I’d say the humour stuck the landing far more often than not, at least for me.

Traversal of the environment is one of the most enjoyable aspects of SO, especially once you unlock the air dash. This is a game where you really can play ‘the floor is lava’ and string together a chain of moves – grinds, bounces, dashes, swings and wall runs – that allow you to rapidly cross the map without ever touching the ground. And the map itself is perfectly designed to facilitate this kind of free flowing movement.

Sunset Overdrive is accessible above all else – there’s no penalty to death, aside from reverting to a previous (and frequently generous) checkpoint during a mission. Despite the rapid traversal, you can still fast travel to key locations on the map even when moving, or in combat. You can pull up a list of all missions and challenges and replay them at any time – instantly being transported to a challenge location, even if it’s a new challenge you’ve not previously completed.

SO doesn’t waste your time, force you into lengthy slogs from one end of the map to the other or to unlock new challenges. Everything is easy to access and it lets you just get on with what you want to do. It’s remarkably refreshing in an age where it feels like so many games go out of their way to waste your time with pointless bullshit.

Traversal in the game is also a big factor in the many challenges you’ll unlock as you progress. These are all fun to play and replay in order to achieve higher ratings. I wouldn’t say the game is difficult – like I said, it’s designed to be immediately accessible – but that doesn’t mean it can’t present a challenge and the challenge comes in the form of mission rankings based upon your performance (combo score and time).

The cosmetic customisation in the game is great with plenty of weird and wacky combinations of clothing to pick between. You can further customise your style of play using various ‘amps’ to boost or enhance your abilities and weapons. There’s a ton of collectibles to find and SO is one of the few games where I’m happy to find them all – mostly because the game positions them in places where you’ll likely pick them up simply by traversing the map naturally during missions or en route to them.

And, in keeping with the theme of accessibility, if you do miss a few, you can always purchase a map from a vendor telling you where to find the rest – the game really doesn’t want you to miss out on anything.

Combat in SO is probably the weakest aspect of the game. Fighting OD is pretty fun and punchy as they explode into a pool of orange gloop, but despite the selection of zany weapons, you don’t really have to think too much about it, not unless you’re trying to rack up a significant combo score. But your combo is more reliant upon traversal than combat and continues to build so long as you don’t stop, touch the ground, or be interrupted by an enemy attack.

The combat is enjoyable for what it offers and I did really like the few ‘tower defence’ style missions (including traps) but you’re not just fighting OD – you’re also fighting FizzCo robots which become increasingly prevalent the more you progress in the game and they are, sadly, not half as fun to fight as the mutated, orange soda exploding monsters.

SO is bright and vibrant and runs practically flawlessly no matter how chaotic things get. Despite the somewhat weak combat, everything else about the game is pretty damn excellent – the visuals, music, VA, mission variety, challenges and, most importantly, the traversal gameplay.

I think the final mission missed a trick by not also introducing a massive OD horde into the mix – maybe using it as a weapon against FizzCo. I can’t really explain what I mean without getting into extensive story spoilers, but it’s so perfectly set up . . . and nothing comes of it. That said, I still enjoyed the ending and the way the story and characters progressed.

Sunset Overdrive is a refreshing and energetic game to play. It has a wonderful sense of fun and never takes itself too seriously. The humour may be hit or miss depending upon your taste, but in my view it’s a hidden gem and well worth your time, so be sure to check it out the next time you see it on sale.

8/10