This one only recently caught my eye, but it felt like Caravan SandWitch had a good relaxing vibe. And such a relaxing vibe is what I found when playing. Studio Plane Toast have crafted a great world to discover, experiencing how it came to be what is seen across the adventure through the characters that have lived there while Sauge moved away from their home world to live in the space cities.

It is the mystery of their sister that brings Sauge back home to Cigalo and the village of Estello. A distress signal has been sent from the spaceship of Garance, who was long thought to be dead. In heading to catch a space train, Sauge meets up with Nèfle loading supplies onto that train. The two friends then travel to Cigalo, where the two meet with the rest of the village.

Starting with Rose, who had been waiting with the van to pick Nèfle and the supplies up. Of course, the van was accidentally driven into a rock and needs a bit of work, but that’s okay as Nèfle is a mechanic. And Sauge knows how to drive it. Movement both in and out of the van is smooth, with Sauge automatically climbing ledges. A jump and a run help with accessing those places the automatic climb can’t easily.

As for the van, it handles the terrain well. A speed boost can quicken the drive, though I never felt I needed to. It acts as a fast travel point when away from it, allowing Sauge to instantly warp inside no matter the distance. Such a feature is useful, as is the warp to the garage when stuck. Later come the gadgets added to it, which are easily swappable and come with their own easy to use controls.

With the first chapter underway, there’s a few things to be doing. Destroying the signal jammers that block any contact or connection being made. Collecting components that are scattered around the world to build gadgets. Helping the villagers and those beyond its walls with anything they might ask. Such help can reward components, so it pays to help those in need.

The primary quests are how chapters are advanced, with a warning appearing to make sure no other quests will be missed once it has. Those other quests will be something you’ll want to do beyond just for the reward, as there’s some nice writing and character moments to be found with the interactions. Both in person and on Toaster, the social media network used for tracking the quests.

This network is made by the Consortium, a company that created many things. Including the machine that started up the Eternal Storm, a vortex of wind and lightning seen across the desert wastes to the south. Seeing the facilities that have been abandoned by the Consortium tells a history of the world. The plans they were working toward on Cigalo. Ruins which are now watched over, along with the people that remain, by a figure wrapped in red and white.

Just who that figure is and what they’re planning is something the first few chapters don’t reveal beyond glimpses of the figure. And a name. SandWitches. Along with getting the answers on where Garance is, this mystery is also what drives the narrative of the main quest. As the adventure gets ever closer to being able to transfer inside the Eternal Storm, you’ll definitely begin to piece things together.

There’s a nice world to explore in Caravan SandWitch, with it not feeling too large. With plenty of varied terrain, no area feels too bland. The facilities are like small, simple puzzles to navigate, with new gadgets allowing further discovery of them. Several points of interest are marked on the map with question marks. These can be radios, which change the background music playing, or resting places. Speaking of the music, it has a relaxing feel to it.

A few issues that are likely to get fixed include the camera blipping between near and far positions when in confined spaces, or snapping to the side for a second when in the van. On the Switch, there can be a few frame drops, and the visuals do become fuzzy when in handheld mode. I’ve also noted that many times when needing to drive someone to a location, the off-trail message appears as soon as it starts, resetting the van… at exactly the same position it was. More funny than annoying, honestly.

Caravan SandWitch is a lovely experience. Relaxed, with no real pressure to perform its quests. A nice sense of progression, great characters and interactions, and no danger whatsoever. Can jump from the highest of cliffs with no consequence. As such, I can easily recommend you play Caravan SandWitch.

Images Taken From:
Caravan SandWitch | Nintendo Switch [Handheld]