Is It a Movie? Is it a Game? Is It a Podcast? Well, It Certainly Is Unique – Blind Drive Review

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The hard truth is that games are characterized by their visuals all the time, showing off flashy graphical tricks or high aesthetic design, but games of that ilk typically fall short in the sound department—either in terms of musical score, sound effects, or voiceovers. And often when this happens the game in question gets a pass as long as it remains attractive.
But what happens when those roles are reversed? When development is entirely focused on the sound of a game and its visuals are almost completely ignored? The answer to this ponderous question comes to us from the Israeli studio Lo-Fi People with the aptly titled Blind Drive.
[Editor’s note: Last week we held a contest where TapTap users could submit their choices for hidden gems they recommended to other users and TapTap editors. We had so many great recommendations that we couldn’t wait to check some of them out for ourselves. Blind Drive was recommended by TapTap user @ugly. Thank you to ugly (and I’m sure you truly aren’t ugly...) for the suggestion, and look forward to more TapTap Explorer opportunities in the future!]
The game puts you in the appropriate, aural mood almost immediately, casting you in the role of a man who is a guinea pig of sorts in a mysterious (supposed) experiment. He is handcuffed and blindfolded inside an auto-accelerating car...that’s also been placed on the opposite side of the road. The goal is to survive by controlling the steering wheel and avoiding the cars that are hurtling towards you.
This is a classic setup seen in a few other action/driving video games over the years, but the big difference here is that you’re blindfolded which, of course, prevents you from seeing anything. This leaves your hearing as your only tool for survival on the long and winding road ahead. The sound of an engine rumbling in your left ear is a not-so-subtle cue to turn right, and so on. It goes without saying that the entire experience is based on the Blind Drive’s stellar sound design, so headphones or earbuds are essential if you want to survive in any capacity in this cruel, dark world.
In the ​​world of sound design, Lo-Fi People consistently succeeds here, managing to effectively depict the environment via sound effects alone. Despite its seemingly simple concept, Blind Drive has a rather large learning curve—that is, until you are sufficiently trained to recognize, deconstruct, and separate the multiple, mixed sounds that assault your ears while playing.
I had many “do-overs” until I learned the correct and appropriately nimble response to the sound stimuli and the correct maneuvering of the car in tune with these stimuli. The mechanics also changed according to the type of vehicle I had to avoid. This gameplay loop is inherently limited, of course, and somewhat repetitive, as there are only so many design possibilities the creators can come up with here.
However, it’s here where the ingenuity and the passion of the team shine through as Blind Drive’s compelling script buoys what could have been a just one trick pony. In particular, as the game progresses, the narration that instructs you from the outset throws up real-world obstacles, making your life more difficult by turning on the radio or closing the windows. Meanwhile, other fun twists crop up (e.g., a rather rude GPS and a detour through a farm replete with redneck ranchers) that keep the experience fresh.
Your increasingly paranoid progression is achieved through the aforementioned narration segments, which deliver a rather effective one-two punch with Blind Drive’s core gameplay. The dialogue is characterized by clever black humor—as well as a hefty dose of sarcasm and surrealism—while maintaining your interest and bringing you back for just one more jaunt down the highway. In fact, Lo-Fi People has achieved one of the better blends of comedic dialogue and core gameplay, and this earns them huge points in the “inspiration” and “originality” categories.
By way of example, when driving along at one point, you hear a jingle from the side of the road... That's a person on a bike, and if you knock them off the road, you get extra points. This kind of black humor seems strongly influenced by modern, more adult-skewing, animated shows like South Park or Rick & Morty. It should also be mentioned here that, much like in those two shows, the voice acting and performances in Blind Drive are excellent all around. Beyond the deft touches of dark humor, the whole experience is otherwise characterized by tremendous tension and suspense. With strained ears (and even more strained nerves) and my reflexes constantly at the ready, I was feeling emotions comparable to the best of what the horror genre accomplishes at certain points.
The only thing visible on your screen while playing Blind Drive is a minimalistic, heads-up display (HUD)...along with a couple clever Easter eggs which I won’t spoil here. However, there is also the option for no HUD whatsoever—a choice that makes the experience even more absurd and unique. The only negative here, really, is the game’s length, which barely exceeded two hours and left me with a cliff-hanger of sorts that only made me want to continue this journey further.
Blind Drive touts itself as an audio-based-black-comedy-action-arcade game, and the only issue I have with that lengthy subtitle is with the last word: “game.” A decade or so ago, when the games of David Cage and Quantic Dream hit the scene, there was a lively debate in the gaming realm about whether such titles should be called games or “interactive movies.” There could be a similar conversation in regard to Blind Drive as well, with the only variation on the theme being that here we may have the first interactive podcast in the form of a game—it’s a new hybrid, artistic creation!
If something like this came out in the ‘60s, it would’ve been an episode of The Twilight Zone. If it were a movie, it would’ve been something concocted by the devious, comedic minds in Monty Python. As a game, it's Blind Drive, and you can play it without opening your eyes even once. Such an effort is definitely worth a look...or a listen.
SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
PLAY IF YOU LIKE:
CarX Highway Racing. Give Blind Drive a test drive if you like CarX Technologies’s adrenaline-fueled dashes with real-world physics through Australia, France, and Russia.
• Night Driver. Blind Drive may not be a retro classic like Atari’s original foray into the driving game arena, but it definitely has a similar theme.
💬 Have you played Blind Drive? Let us know what you think of it in the comments! Even if you haven't played it, leave a comment sharing your favorite driving games!
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Huggy wuggy 😜
Huggy wuggy 😜
1
Huh I don’t get it
08/03/2022
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User463612169
User463612169
Author
1
What don't you get?
08/03/2022
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Anjali Devi
Anjali Devi
1
I like drawing
08/03/2022
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User463612169
User463612169
Author
1
I do too! 😁
08/03/2022
Hurry Careen
Hurry Careen
3
I never played beforr
08/02/2022
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gaurav sirohi
gaurav sirohi
1
Srr see re we’re
08/02/2022
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StaggerLee
StaggerLee
1
Fun fact, Rod Serling’s Original Twilight Zone is one of my favorite TV series of all time. So, now I have to download and play this.
08/01/2022
Author liked
User463612169
User463612169
Author
Yeah, all those episodes hold up really well as do the Night Gallery episodes. Check out that show as well if you dig TZ.
08/01/2022
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Nedred
Nedred
its looks different than the version i have
08/20/2022
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