By Chris Picone, 05 February, 2025

Keep Driving calls itself a "management RPG." While it does feature dialogue, level/skill progression, decision-making, and turn-based combat, I'm reluctant to think of it as an RPG.  However, it is definitely a management sim, 

Keep Driving starts very loosely.  You pick a few starting bonuses, collect a letter with instructions to attend a festival on the far side of the world map, and away you go.  But like any real life journey, the story writes itself along the way.  Predominantly you will find yourself facing a variety of challenges along the road from one town to the next.  These can be everything from speed cameras and traffic jams to flocks of birds and rainbows.  Each challenge comes with a range of relevant threats that target some of your key health indicators; your energy, your car's durability, your fuel, your money.  You must use your skills and a variety or items (duct tape, chewing gum, etc.) to defend yourself.  Each removes particular threats in certain patterns, so you need to be very careful to maximise efficiency.  Interestingly, your skills are only useable a few times each, so you really need to use them at the right times.  However, as you level up, you will learn new skills, and along the way you will also pick up a range of hitch hikers who also come with a range of skills based on their personality. It keeps the game feeling fresh as it prevents you from falling into facing each challenge with the same play each time.  Your items are limited in availability, and cost money, which is hard to come by.  It's a surprisingly challenging game.  Almost forgot to mention:  The aesthetics in this game are bloody amazing, some really nice pixel art scenes, and a great radio system which expands as you explore the game and unlock new tracks.

The verdict?  While Keep Driving does feature a sort of organic story and some decision making, I think anyone going in expecting an RPG will be disappointed.  However, if you like your management games and enjoy a sort of card-based battle system, it's a very solid game with beautiful visuals and engaging characters.

 Links:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2756920/Keep_Driving/