Journey through a dying world to unravel a mystery while helping the last remaining people on the planet. Find out more in our Caravan SandWitch review!

Have you ever had that dream of leaving everything behind, hopping in a caravan, and just going exploring? Well, don’t quit your day job because you can do exactly that in Caravan SandWitch. First-time French developers, Plane Toast, have put together a one-of-a-kind game that sees your mode of transport in the style of a, you guessed it, caravan. Does this explorative game stick to the tracks or do all the wheels fall off? Find out in our Caravan SandWitch Review!

There was so much relaxing, I need a break from it.

Caravan SandWitch Review – Story

The narrative setup for Caravan SandWitch is quite simple. You play as Gauge, who lives in a Space City but gets a distress message from her sister on their home planet of Cigalo. This is concerning as she disappeared 6 years ago. So Gauge heads back home to understand where this message came from and if it is her sister, Garance. Once landed, you reunite with some old friends in the town of Estello. This acts as your base where you can unlock upgrades for your caravan. Speaking off, you unlock the caravan and the open world after the opening mission. You can explore to your heart’s content but a lot of areas will need an upgraded caravan to access.

Even Mega corps ruin space travel.

As you go through the story and complete missions, the history of the planet takes shape. Mainly how mega Corp, The Consortium, devastated the planet’s ecosystem and created the perpetual storm that messes with the magnetic field of Cigalo. The other mystery that surrounds this is the Sand Witches. At first, they appear to be a rumour, but as the story unfolds, you learn that these mysterious people are watching your every move.

Which witch is the witch? A sandwich or a SandWitch?

Whilst the main missions can be completed relatively quickly once you have the required parts to build the next upgrade for your van, the bulk of your time will be spent scavenging across the wasteland to find these parts. Completing side quests however, is your best bet to obtain a bucket load of materials which sends you to most parts of the map anyway. To help with this you have access to a map on your pause menu along with an inventory and the in-game chat system, Toaster, to converse with friends regarding quests.

The caravan looks a bit iffy but it controls really well!

The end of the game answers all your questions but at a very rushed pace. Unfortunately, the story seems to wrap everything up too quickly for its fantastic characters, most of which don’t get the closure that they deserve. Luckily the game has two endings, which can both be done in one playthrough, that offer a little more enlightenment to the main narrative, it’s just a pity that the conclusion is so swift.

Definitely want to retire here.

Caravan SandWitch Review – Gameplay

Plane Toast has filled a bag full of different gameplay elements from several genres. Driving, climbing, scavenging, and exploring are the main components you will find in Caravan SandWitch. Your main tool is the Caravan itself, with Gauge not being able to do much outside of it aside from run, jump and climb. As stated before, you unlock more equipment for your van, with a radar dish that can look for items, a zipline to access higher ground and another component to unlock doors.

This upgrade for the caravan can open doors and act as a zipline!

To unlock these you need to scavenge old machinery to find parts which are strewn all across the world. There is an absolute abundance so whatever you do, you wont need to look in every nook and cranny. Although there are different rarities of these components, common, uncommon, rare and exceptional. Of course additional upgrades will require more of each and your first instinct may be immediately to explore to find as much as you can. However, focusing on side missions nets you a large chunk when completed and will let you access areas previously locked.

 Plane Toast called the messenger service Toaster, brilliant.

Caravan SandWitch Review – Visuals

The devastated world of Cigalo is simultaneously gorgeous and drab. Amongst the dessert ruins of old buildings lie pockets of civilisation like the forrest of the Reinato people. Their home cave is also another escape from the Wasteland outside, featuring colourful Mushrooms and flowers.

Now that’s a storm.

The designs for each character are also unique and colourful, especially Gauge with her short bob of red hair and Teal jacket. Not to forget your actual Caravan that is a pleasing yellowish colour which is striking enough to stand out against the sandy backdrop covering most of the planet. Even in a post apocalypse there is a glimmer of hope which life clings to and that is what Caravan SandWitch highlights.

So much colour for a world that has seen so much destruction.

Caravan SandWitch Review – Audio

Usually when a game is considered cosy the accompanying tunes matches that vibe. A lot of people wouldn’t call tending to your farm alongside the sounds of ACDC relaxing. In any case Caravan SandWitch supplies a perfect soundtrack. With calming melodies as you explore and track down parts, it really feels calming in all the right ways.

There are no voice acting to speak of, but that works quite well here, with the characters having different sounds as speech whilst you read their text bubble. The additional little beeps an boops of interacting with elements in the world also presents in such a way that isn’t it your face but distinctive enough to grab your attention. Right down to the little detail that each item you find has a slightly different sounds when prompted to collect it.

Caravan SandWitch Review – What Else?

Whilst the main questline is relatively short, the many side quests help bolster this. Due to the fact you require many components to progress, these almost feel like the main story anyway. Plus, every character you help usually has something interesting to say about Cigalo or their backgrounds, which makes the world all the more immersive.

Helpful to track quests and even character locations.

Trophy/achievement hunters will be pleased as the list of tasks is relegated to finishing all side quests and exploring everywhere. There are also a few miscellaneous ones like scoring a goal with a ball in the town, which is a nice little addition.

Caravan SandWitch Review – Conclusion

Caravan SandWitch is a strange amalgamation of genres but somehow it’s charm, cartoon style and fun gameplay makes it all work. Whilst the intriguing story sets the scene, the real wholesome parts of the game lie with the many side quests for the distinctive characters that require your assistance.

The small section of forest was very welcome!

The world building surrounding the story is even more fascinating and makes you get back in the van in order to uncover hidden details about this devastated planet. With calm music, bountiful exploration and endearing individuals, this is a cosy game with the soul of adventure.

So, why should you play Caravan SandWitch?

• A relaxing indie explorative adventure
• Encounter interesting characters each with their own story
• Drive and collect parts at your own pace

But why shouldn’t you play Caravan SandWitch?

• Some questions get left un-answered
• Quests seem mostly fetch based
• You don’t like to relax

A review code was kindly provided by Plane Toast for the purpose of our Caravan SandWitch review.  You can check out our other reviews here and if you haven’t already, be sure to join the Qualbert Discord to find out about the latest game and review updates!