Mixing genres seems to be the in thing at the moment; many titles are making themselves stand out in the indie scene with experimentation having various degrees of success. Driving games, however, have tended to be a type that was mainly left alone…until now. Heading Out takes a fun driving experience and mixes it with a story-driven narrative for a short and sharp outing.
With an aim of multiple run-throughs, Heading Out follows Jackal making his way across America to escape his past. This past is fleshed out through the choices made on the hub map. Certain routes will give different events, story and radio stations, all giving more insight into the enigmatic protagonist.
This isn’t your casual road trip, however, with Jackal’s own fear being the pursuing factor throughout. Managing your fuel resource inefficiently or driving badly will result in your fear catching up to you. The closer it gets, the less road there is to travel on, with tarmac being chewed up behind your back wheel. Police evasion is also needed to keep those wheels spinning. Using that time to partake in an event might lead to rewards, but more often than not will raise your profile to the police and also allow the ever-present fear to take hold.
Making your choices of where to go, who to interact with, and how far to let your level of infamy rise to will massively affect the experience for each run. A certain path will lock out another, or a certain narrative storyline will not be unlocked until a replay of the act. Simple enough, but it ensures longevity with repeated attempts.
With all the effort put into the narrative, it’s easy to forget the whole point of the exercise: the driving. Although fun, the mechanic is at times, frustratingly simple. With controls being so easy races are a technicality, and it’s a shame this is the only aspect that doesn’t feel as refined, seeing as it’s one of the things that will be happening the most. Rarely is a race lost with competitors happy to let you fly past with no consequence, and the same applies to the police that can be lost easier than GTA bobbies.
Aesthetically, the MadWorld-esque design would have set the internet alight when indies were fledgling newcomers; however, these looks are a dime a dozen in a world of eShop oversaturation. Heading Out does the job excellently, though. For such a simple idea it looks wonderful, and a real sense of speed is achieved with the graphic flourishes and comic book panels showing what is happening under the roof. The oncoming red storm is striking too, giving a real sense of panic when the skies darken (brighten?). All of this is accompanied by a soundtrack that would seem perfectly at home on a trip down Route 66.
