Art of Rally follow-up Over the Hill's biggest success is finding a way to be a driving game that asks you to take it slow

I'd nearly forgotten Over the Hill's predecessor, Art of Rally, was a racing game. But that's not meant as a slight. It's just that, for all the happy hours I poured into it, I don't recall doing a single race. Instead, it was the aimless meandering, the soothing rhythms of exploration and absent-minded collectible hunting in its free-roam mode that held me transfixed. So the fact Over the Hill completely jettisons the racing stuff and leans entirely into the meditative bit - it even starts with a golden Buddha statue running you through the basics, which probably tells you everything you need to know - is exactly my kind of thing.

Over the Hill very much feels like Art of Rally's free-roam mode writ large. Here the entire focus is on unhurried off-road exploration across large open swathes of stylised, vividly hued wilderness. And the vibe of its minimalist roaming, its uninsistent structure, very definitely skews toward 'chill'. Which is to say, if you're the kind of person who craves direction and explicit goals, or who's looking for speedy racing thrills, I don't think this is the adventure for you. But if, like me, you count yourself among the sandbox explorers, the curious meanderers, the tranquility seekers of the world, it offers its own special kind of driving thrill.

And it begins, of course, with some wheels; initially attached to a 4x4 "trail" vehicle whose handling is about as far removed from 'spritely' as you can go. As the Buddha bestows its off-road wisdom on you, you'll bounce awkwardly over rocks, crawl sluggishly up hills, and winch yourself through squelching mud in the most unbecoming fashion, switching between low and high gears for better traction depending on the invariably challenging terrain. Even a few hours in, with a few new vehicles and upgrades to your name, the pace remains a slow, careful one as you ride through the undulating woodland of the Canadian Valhallas or the boulder-strewn Algerian desert. It doesn't take long to learn caution is almost always the best approach, unless you enjoy extracting yourself from a forest with a 65-point-turn.

It's a game for patient souls, then, but if you can adapt to Over the Hill's unhurried (some might even say glacial) rhythms, it's a lovely world to be in - lilting guitars and gentle harmonicas providing a soothing accompaniment as you trundle ever onward toward your next vague, self-determined goal. Developer Funselektor shapes its game with the lightest of touches, filling its attractive open-world maps with enigmatic question marks - potential points of focus for your meandering - and unlockable camps that act as fast-travel points. Here, you can also speed up time if you want to escape the rain and whipping sandstorms, or if you fancy a hair-raising nighttime jaunt, or simply wish to watch the sun rise at dawn.

As for those question marks, sometimes they'll reveal nothing more than an abandoned crate containing a silly cosmetic when you reach them - a yeti-themed car antenna, perhaps, or a kayak you can stick on your roof for some wilderness flair (and to differentiate yourself from your pals if you fancy a knockabout roam in multiplayer). Other times you'll trigger a succession of curated trail route waypoints, tempting you across treacherous terrain - cautiously circling the rocks around a lake's perimeter, say, or winding along a perilously uneven precipice to reach a distant overhang - to secure your reward at the end. Sometimes, too, you'll find an abandoned truck you'll need to tow back to homebase, or maybe you'll simply stumble upon a lovely view.

But really, these are just excuses; lures to keep you moving and exploring the world. And actually, I kind of think it's more enjoyable to forget the map completely and just let your whims guide you across the tricksy terrain, adjusting your course should the telltale smoke of a new mystery come into frame. Because it really is about the journey here. Every inch of Over the Hill's wilderness is its own kind of puzzle, each curve of the landscape threatening minor frustrations where little victories can be won, as you plot the most advantageous route in real-time; winding a gentle path across a river bank waiting to suck you into the mud, say, or across a blockade of boulders liable to get you wedged if you try to rush through.

Gradually you begin to realise Over the Hill isn't quite as formless, and its maps as disorderly, as they initially seem. You'll take a meandering path toward a tempting waypoint, only for it to remain tantalisingly out of reach unless you can puzzle a circuitous route through treacherous canyons and across the rickety bridge that offers final passage. And Over the Hill's minimalist progression builds on that further: some points of interest are properly inaccessible until you've got enough points - earned as you explore the map - to upgrade your vehicle. So ever onward through the untamed wilderness you go.

As you do, the sun rises and falls into starlight; rain batters the landscape before the clouds part again onto skies of blue. There's wildlife too - foxes, moose, owls, camels, bears, and more - so why not slow down and take some photos for your compendium? Why go fast at all in fact, Over the Hill seems to say, when you could relax, breathe, and simply take it all in?