Fire up the Landy! Over the Hill, Funselektor and Strelka Games’ off-roader which takes the hardcore trail-running you get in a sim like SnowRunner and sands off the edges a bit to make for more chill countryside-roaming, finally has a release date. It’s set to motor onto the scene in October, following a Steam Next Fest demo which I dug.

October 14th is the exact date Over the Hill will trundle onto Steam in full, meaning it’ll rock up not long after Star Wars: Galactic Racer and will have to fight September castoff Valor Mortis (not that the latter two bear many similarities).

If you missed my impressions of its Next Fest demo in June, Over the Hill’s part chummy drive through nature on your own or with up to three co-op mates, part mischievous trickster that’s trying to lull you into a false sense of security so it can cackle at your broken down misfortune when you accidentally seize your engine trying to ford a river that’s too deep or roll into some trees at such an angle that you can’t easily get your jeep back on its wheels.

Exploration and wildlife-spotting across open wilderness maps is the name of the game, hunting for the likes of cabins to stay in, upgrades for your customisable ride, and the likes of challenging off-road trails that’ll test your driving and winching skills. As with Funselektor’s previous works like Art of Rally and Absolute Drift, it mixes minimalistic visual vibes and calm atmosphere with mechanics still capable of biting you if you relax too much and start to get careless.

I’ve had my eye on it for ages, so will almost certainly don my cargo shorts to give it a go in some form around release. If you like the look of it, you can wishlist it on Steam.