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Overland

Overland is a strategy horror roguelike that's as difficult as it is rewarding. Its storytelling and presentation rivals the AAA sphere and raises the bar for what indie horror games can be.
Overland Game Cover
74%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
grinding, character development
77% User Score Based on 346 reviews
Critic Score 71%Based on 8 reviews

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Overland Game Cover

About

Overland is a single player survival turn-based strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Heather Penn and was released on September 19, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Overland is a single-player Science Fiction Turn Based Strategy game with an intriguing post-apocalyptic story. Exceptional visuals and music create a dense atmosphere as you manage a group of travelers, fight creatures, rescue survivors, and make supply-scavenging decisions. Version 1.2 offers new pug dog companions, rest stop levels, difficulty settings, game modifiers, and updated dialogue and stats displays.

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Overland screenshot
Overland screenshot
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Overland screenshot
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Overland screenshot
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Overland screenshot
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+20
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77%
Audience ScoreBased on 346 reviews
gameplay32 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design create an engaging experience.
  • Challenging gameplay that requires strategic thinking and careful planning.
  • Unique storytelling through emergent gameplay and character interactions.
  • High difficulty level can lead to frustration, especially for new players.
  • Limited inventory space and character abilities can feel restrictive.
  • Lack of a clear tutorial or guidance makes it difficult to understand mechanics.
  • gameplay
    127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Overland is characterized by its blend of tactical puzzles and resource management, offering a unique and engaging experience that combines simple mechanics with strategic depth. While many players appreciate the game's art direction and emotional weight, some criticize its repetitiveness and lack of complexity, leading to mixed feelings about its replayability and overall depth. Despite its challenges, the game successfully creates tension and encourages players to learn from their mistakes, making it a compelling choice for fans of tactical strategy games.

    • “For fans of games like X-COM, Keep Driving, and other procedural-type games, this is a wonderful success with a blend of thoughtful gameplay, character writing, and design.”
    • “The core of Overland’s gameplay revolves around a series of compact, grid-based encounters that function as tactical puzzles.”
    • “The mechanics are simplistic in nature, but combine together with your choices to create unique and challenging scenarios where you must balance resource consumption with risk, the timing of your attacks with the movements and numbers of your enemies, and your empathy for a trapped dog or survivor with your own survival.”
    • “The gameplay is disgustingly repetitive and stripped down of any possible mechanics.”
    • “The game is somewhat shallow compared to other entries in the realm of squad-control strategy, which pile on mechanic after mechanic in an effort to pass volume as depth.”
    • “The difficulty level is extremely unforgiving, which combined with a forced 'ironman' save model together with a UI in which the only way to learn the mechanics of the game is by trial and error means that most players probably won't get much more than 10 hours out of it before giving up.”
  • graphics
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their beautiful and charming art style, featuring clean geometric designs and a moody atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. Many reviewers appreciate the simplicity and consistency of the visuals, which evoke a unique post-apocalyptic aesthetic, though some note that the graphics may lack depth in gameplay mechanics. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some criticisms regarding its execution and replayability.

    • “The camera tilts and rotates smoothly, letting players admire the clean geometric art style and muted earth tones that evoke a world drained of life.”
    • “The graphics beautifully stylized and add to the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The beautiful visuals and animations, combined with great sound design result in an atmosphere that is somehow both serene and unsettling.”
    • “Graphics here are very simplistic, as apparent from screenshots and trailers; music, on the other hand, adds to the atmosphere, with some tracks once again reminding of annihilation.”
    • “I played this game one afternoon, and it was soon clear to me that this is a very neat idea with some great indie graphics, but really with poor and uninspired game mechanics.”
    • “If it weren't for the graphics, I would not only be slamming this with a hard refusal; I'd be lining this one up for the 'worst game of 2019' award.”
  • story
    68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is largely minimalist and emergent, relying on player experiences and interactions rather than a traditional narrative structure, which some players find rewarding while others see as lacking depth. While there are moments of emotional resonance and atmospheric storytelling, many reviews highlight the absence of a cohesive plot and character development, leading to mixed feelings about the overall narrative experience. Ultimately, the game offers a unique blend of strategy and survival elements, with storytelling that varies significantly based on individual playthroughs.

    • “Instead, the story unfolds through small, emergent moments: the sound of a dying engine, the sacrifice of a companion, or the fleeting comfort of a campfire.”
    • “The game’s minimalist storytelling leaves space for interpretation, which is one of its greatest strengths.”
    • “I absolutely love this game for its unsettling and subtle environmental storytelling, thoughtful and engaging gameplay, and its cute and personality-filled dialogue.”
    • “The story is bare bones and not even worth discussing; I would say that's to its detriment, but there are a few interesting story events that happen that surprised me and I enjoyed when that happened.”
    • “The overland journey is atmospheric but has no real story to speak of.”
    • “The simplicity being 'just get the gas and don't worry about anything', and the fact the characters do not have a decent story behind them takes away much of what I would like to see here, and what probably the creators would wish me to see.”
  • atmosphere
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in Overland is widely praised for its striking art style, compelling sound design, and the ability to evoke a sense of intimacy and vastness in a post-apocalyptic setting. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a tense and immersive experience, enhanced by its minimalist storytelling and engaging music. However, some critiques point to a lack of depth in gameplay and narrative, suggesting that while the atmosphere is exceptional, it may not fully compensate for other shortcomings.

