Wheels of Aurelia
Some people complain that there’s no innovation in the AAA games anymore, just TPP loot crafting shooters with stealth elements. Well, on the other side we have Wheels of Aurelia that is trying super hard to look like nothing else, combining a racing game with visual novel. Too bad it fails at pretty much everything it tried to do.
We’re a rebelious women that doesn’t need no man, a feminist (or the one that only looks like one) that picks up another chick at the disco. Both then decide to have a long ride to France along the Via Aurelia road, having all kinds of topic to talk to - abortion, kidnappings, abortion, family issues, music, feminist movements, traditional values, abortion etc. If I’m being not clear enough, the game has a statement to make, and the year of the game isn’t random. It encapsulates two main events from 1978 that have taken place in Italy - Moro kidnapping and legalisation of abortion. Both of these topics will be pretty much on our tongues no matter where we’ll ride or what hitchhiker we take next. No matter what you’ll get ‘strong independent womyn’ vibe from the protagonist, Lella, that is as rebelious as annoying. Every once in a while you’ll have an option to pick up a topic for conversation or your passenger will ask you a question about another topic. These can then be answered in one of two ways, and it can be summarised by ‘yes’, or ‘sarcastic yes’. Many topics present no real input on the conversation, your answers will always be in the spirit of the defined character, later even called a communist. Opinions of your character will always be skewed in one way - someone said something controversial and you want to disgree? Nope, you can either agree or say something mildly controversial too. Question about abortion is a prominent example - you can say it’s either just a medical operation or it might be a traumatic experience. Other time you can say that men are no longer needed. The whole story feels like it’s been written by a raging feminist who tried to put as many leftist ideas as possible. Later in the game (as 10 minutes later) you can ditch your friend for different kind of passenger, a priest or a has-been race driver, and these conversations aren’t that bad, but first couple of runs you’ll probably keep Olga till the end and you’ll get sick of woke comments.
– Real player with 10.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Driving Indie Games.
This is not a game. It’s a visual novel, with somewhat mature topics. (TL;DR: read the last paragraph in my review.)
If you are curious about the driving sections… They are extremely basic, they’re just a mildly interactive background scenario for dialog choices.
In this visual novel, you have the following kinds of control:
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Pick which car you want to start with.
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Pick one of three dialog options when asked. (Or don’t pick one, and go with the default answer.)
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Choose between stopping to give a ride to hitchhikers.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
ArcticBoy: The Interactive Story
Genius Kojumbo Does it AGAIN!
– Real player with 1.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Driving Adventure Games.
Another completely whacked out story line game from this developer, this time it’s a story about internet romance gone horribly wrong!
I will say that this game is well worth the price tag.. but NOT as a game for “you” to play yourself.
.. By far, the best value in this game is to GIFT it to someone you want to troll and tell them just to play it. Then watch them as they get hooked enough or curious enough as I was.. to play it all the way through to the end! Haha!
My Score.. To play it yourself.. 2 out of 10. My Score to troll as friend as a meme: 9.7 out of 10!
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game