Image credit: Eurogamer/Funselektor Labs Inc.

I'd nearly forgotten Over the Hill's predecessor, Art of Rally , was a racing game. But that's not meant as a slight. It's just that, for all the happy hours I poured into it, I don't recall doing a single race. Instead, it was the aimless meandering, the soothing rhythms of exploration and absent-minded collectible hunting in its free-roam mode that held me transfixed. So the fact Over the Hill completely jettisons the racing stuff and leans entirely into the meditative bit - it even starts with a golden Buddha statue running you through the basics, which probably tells you everything you need to know - is exactly my kind of thing.

Over the Hill very much feels like Art of Rally's free-roam mode writ large. Here the entire focus is on unhurried off-road exploration across large open swathes of stylised, vividly hued wilderness. And the vibe of its minimalist roaming, its uninsistent structure, very definitely skews toward 'chill'.…