Roguelike Racing Revs Onto Switch In "Oregon Trail Meets The Dakar Rally"

Publisher Black Smoke Studios has announced that it's bringing a funky new style of roguelike rally game to Switch in the summer.

Desert Race Adventures has you race across Europe and Africa, through wetlands, deserts, jungles, and even along good old-fashioned tarmacadam, as you look to win races whilst juggling resources, managing team members, allocating food, and dealing with random encounters - because "s**t happens on the road," apparently.

It's certainly a very pretty-looking effort from Portuguese dev Firedrake Games - we're really digging the retro-pixel rally vibe, and the mechanical-drawing style of the car customisation areas are pretty sweet to boot. We're also not aware of having played anything else that puts all these elements together in one package, so we're 100% intrigued in seeing how each race, or "run" if we want to get all roguelike about it, pans out.

According to the official press release:

"Set out on a race across Europe and Africa. Manage your team, vehicle and supplies strategically as you navigate the treacherous terrain. Each challenge on the road forces difficult decisions that impact your journey. Lead your pilot team to victory, and finish with a high score! Or try, fail, and try again…"

Manage your crew and resources: From selecting your team members to managing your vehicle's resources, every decision impacts your journey. Carefully allocate your food, fuel, and spare parts to sustain your team and maintain your vehicle.

Sh*t happens on the road: Event encounters can either propel you forward or set you back. Choose your course of action wisely!

Retro-inspired visuals: Drive into the beautifully crafted, retro-inspired world. It’s a pixel-perfect combo of retro visuals and modern gameplay.

Race and race again: With multiple strategies and pilot combos to explore, and the unpredictable nature of the event system... every run will be a unique adventure!

From what we've gleaned from the trailer, which you can see above, and from the selection of screens provided thus far, it's hard to tell at this point just how much actual driving is involved, or how that will work, so let's keep our fingers crossed that the runs involved as you make your way across continents have enough entertaining aspects to keep it all fun and frantic.

However, with mentions of The Oregon Trail in the press release, and with some evidence of a narrative and a little mystery to get wrapped up in, we're keeping our [insert car parts of choice] trained on this one as that release window approaches.

Is Desert Race Adventures more likely to rev your motor or grind your gears? Let us know in the comments!