    • “Overland’s power lies in its restraint, using atmosphere, scarcity, and consequence to craft an experience that feels simultaneously intimate and vast.”
    • “The beautiful visuals and animations, combined with great sound design, result in an atmosphere that is somehow both serene and unsettling.”
    • “This game is a triumph of atmosphere and tone.”
    • “Perhaps I'm biased against casual/semi-casual games, but Overland's attempt at mystery and atmosphere failed to compensate for flaws.”
    • “I can't hang my hat on the mood/atmosphere; the gameplay has been simplified nearly out of existence, the characters are 'unique' in exactly the same written voice, and the enemies are nonthreateningly abstract.”
    • “The design and sound are amazing, and there's a lot to be said for the atmosphere.”
  • music
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game, composed by Jocelyn Reyes, is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the game's moody and tense ambiance. While some players noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive, many found it to be a perfect fit for the post-apocalyptic setting, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Overall, the sound design and music are considered standout elements that elevate the gameplay, despite a few mentions of minimal music presence during intense moments.

    • “The soundtrack, composed by Jocelyn Reyes, matches this tone perfectly: sparse ambient melodies punctuated by long silences and sudden bursts of tension.”
    • “The music is great, sometimes tense, sometimes eerie, and really adds to the mood of the game.”
    • “Jocelyn Reyes' music is super cool and atmospheric and perfectly sets the tone (I actually specifically came back to this game after listening to the OST on Bandcamp recently).”
    • “I actually didn't notice much music, but a game like this is fine without it.”
    • “Almost no music and the interaction feels too weird; any action takes eons and the most important isn't food, but fuel.”
    • “Graphics here are very simplistic as apparent from screenshots and trailers; music, on the other hand, adds to the atmosphere, with some tracks once again reminding of annihilation.”
  • replayability
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag. While some players appreciate the procedural generation and roguelike elements that offer a degree of replay value, many feel that the experience becomes repetitive and lacks depth after completing the game once or twice. The absence of engaging lore and varied gameplay mechanics contributes to a limited replayability, though the game's aesthetic and atmosphere are often praised.

    • “Very replayable with a well-executed atmosphere.”
    • “Personally, I really like the roguelike aspect of the game because it makes sacrifices like leaving a survivor behind that much more necessary and impactful, and the randomly generated levels give the game a ton of replayability.”
    • “Overland has a very high replayability, so even if you'd complete it once, the new playthroughs would be as interesting as before.”
    • “It would not be a bad little diversion for an extremely discounted price, but having completed the game twice, I'm not feeling the replayability very much.”
    • “It's about 6 hours of gameplay and doesn't have a lot of replay value unless you want to challenge yourself.”
    • “On the other hand, the downside is the ending is underwhelming, to say the least, and the game gets so easy after a while that it doesn't have a lot of replayability despite the procedurally generated levels and characters.”
  • humor
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in Overland is a standout feature, blending well with its challenging gameplay and beautiful aesthetics. Players appreciate the game's quirky animations, character interactions, and the amusing situations that arise from trial and error, making the learning process enjoyable despite occasional frustrations. The clever writing and humorous character bios further enhance the overall experience, contributing to the game's replayability and charm.

    • “Overland combines humor, poignancy, and fun, challenging gameplay in the perfect way, not to mention the beautiful graphics, moody music, and attention to detail.”
    • “The animation and sense of humor add to the game's enjoyment; and the variety of characters, items, and scenes add to its replayability.”
    • “The emergent stories are hilarious.”
  • emotional
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its powerful audio design, which enhances feelings of dread and melancholy, creating a deeply immersive experience. Players report a surprising emotional investment in the narrative and characters, particularly in the fate of their companions, including the heart-wrenching moments involving beloved pets. While many found the journey rewarding and filled with laughter and tears, some felt that the gameplay could be tedious, detracting from the overall emotional engagement.

    • “The audio design amplifies the emotional experience, turning each encounter into a mix of dread and melancholy.”
    • “It started as we will give it a quick try and ended with me emotionally invested in every rescued stray and clinging to every last can of gas.”
    • “I laughed, I cried a little, and yes—dogs died.”
  • grinding
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews highlight a pervasive sense of tedium in the game's grinding mechanics, with players expressing frustration over repetitive tasks and a lack of engaging gameplay. While the game features a beautiful aesthetic and an interesting concept, the focus on monotonous activities detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it feel more like a chore than a rewarding experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The game has a bunch of tedious systems and it never feels like you're doing much except picking up fuel and driving.”
    • “So it becomes quite tedious, with these creatures behaving the same over and over again with very, very little variation, along with lobotomized main characters acting like 'I don’t believe you actually killed someone!'”
    • “I hate this game - it looks wonderful and it could've been so good but instead it is both frustrating and tedious.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with many users expressing disappointment over the absence of any growth or progression in the characters. Even minimal development was deemed preferable, highlighting a missed opportunity for deeper engagement with the characters.

    • “The character development in this game is truly engaging, allowing players to form deep connections with the characters.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and relatable.”
    • “The depth of character development adds layers to the narrative, making each decision feel impactful.”
    • “Unfortunately, there is no character development.”
    • “The characters feel flat and lack any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
    • “I was hoping for a deeper exploration of the characters, but they remain one-dimensional.”
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71%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews
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13h Median play time
24h Average play time
2-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Overland is a survival turn-based strategy game with science fiction theme.

Overland is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

The main story can be completed in around 5 hours. On average players spend around 24 hours playing Overland.

Overland was released on September 19, 2019.

Overland was developed by Heather Penn.

Overland has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Overland is a single player game.

Similar games include The Flame in the Flood, Into the Breach, Deep Sky Derelicts, Dead Age, Crowntakers and others.