PS5 exclusive Pacific Drive by Ironwood Studios will send us into the exclusion zone in just a few months from now as the game’s release date has been revealed.
Pacific Drive will park on PS5 on February 22, 2024. Along with this news, Ironwood Studios went into a bit more detail about the gameplay loop and the dangers players will face on the road.
Ironwood writes in a PlayStation Blog post that the gameplay loop for Pacific Drive has multiple stages – repairing and upgrading the car, planning routes, and making it back in one piece after raiding the Zone. As players get deeper into the forests, swamps, and other areas of the Olympic Peninsula, they will build the knowledge and skills they need to survive.
The blog goes into greater detail of what that entails, but here we have some of the most important takeaways.
Repair, tune-up, and upgrade your vehicle
After each adventure you head back to your garage. Getting a good look at your car’s individual parts will often tell you what needs the most work. Maybe a flat tire that needs to be repaired with a sealing kit, or you can make an entirely new wheel. You can craft new parts from the scrap metal and other materials you gathered on your last trip. A lot of different car parts can take damage so it’s important to give the vehicle a thorough inspection.
Outside repairs, there’s a wealth of customization options. Spray on a slick new coat of paint, or apply some racing stripes using consumable decals. You can even swap out the bobblehead that adorns your dashboard. You should also take care of the essentials like gas and charging your batteries once you’ve upgraded. There’s a gas pump in the garage to fill up with – if you’ve got the optional and beneficial side-mounted gas tanks, those can get topped off, too. Flip the switch on the desk to recharge your car instantly.
Plan your next road trip
Before leaving, you’ll need to stop at the route planner, a giant map on the wall that tracks your progress through the Zone. Hover over locations to reveal information about where you’re headed before selecting your final destination. It’s not all about where you end up, though – you’ll be making stops on your trip along these abandoned highways, so knowing something about the journey ahead of you is a good idea, too. Check for atmospheric shifts, radiation density, potential Anomaly encounters, availability of resources, and more. At the same time, you look at stops on the road – you’re still able to modify the car while in the garage, too, so take this opportunity to adapt the vehicle to your route if needed.
Once out in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, you’ll pass through a few different biomes on the way to your final destination. Each comes with its own obstacles and rewards, and you can deck your vehicle out accordingly.
You’ll also be collecting Anchors – artifacts initially meant to contain the expansion of the Zone. These glowing orbs provide you with a special energy that you can use to upgrade the car and escape from the Zone. Eventually, you and the car will come upon a wall hundreds of feet high that keeps the more dangerous parts of the Zone isolated. You’ll find your way through the wall and into deeper parts of the Zone, where things only get wilder.
Hit the road and dodge hazards
Once you’ve gathered your resources and have enough Anchors – it’s time to leave. Assess your surroundings and look at your in-car map before you select one of many available exits. Some exits will be easier to get to than others. As you choose, a Zone Storm will start to close in on you; from then on, it’s a race to safety. Crash through the foliage, fishtail through the mud, and try to keep the wheel pointed straight towards the giant pillar of light ascending into the sky because that’s where you’re headed. You’ll have to dodge the Abductors, Bunnies, and Can Openers on your way out. As you take that final drive of faith through the illuminated pillar, everything will go white as you leave the Zone behind. The cycle begins anew.
