Caravan SandWitch to be rolled out on September 12th

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo offers early glimpse of cozy van trip through a "hopeful post-apocalyptic setting" coming to PC, PS5 and Switch

Usually post-apocalyptic worlds are dreary, depressing places, what with most people being dead and the planet being all but wiped out and all. But French developer Studio Plane Toast's Caravan SandWitch will take a much lighter, more hopeful approach when it's released on PC and consoles next month. 

You play as Sauge, returning to your home planet of Cigalo in pursuit of a distress signal sent by your sister before she mysteriously disappeared. Arriving in the town of Estello Village, you're loaned a customizable van by the kindly elder Rose to begin your search. The problem is, the signal you're tracking is being jammed, so you'll need to find scattered components that the local mechanic Nèfle can strip to build antennas. And so you set out on a journey to collect parts, whether on foot or in your van. As you progress, you will acquire new tools and upgrade your vehicle to open up new areas of exploration that were previously inaccessible. Along the way, you'll meet a variety of different inhabitants of this place, whom you can help with their tasks in exchange for helpful rewards – or just because it's the right thing to do, as in doing so you'll come to understand the important lesson that "community is your home." 

Described as a cozy, narrative-driven "semi-open world exploration adventure," Caravan SandWitch is a free-roaming, third-person 3D experience presented in a lovely cel-shaded art style. Though the planet has become desert-like due to the impact of human exploitation, its rugged beauty is meant to represent a "hopeful post-apocalypse" of inclusivity that encourages an appreciation of nature and people living in harmony with both the environment and each other. That includes the "Reinetos, an old aboriginal species" and a hodgepodge of robots and other humans who stayed behind when others fled, as well as the enigmatic titular SandWitch, all of whom now peacefully cohabitate in spite of – or perhaps partly because of – the harsh conditions. But one person is still missing, and only through environmental puzzle solving, cross-country driving sequences and some light platforming across "treacherous terrain" and ancient ruins will you be able to unravel the mystery behind your sister's disappearance.  

If a road trip across a scenic world sounds like your idea of a good time, you don't have long to wait, as Caravan SandWitch is due to launch on Windows PC on September 12th, along with console versions for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch platforms. In the meantime, you can try before you buy through the playable demo available now on Steam.