Caravan SandWitch Review: An outstanding post-apocalyptic adventure

Post-apocalyptic worlds have been done to death. Much like the ravaged landscapes these stories often depict, we’ve become weary of the familiarity of the stories told. This is why Caravan SandWitch feels like such a rarity – it's so fresh, so innovative.

I won’t claim it delivers an especially original narrative, nor will I pretend it breaks the mould and ignores generic conventions. Neither of those statements would be true. And yet, while it follows several well-known tropes, Caravan SandWitch has a uniqueness few titles ever possess.

The hallmarks of what make it special aren’t immediately clear, but once you settle into life back on Cigalo, its individuality makes its presence known.

What does being a Caravan SandWitch entail? Watch the trailer to find out

What’s easily perceived as a cosy experience has a prevalent undertone of melancholy throughout. There’s sorrow in the lives of the NPCs you meet, and while there’s also joy, a quiet sadness is present in each chapter of Sauge’s journey.

It’s necessary for the game to be this way, for without that heaviness of heart, the story told in the six chapters of this game would feel hollow. By making Sauge’s grief tangible, we’re able to almost feel the highs and lows of her experience as if they’re our own.

I have no intention of spoiling the secrets that are revealed over the course of your time on Cigalo. The charm of Caravan SandWitch is discovering them for yourself. That said, I will set the scene for you should you be unsure of what this title is about.

You play as Sauge, a young woman who’s been living off-world. After receiving a distress signal from your sister’s ship six years after she went missing, you return home to try and find out what happened to her. There’s angst, there’s resentment, there’s pain – all the classic trappings of a coming-of-age tale.

To learn the truth, you need to venture outside of the town’s limits and visit the surrounding areas. But the more you venture further afield, the more you feel yourself being observed by an individual you're unsure is friend or foe.

During these moments when the mysterious figure appears, there’s a genuine sense of unease as you watch them disappear around a corner. There’s no violence or risk of death in this game, yet you don’t feel 100 percent safe when they show up. The way they move, combined with the eerie music that seems to only play during these scenes, creates a sense of dread while stoking the fires of curiosity. You’re compelled to find out more.

Armed with gumption and a trusty van, you embark on a tour of a compact yet well-rounded open world adventure. Although the map is relatively small when compared with other games, its distinctive regions make it feel larger than it actually is. There’s the odd desolate area devoid of life, but it’s in keeping with the game rather than a missed opportunity to flesh out the environment.

This variation is conveyed through the environmental puzzles you face as well, in which you’ll need to skilfully navigate the rocky cliffs to reach a spot of interest, or as you speed along a zipline between ruins. It’s easy to become frustrated during the early stages of Caravan SandWitch because you can’t reach every secret marked on your map, but patience is key here. A means of accessing the once inaccessible comes as Sauge’s investigation progresses.

Your van is your lifeline. Traversing the map without it would be a fool’s errand, especially considering the number of optional errands Sauge can undertake. If you’re not one for community spirit, you may find gathering enough components to unlock key items tricky. Although you can find these while exploring, helping NPCs out is by far the easiest way to obtain a large number of components in one go.

Naturally, this thirst for exploration can mean you visit a region earlier than the game intends. Even though I did this on numerous occasions, you’re not penalised for it, you’ll simply reach a point where you need to turn back until you have the right equipment. There's a great sense of freedom born from it. Even more so when you find a blue cushion and take a breather to admire the vista before you.

Inevitably though, there is some grinding, and thus the back and forth can become tedious, though it's not nearly as monotonous as other cosy experiences. I feel that go-fetch missions are the bread and butter of these types of games whether we want to admit it or not. What makes Caravan SandWitch’s format feel less taxing is its laid-back approach. Although there’s optional tasks, they’re not time sensitive; you’ll never feel pressured to keep to a strict schedule.

By and large, Caravan SandWitch is a near-perfect game. It’s undoing, at least for me, came towards the end of my playthrough when the game crashed. There were also moments when an unexpected camera angle change left me feeling monetarily removed from my leisurely trip across the sand dunes. All of this is minimal, though. Moreover, thanks to regular autosaves, you won’t lose much progress if you should find yourself in a similar position.

Caravan SandWitch is still fresh in my mind, as is its emotive finale, a conclusion reached based on the choice you make. I suspect, however, that in the days to follow, Sauge will often pop into my mind, her orange van waiting for me to start the ignition once more. The main story may be over, but the world of Cigalo is too beautiful to only explore once.

Pros: Gorgeous aesthetic, laid back pace, simple controls, emotive narrative

Cons: Predictable tropes, occasionally too repetitive, not nearly enough sandwiches

For fans of: Farewell North, Stray, Jusant

Score: 9/10: Exceptional

Caravan SandWitch is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5 (version tested). Review code provided by the publisher. Find a complete guide to GAMINGbible's review scores here.