I love a well-built game that doesn't take itself too seriously. To that end, I've always appreciated the Swedish studio Landfall's goofy approach to game-making. Totally Accurate Battle Simulator can have hysterical moments but the open-endedness kept it in the realm of toy rather than game. Peak is a brilliantly funny and challenging game that gets more polished every time I play it. Alas I never seem to get any better at it. It's punishing! So it came as no surprise to me that it was another Swedish game developer that made a game that was as silly as TABS, as engaging as Peak, yet balanced enough that I could actually complete it. It's RV There Yet and it's my co-GoTY with Blue Prince.

I love a good multiplayer game. If I'm able to justify taking some further time out of my day to whittle away at the computer, I appreciate being able to do it under the pretext of socialization. Our group has put some time in on Satisfactory, Abiotic Factor, Schedule I, Day Z, Peak and countless terrible games that happened to be on sale. We loaded into the game as three identical dough boys without expecting much. Coming recently off the experimental The Long Drive North early access game, we were just hoping to have a way to attach items securely to our vehicle. We found ourselves cracking up before we ever left the campsite.

Off the bat, there are three separate keys for cigarette management. A feature which I made sure to utilize for the entirety of the game. I found quickly that you can grab your friends and jettison them long distances without their consent (and up to even greater distances after chugging a beer). Upon being thrown into the water by my compatriots, I found that the audio is hilariously distorted. It's these little things that kept the atmosphere jovial I realized I'd be driving a manual transmission through the most hellish of obstacles.

Since it was my birthday on the night we started our journey, it was my character's pudgy hand on the gear stick. I don't want to spoil too much of the (thin) plot, but the premise of the game is using your wits, your friends' hand signals, and an assortment of tools to get through a wilderness path fit for a Rubicon. Many a time we watched our RV tumble down a mountain side, get smashed by a falling platform, or get catapulted out of sight and require another run. Yet much more often we were able to weasel our way of dire situations with some quick thinking and perseverance. It scratched the puzzle solving itch in such a great way. With many hours under our belt we realized a fundamental truth: when there's a winch there's a way.

Despite how impressed I was with the object physics (thanks Unreal Engine), there were plenty of bugs but nothing that was game breaking. I never had to reset myself or restart a run due to anything that could be attributed to our own incompetence. And the bizarre situations we encountered (getting glued to the steering wheel, getting stuck with an eagle in my face, zooping to the moon) just added to the general party atmosphere.

What was most surprising from this whole experience was that I was honestly really good at driving the RV. I'm generally awful at video games compared to my friends, especially ones that require quick reflexes and steel nerves. Yet somehow I came out as the only boy who could one-shot obstacles and by the end of the game it was insisted that I be the one to lead us into the credit scene. I'd like to chalk it up to the prolific in-game smoking and the unforgettable lessons I learned about Absolute Calm.

PS: While I'd certainly play a sequel or DLC, I'd really love to see a game in the same style but on a sailing ship. Gotta get some lads to man the rigging, tack into the wind, and bail the ship when we hit a reef.