It’s good to be back in the Region! I’m Blake from Ironwood Studios, and I’m here to show you a little more of what’s happening in the Pacific Drive wilderness.
Life inside the wall is so dangerous, you’ll have to rely on a reliable station wagon as you venture out of the used car store. Remember to fill up with gas before you start each trip into the Zone: letting your tank run dry is a good way to end up badly. Explore twisty landscapes and long-abandoned facilities as you gather and scramble for resources to keep your cars running long enough to return safely. Get it back intact and use the materials you’ve collected to repair and upgrade your wagon before you head back to learn more.
As shown in our latest trailer, you’ll come across all sorts of weird Anomalies, most of which aren’t overly friendly. There are warped towers that launch heavy bolts of electricity at anything that accidentally wanders too close, and chunks of underground metal ripping through the ground, tearing both the earth and your tires. When gathering supplies, you’ll want to stay close to your car, one of those creepy flying junk that can sneak away with it without you even knowing it. You’ll need to look closely and understand these Anomalies to figure out what you need to build to survive the next encounter. Equip your car with gear to counter their attempt to finish your run and upgrade your car’s panels from bare metal to specialized armor plates that protect against worst factor of the Region.
When it comes to modifying your vehicle, it’s not just about fortifications. Add new brackets to your cars and attach them with additional road equipment: fuel tanks, wind generators and automatic parking brakes. You’ll want every little advantage you can get out of the Zone. Everyone needs more space to store their trash on the roof rack, but you can also install controllable spotlights, lightning rods to charge the battery when it’s a little more stormy, or classified gadgets based on testing technology that you learn is your run.
As you chart the Area, each expedition takes you deeper and deeper behind the walls. Your journey will take you through challenging terrains, each with its own nightmarish Anomalies. With these new risks comes new rewards: certain resources can only be found in dangerous places. Just make sure your car is equipped for the mission: if you’re going into marshland, you’ll want to change to some wheels that can handle mud and water. If you have to cross a valley of perpetual darkness, some roof-mounted lights to illuminate the road ahead will be quite important. And if you’re like me, you probably find yourself getting struck by lightning a few times too often – a high-tech engine upgrade solves the ‘can’t get out of here fast enough’ problem pretty quickly.
Speaking of terrible weather and strange catastrophic events in the Region, we need to talk about Regional Storms. These sweeping swirls rip through the map, reshaping the wilderness, and dealing massive damage to anything (or anyone) trapped in it. Radiation is a common concern when traveling through the woods, but once a full-blown Regional Storm hits, you’re better off trying to get away completely than crashing through the trees, hoping your car will stand strong as you watch your dashboard fall to pieces around You. Keep that gas pedal at floor level and the vehicle heads into the Gate—each successful return is one step closer to exiting the Zone.
Gather resources, explore abandoned facilities, upgrade your garage and ride—then delve deeper into the wilderness to solve the urban mysteries and legends of the Region. The utopian hopes of strange new technologies may be gone, but their remnants are still there.
Pacific Drive is coming to PlayStation 5 in 2023.
