DEAD STATIC DRIVE
DEVELOPER MIKE BLACKNEY PRICE TBA
deadstaticdrive.com
The first cab off the rank for this PAX round up is actually a modified, stolen car. We don’t know much about Dead Static Drive’s protagonist as yet, except that they can appreciate upholstery and aren’t averse to nicking anything convenient, including a police vehicle at a desert lock up. The sandbox-style demo begins on a dusty road with one objective; “I should find somewhere to crash.” You can turn on your headlights, but get an immediate feeling you shouldn’t. Seems like a normal road to somewhere, but something is not quite right.
The game is very early in development and I chose it for the collection because, given my appreciation for how Australia’s indies have improved over the last two or three years, I want to remember my first impressions of this when it eventually comes to fruition. It’s a bit like Project Zomboid, with the isometric view and useable items, but will likely end up being more of a narrative experience than a base building game. The designer’s elevator pitch was circulating PAX like Chinese whispers, “Roadtrip with Cthulhu, existential crisis.”
The demo included weaponry and useful things to mess with, in ways that make sense. One time, I rolled my car by hitting a train crossing too fast. And I totally laid down some sweet donuts (accidentally) while mastering the twitchy, but powerful feeling, driving controls. Intriguingly, there is obvious potential for the use of light/dark and line of sight, as I noticed when peeking in windows. At PAX, Dead Static Drive showed early features that I can imagine coalescing into a compelling experience, combining driving, exploration and inexplicable horror.