Sometimes, you just wanna toss an N64 cartridge in your trunk and drive cross-country to game with an old friend, and as unlikely a concept for a video game as that might seem, it’s exactly what you do in Keep Driving. This RPG’s offbeat approach to its unusual subject matter instantly charmed me, and while there are some rough edges in its Steam Next Fest demo, I can’t wait to see more.You start by naming your character and choosing a few character traits, like your current job status and how good your relationship with your parents is. From there, you load up your trunk with a bit of Resident Evil-style inventory Tetris, and select your next destination from a map. Your car starts up and gets moving without your input, leaving you to sit back and respond to the various events that unfold.The heart of the game is in random events, where you might get stuck behind a tractor, see a bit of roadkill, or have to deal with an argument between the hitchhikers you’ve picked up. These events t…

Manor Lords recently celebrated hitting 2.5 million sales with an update and a hefty discount, but it’s not the only strategy gem from publisher Hooded Horse that’s dominating the charts.Heading Hooded Horse’s sales for the year right behind Manor Lords with 1.2 copies sold is Against the Storm, another successful city builder with a stellar rating of “Overwhelmingly Positive” on Steam. Together, the two games could make up almost all of the publisher’s 4.5 million sales over the last 12 months – but they’re not the only smash-hit strategy titles from Hooded Horse proving to be successful this year.Empires of the Undergrowth, a personal favorite of mine in which you lead ant colonies, has sold almost half a million copies with over 450,000 sales to date. Norland, another medieval strategy game with more sex, drama, and Game of Thrones-style backstabbing, has managed to sell more than 300,000 copies since its early access debut this summer. It’s mind-boggling numbers all around, and it’…