Indie Game Lets You Build Your Dream Camper Van Down to the Smallest Detail
The latest car news, reviews, and features.
Camping is one of those activities that can be a lot of fun, provided you know what you're doing. If you don't, it can be a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, the medium of video games offers a quick way to skip the stress and get right to the joy of assembling your dream camper, and that's what Camper Van: Make It Home is all about. It caught our eye today, and it just released for PC via Steam on June 8.
This is an indie title made by a small team of eight people at Spain-based Malapata Studio. Originally launched through Kickstarter two years ago, the game is now live, along with a demo that offers a small taste of the experience. At its core, this is a creative puzzle game where you'll organize and decorate your roving home away from home, right down to the food in the pantry and flowers in pots. As you add discoveries to your scrapbook, you'll learn more about the main character's backstory through actions and objects, rather than words. You're not alone; there's a canine (or feline, or reptile) travel companion. And yes, you can pet them.
Naturally, it's all done in this pastel, cel-shaded visual style that relaxes you as you stack dishes in cabinets, customize your van's interior, and lay out camping chairs and board games outside. I tried the demo for about 15 minutes, and although it's a little difficult to determine where that experience ends and the rest of the game begins, I could immediately grasp the appeal. If you enjoy rearranging your furniture every once in a while but are limited by time, money, or energy (or perhaps all three), this game is perfect for you. Ditto if you have wholesome dreams of exploring the country in a cozy van with a furry or scaly friend. There's a photo mode in the game, and you can even load up the fridge! Each of those items is placed by the player. Steam, The Drive
You can run Camper Van on practically anything—the minimum requirements listed include GTX 660 graphics and an Intel Core i3 CPU—but a port to the Nintendo Switch (and, assuredly, Switch 2) is in the works. That fits, because this is the sort of game that seems tailor-made for a tablet, if not a mouse. And, with a Switch, you'd be able to take it anywhere, even on your next real-life road-trip adventure. You won't find it in the demo, but you're not limited to building and customizing just vans. Steam, The Drive
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