Hop in your van and get ready to travel and explore in the SandWitch Caravan.
THE GAME
Caravan SandWitch is an adventure and exploration game developed by Studio Plane Toast and published by Dear Villagers. After receiving an emergency and automatic message from her sister, our protagonist Sauge drops everything she was doing to answer the call. To do so, Sauge returns to her home planet, Cigalo. There, she meets up with locals and friends, searching for information about her sister's whereabouts. In a mix of comfort at seeing Sauge again and questioning why she left Cigalo, everyone welcomes her. It is at this moment that she gains access to her means of transportation and traveling companion: a van. Equipped with a means of transportation and friends, Sauge sets out to search for her sister, while revisiting her family, friends and planet, helping everyone who asks her for help.
MY IMPRESSIONS
No enemies, no battles. Caravan SandWitch doesn't have these elements, which already makes it stand out. It would be very easy to add fights to the game, but that's not what it's about. Here, the focus is on the journey, relationships, social and environmental issues. It's a light game among so many frenetic games, where you'll find some simple puzzles and a lot of exploration. The game is in Brazilian Portuguese, which is great for following the game's story and understanding the relationships between the characters. An interesting point that should be mentioned is that some characters are addressed by the neutral pronoun. There are many people who will find this bad and give up on the game because of it, which is totally foolish on their part, not to mention something heavier. I confess that at first I didn't understand some things when I read the dialogues, but when I realized it, I found it interesting. I don't have contact with many people who use neutral pronouns and that's why it seemed strange to me at first, but I liked that this element is in the game, because it makes us get in touch with it, so that it becomes increasingly natural in everyday life. Caravan SandWitch is about diversity and inclusion, so it's only fair that we have these elements that don't interfere with the gameplay at all.
The game's art is very beautiful, with a very pleasant color palette that goes very well with the gameplay style, which is also very simple and easy to understand. The soundtrack is incredible, with a lot of personality, always providing excellent soundtrack for your adventure. Exploration is very exciting, and you'll always feel like you can go anywhere you can see. The van is crucial for this, transporting you over long distances and gaining improvements that will allow Sauge to access places she wouldn't be able to on her own. In short, the game's lightness is noticeable in all its aspects.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Like any good exploration game, achievements will make you explore. A lot! From accessing specific places to jumping off ramps with the van, you'll have plenty of time to explore and you'll end up completing some achievements naturally, since you'll be walking around the environment a lot. In addition, we have some specific achievements, which are really fun, such as scoring a goal. In fact, I did this achievement without any intention, I just kicked a ball into a goal and was happy when the achievement appeared. I always score goals in games that allow this, always hoping for an achievement like this and I was happy that it finally happened. And of course, we have achievements related to the main story and side missions. They are easy achievements to do, which makes the game enjoyable to do 100% of the achievements.
CONCLUSION
I really like it when a game does something different from the norm. If you first look at Caravan SandWitch, you immediately think that at any moment, there will be enemies to be defeated. This change in expectation is great, because it goes a little off the rails of a standard game. A game doesn't always have to be about physical battles. Here, we have many issues that can be debated, accompanied by solitary moments of exploration, but that give you a wonderful lightness while listening to a beautiful soundtrack. I've been looking for more calm games, but that aren't basic, let's say. In Caravan SandWitch, I found a comfortable game, which I played every time, a little every day, before going to sleep. And comfort is the word that best describes how you feel when playing. Besides, I'm addicted to exploring maps to find hidden things, so this game is very rewarding for me. If you're looking for a game made with a lot of love and that will relax you, Caravan SandWitch should be your next game.
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