Jalopy, the "haunting piece of Eastern Bloc nostalgia" about a road trip from Berlin to Turkey in breakdown-prone Laika 601 Deluxe, is free for the taking for the next couple of days on the Humble Store. The latest Humble giveaway marks the beginning of the store's Spring Sale Encore, which features hundreds of games back on sale for the next four days.
The Jalopy roadtrip isn't about just driving a car: You'll have to assemble it first, and keep it running, repaired, and fueled as you trudge through a bleak, procedurally generated landscape. Our 2017 hands-on paints a grim portrait of crumbling infrastructure, loneliness, and stoic introspection:
"When I finally reach Yugoslavia, the game shows off the coastal area—something I’ve never seen before. But the roads still feel familiar. They bend in weird and dangerous ways, while stone hills loom over them. It’s nowhere in Yugoslavia; it’s everywhere in Yugoslavia. I gaze at the sea and reflect upon my journey. Have I changed like my Laika has? Different on the inside, with only the shell still the same? The car breaks down again and I’m reminded that no, it’s still the piece of garbage it has always been."
Not exactly the new Grid, in other words, but at the price I think we can all afford a little bit of experimentation. Jalopy is free until 10 am PT/1 pm ET on May 25, while the Humble Store Spring Sale Encore will run until the same time on May 27.
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