Hitchhiker Review: A Peculiar, Yet Triumphant Ride
Hitchhiker is a game that appealed to me since I saw the very first trailer. It seemed a peculiar experience with a heavy emphasis on vibing with the player as well as sending them down the trip that is their narrative. While the game lacks in substance when compared to most others, the minimal gameplay that is here doesn’t need to shine thanks to the brilliant tale they weave and the moment to moment on or off screen presentation to boot.
Story (Spoiler-free)
You play as a hitchhiker later coined the moniker Copernicus, with little to no memory of his past or where he is going. You soon find out that each and every driver you encounter could be friend or foe and it's up to you to decipher its mind bending clues by remembering your past all while potentially saving someone from their present.
You encounter five different drivers that pick you up on their respective mystical highways. Each one offering a lesson or tale of sorts from their ways of life. You start off with a raisin farmer and work your way through a teacher, waitress, and a couple more individuals. These drivers are not the only characters you encounter, but they are the bulk of them. There is also a character they call the Man with Many Eyes who is a recurring enemy of sorts.
As you progress your goal, your past starts to unravel. You learn early on that your girlfriend might be in trouble thanks to you and some sort of accident. Throughout your journey to remember heavy themes spring up naturally and never seem out of place. Themes such as loss, acceptance, time investment, relationships, fear, and even falling out of love. Even though this narrative is beyond wacky, it somehow remains relatable and that’s a feat I cannot overstate.
Overall, the story Hitchhiker offers is absolutely its best selling point. It’s peculiar, relatable, mysterious, and simply engaging without having to do much at all to accomplish it. It is all paced super well, but is plagued with a similar problem most narrative games share. The ending is open to interpretation. That is all fine and well, but the way in which it plays out seemed very anticlimactic. The ending is one and only gripe with the yarn they tell.
Presentation
From the very first tune Hitchhiker plays, I was hooked. The tunes chosen are super chill and relative to the vibe the game wants to resonate. It also offers scenic breaks of sorts in the middle of an interaction with each driver. This lets you really take in your surroundings, gather yourself before you progress, or in my case just vibe with the tunes.
Tones sway freely as you play, but the biggest feat here lies with the fact that each tone is presented with mere dialogue. That’s all it takes. The subtle sound beats and design assist it overall, but it’s the power of their words that drives you in more ways than one.
I mentioned before that each driver has a tale to tell. These tales are a break from the norm in terms of what is displayed on screen. They cut away as the driver narrates a bizarre story that is always very artistic, and while they could have easily seemed annoying they never feel like more than a lovely change of pace. Also, when I say bizarre, I mean it. One story consisted of a small group of people falling through the tiny gap at the end of an escalator. These people then had to live there for a while and let's just say mannequins were also involved. Bizarre, right?
Overall, I absolutely fell for the characters and unique story Hitchhiker provides, but its take on a video game is what grabbed me. The adaptation of this story to this medium simply jells in a way that I didn’t expect. It’s simplistic, yet speaks volumes. It's mysterious, yet relatable. It truly is a gripping triumph of atmosphere and player engagement with nothing more than two people simply riding in a car together.
Gameplay
The moment to moment gameplay of Hitchhiker is really super simple and doesn’t offer a ton. You are usually just sitting in a car and looking from left to right as you pick out clues and progress with dialogue options. Fortunately, the game doesn’t have to do much more than that as the dialogue and narrative really compel the player to continue without the need for any real gameplay loop or mechanics.
The game does have moments where the player is tasked with doing a bit more than answering questions. These subtle gameplay moments never last too long and don't act as a detriment to the overall experience, but they are pretty lackluster compared to the overall product. One moment I did enjoy, however, was a sort of tuning of the radio. Simplistic I know, but this tuning eliminated a language barrier between our hitchhiker and a specific driver. I thought it was really neat as it affected reality in terms of speech and even weather later on. Other segments consist of altering scarecrows’ direction in order to reach a windmill, picking out irregularities in reality in the form of diner doubles, following fireflies with a camera to see them, and even some riddles.
Overall, the gameplay isn’t why one should play Hitchhiker. The reason to play lies in its mysterious narrative and peculiar vibes, but the gameplay that is there does the job. The dialogue goes places, and in terms of gameplay, I think that is enough for me to give it a pass.
Breakdown
Game: Hitchhiker
Developer: Mad About Pandas
Availability: PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Apple Arcade
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
Runtime: Approx. 5 hours
Pros:
+ Super Engaging Story
+ Wonderful Vibes Throughout
Cons:
- Anticlimactic Finish
- Lacks Gameplay Substance
Final Thoughts
Hitchhiker is a story told in the medium it was meant for. It’s peculiar, heavy at times, but lovely throughout without many dull moments. The mystery these highways offer the player, along with the ways in which they are told, are brilliant. While the gameplay doesn’t offer much innovation or real substance, it really doesn't have to. An anticlimactic ending aside, the story told does more than enough to make up for any gripes you may have.
Reviewed by Austin Ernst