Over the Hill Reviews: Funselektor's Slow-Speed 4x4 Game Wins on Vibes, Splits on Purpose

In Over the Hill, second gear is as fast as it goes. TechRadar's Lewis Maddison points that out early in his review, and it tells you everything about the new game from Funselektor, the Canadian studio behind Art of Rally. There is no clock and no rival. There is an old 4x4, a map, a compass, a winch, and a mountain you want to be on top of.

The game launched on Steam on Oct. 14 for $24.99, with a 20 percent launch discount for its first two weeks and a $37.99 Supporter Edition. Funselektor says it arrived with 1.5 million wishlists, and versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and mobile are set for 2027. TechRadar and Traxion reviewed it on launch day, and RacingGames.gg followed on Oct. 15. TORQFOLIO has not reviewed it. Here is how their verdicts compare.

What it is

Funselektor describes it as a one-to-four-player off-road exploration game, with vehicles inspired by 1960s to 1980s off-roaders. Studio founder Dune Casu said in the launch release that he has spent much of the past decade living and working out of a camper van, and that the idea was simply to get in an old 4x4, head into the wilderness and see where you end up.

There are two regions. Maddison and Traxion's John Munro describe Canada's Valhallas mountain range, split into three areas of rivers, gorges and snow, and the Algerian desert, split into two. You uncover cabins or campsites that work as fast-travel bases, find crates with cosmetic parts, photograph wildlife and scenic points, and run Trial challenges along hard routes. All of it pays out in Pebbles, the game's currency, which buys engine, suspension, tire and protection upgrades.

Munro adds a nice detail about how the maps open up. Everyone starts in the same spot, but choosing east or west at the first fork can change the whole look of your progression, and pushing far enough eventually turns up a portal that carries you to a new area. Once you find a cabin, it stays unlocked, so over time you build a chain of base camps to start each trip from.

Where they agree: the look, the weather and the winch

Every reviewer fell for the art. Munro wrote that he has never reached for a photo mode more often, and described storms and nightfall swapping warm color for a real sense of isolation. RacingGames.gg's Francisco Carrico said the scenery can be breathtaking enough to make you forget about driving, and that the weather changes not just the grip but the whole environment. Maddison praised the pastel lighting and the ambient soundtrack.

They also agree the driving is slow and deliberate, and that the winch is the heart of it. Maddison explains that low and high range gearing matter, that steering is slow to turn and recenter, and that the winch can be fired at a tree with one button or run in a manual mode where you pick which side of the vehicle to pull from. Carrico calls the portable winch your best friend. Munro says the game rewards problem-solving, with luck deciding whether you land on your wheels or your roof.

They agree on one design choice too. Upgrades stay with the vehicle you bought them for. Carrico found that disappointing but understandable, since it pushes you back into the world, and Munro said dropping back into a stock vehicle after driving an upgraded one can feel lethargic.

The garage is resolutely vintage. Maddison says the bodies range from classic 4x4s and wagons to utilitarian work vehicles and a camper van, with nothing that looks newer than the 1990s, and that each handles differently even though the game never lists stats. The winch is always with you, but the other tools, the anchor you can winch to when there are no trees, planks for gaps and traction, a jack for righting a rolled truck, a repair kit and a portable camp, are single-use items you load before heading out and restock at campsites. Maddison found the planks fiddly to line up but rewarding when they work.

Where they split: is it too aimless?

This is the real disagreement. Maddison, who played about 10 hours with a Funselektor save file that unlocked every area, called the game enjoyable but said there is not a lot to do in its beautiful but barren environments, and that upgrade paths run out quickly. His summary line is that he found it "a little too aimless sometimes." He said the Trial challenges give the clearest sense of purpose, and that future updates may add more.

Munro liked it much more but also wanted more locations, since each map is a new story, and called a few additions like sculpted rock hands and floating islands outlandish. Carrico had no such doubts, calling it "arguably the best cozy racing game ever" and praising how it gets you to wander toward whatever catches your eye. Every reviewer said it is better with friends.

TORQFOLIO's read

Read together, the reviews describe a game for a specific mood. If you like the slow, careful side of off-roading, picking lines, setting a winch anchor, crawling out of a wash before a storm rolls in, and you want to do it with a few friends and a good soundtrack, the testers say $24.99 buys a lot of calm. If you want a goal list, a career or speed, Maddison's warning is fair, and the other open-world car games have you covered.

For the off-road and overland crowd, it is a rare game that captures the part of the hobby that is about the trip, not the time. Console players will have to wait until 2027.