Heading Out Critic Reviews

Heading Out is a beautiful mix between racing game and visual novel. The gameplay makes a lot of fun and the story delivers a great experience. The style of the game is absolutely amazing and matches perfectly all other parts of the game.

Heading Out is one of the most inventive games I've played all year, with plenty of replayability, great ideas, and an engaging story.

I started out expecting Heading Out to purely be a racing title, but it is much more than that. The various interactions you have with strangers you meet along the way are impactful, often leading to an outcome that was not immediately evident. Keeping ahead of Fear whilst maintaining your limited resources and competing against the plethora of opponents that are eager to take you down is an absolute joy. The soundtrack is a highlight though, with a mix of synth-wave and Americana tunes that perfectly complements the game's atmosphere and had me hooked right until the final orchestral score of "Take Me Home". The soundtrack alone is reason enough to buy the game, but combined with the narrative, the stylized black and white visuals and the highway racing, Heading Out is a must buy.

If you go into Heading Out expecting a driving game, you’re probably going to be sorely disappointed. It’s something entirely different from that – and, improbably (given the different genres being thrown together), it works incredibly well.

Heading Out is an interesting racing game that blends narrative-driven elements successfully. The moment to moment gameplay is serviceable at the very least, with sections of real strength, but the experience is truly elevated by the game's atmosphere and structure. It won't be for everyone, but those who enjoy a title that tries to hybridize different ideas that shouldn't necessarily work together will certainly come to appreciate its full and compelling world.

Heading Out is an intricate, compelling story that mixes modular storytelling and roguelike structure with deeply America-flavored media of the 1970s and on, particularly the “road” genre. I’m not a car guy but I do enjoy some crusty Americana, especially the kind that challenges authority and romanticizes the sheer scale and variety of this unhinged nation. Sometimes it may get a little too cute for its own good, but for the most part Heading Out captures its intended vibe with a shocking level of skill and accuracy, an academic level of cultural understanding through a lens of media and literature. That’s pretty darn cool. Between that and the intriguing, almost insincere roguelike structure, we have a game that doesn’t really feel like anything else in its own space.

I hadn’t heard anything about Heading Out before it landed in my lap for review, and I am so grateful it did. I absolutely loved the gritty, 70’s feel of the racing and multiple vehicles. And I already gushed over the awesome soundtrack and radio personalities, as a fan of the talk radio in the recent GTA games this felt right up there as far as production value, content, and laughs. Mix all those things together and you end up with one mesmerizing road trip, that fans of the genre will be glad they took.

Heading Out is one of the most bizarre genre mixes ever encountered. The racing element is fun, the comic-style narrative engaging, the graphic design simply fantastic, the road trip aspects immersive, the radio broadcasts natural and bold, the pervasive threat suitably unsettling, and the desire to figure out what’s going on is immense. It's a strange game, but it works, it's enjoyable, and it's refreshing to see someone unafraid to experiment. This time, the gamble paid off.

Heading Out delivers a captivating narrative-driven experience, distinctively blending racing and adventure with a choice-driven storyline. Set against the backdrop of a visually stark yet intriguing open road, the game challenges players with moral dilemmas and strategic decision-making that significantly impact gameplay. While the main attraction lies in the enthralling scenarios and robust character interactions, the repetitive racing mechanics and less engaging driving portions may detract from the overall experience.

Heading Out seems like a great start to a game or a series that could continue to expand and get better. It lays the groundwork for some impressive ideas and concepts that racing games don’t usually tackle and offers you a chance to reflect on your own life in a surprising way.

In Heading Out, the journey matters more than the destination. It combines narrative adventure, driving arcade, and management elements with a unique art style. While it lacks depth in its driving gameplay compared to other arcade racers, it complements the narrative experience well, offering moral choices and a roguelite-like structure.

Heading Out feels like a vast ocean that is only an inch deep, introducing tons of exciting gameplay elements without developing them enough. It's still a decent game and offers a lot of quality when it comes to art design and story telling, but eventually fails to live up to its massive potential.

On the streets of Heading Out, there is some confusion. Serious Sim's game tries to combine racing and storytelling through some micro-management mechanics, but the balance between the parts does not hold for the entire game, and every now and then the narrative path seems inexorably shaped by the availability of resources. Heading Out, however, shows his best to eyes and ears, as the gray roads of North America flow beneath the wheels and the cassette tape in the stereo blasts a perfect travel soundtrack into the speakers.

Heading Out doesn't fulfil its true potential. But while its story isn't as gripping as it should be, and its driving mechanics aren't anything special, together, along with an eye-catching black and white comic book visual style, they make for an enjoyable time on the whole.

Heading Out is a decent game for those looking for primarily a driving-based game, and it delivers a fun, fast-paced adventure game where you choose how your story will play out.

A nice comic trip across the USA. It has a good idea, atmosphere, processing, and even the basis of the gameplay is not bad, it's just a shame that the gameplay is gradually the same and there are not enough new options to keep the game interesting.

Some of the short stories are nice to listen to and the driving itself feels good - but that's about it. The decisions made have no consequences worth mentioning, neither on a large nor small scale, the many repetitive races against depressingly lame opponents are potently sleep-inducing and even the protagonist's story is frighteningly irrelevant. Neither the damn good soundtrack nor the strong presentation can really do anything about this.

A weird race game who has its decisions as its fuel.