Caravan SandWitch: Delightful Sci-Fi Narrative-Driven Exploration

Caravan SandWitch is a sci-fi exploration adventure, just waiting to be had.

With a vibrant art style and stunning soundtrack, Caravan SandWitch provides a beautiful world and narrative to explore and uncover. We were lucky enough to get a review key for this narrative-driven game and experience the Provence-like world for ourselves. Settle in, we have a gameplay breakdown, our thoughts, and, of course, some great PC recs.

What Did We Play On?

Caravan SandWitch was played on a gaming laptop with an Intel Core i7 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU.

Component
CPU	Intel Core i7-10750H CPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU
RAM	16GB DDR4 RAM
Storage	SSD and HDD

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Caravan SandWitch Gameplay

Developed by Studio Plane Toast and published by Dear Villagers, Caravan SandWitch is a gentle sci-fi adventure set on Cigalo, a planet long impacted by humanity. You play as Sauge, a prodigal daughter returning home after receiving a mysterious message from her assumed dead sister. Old and new friends wait for you in the various communities still left on Cigalo, needing your help with tasks that will ultimately bring you closer to finding out what happened to your sister.

Exploring Cigalo

Cigalo was once a green and lush planet but was driven to a desert by human exploitation long ago. Most folk left for life in the Space City, but a few pockets of the community remain. As Sauge, you must help the remaining inhabitants, supporting them by venturing out across the vast landscape to complete tasks, find resources, and more.

Along the way, you’ll acquire new tools and upgrades to your trusty van, that will allow you to access new areas. As a result, you can venture further across the land to uncover the truth behind your sister’s disappearance. You can keep track of your travels using Toast, a smartphone style system that has access to chats with mission info, maps, and your inventory. Its familial interface is easy to use, and the messages add plenty of character and flavour!

There are no time limits on your missions, leaving you free to traverse the land by van or on foot as you please. It’s all about the journey. What’s more, there is no combat or death to interrupt your explorations. It’s just you, your van, and the world.

Caravan SandWitch game still from press kit

Caravan SandWitch Review

Caravan SandWitch is a beautiful game. From the art style to the incredible soundtrack, it is packed with stunning vistas just begging to be admired. All the makings of an immersive game, with a compelling narrative to keep you hooked.

The gameplay is delightfully chill. From very early on, you are free to just wander about. There are quests to complete, or you could sink an hour just discovering all the land has to offer. Without time limits, there is no pressure to push the story ahead – you can take your sweet, sweet time. Perfect for an unwind session when you need to recharge.

That’s not to say the story isn’t worth playing! With the mystery of your missing sister to solve, there is plenty of motivation to uncover the secrets of Cigalo. What I loved most about the narrative is the world building. In just a few short lines of dialogue and messages on Toast, you get a real sense of the world they live in and the relationships they have. Even passing comments about being taught how to bake bread, it’s this level of detail I live for.

The other big win in my books is the soundtrack. Scored by Antynomy, a French singer-songwriter, it is just perfect. The soft pop vibes are exactly what your travels need, and I cannot wait for this album to drop on Spotify.

An Enjoyable Experience

Developers Plane Toast wanted to make Caravan SandWitch a great experience for all, and that shows. The cast is diverse and the script is inclusive, effortlessly integrating the use of they/them pronouns and more to showcase that life is rich on Cigalo despite the harsh environment.

More than this, there are accessibility options available, too. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll know I am always happy to find motion sickness settings and Caravan SandWitch did not disappoint. With a few adjustments to the field of vision, I was able to enjoy exploring without the nagging feeling of nausea!

The one thing I did struggle with was controlling the van, but I do entirely chalk that up to my lack of game skills more than anything. (It’s me, hi! I’m the problem, it’s me.)

Final Thoughts

Overall, Caravan SandWitch is a wonderfully immersive experience. From the world building to Antynomy’s soft pop soundtrack, every element comes together beautifully.

What Platforms is Caravan SandWitch On?

Caravan SandWitch is available to play PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC from September 12^th 2024. The PC version includes controller support, too.

Is Caravan SandWitch Multiplayer?

Caravan SandWitch is a singleplayer adventure. But with a compelling narrative and so much to see and do, it would make an excellent game to stream!

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Caravan SandWitch Official Specifications

Is your gaming PC ready to explore Cigalo or does it need an upgrade of its own? Here are the official specifications for Caravan SandWitch:

Component	Minimum Specs	Recommended Specs
Operating System	Windows 11 / 10	Windows 11 / 10
Processor	AMD Ryzen 3 3100 Intel Core i3-8100	AMD Ryzen 7 1700X Intel Core i5-8600K
Memory	8GB RAM	16GB RAM
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti AMD Radeon RX 570	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 3050 Radeon RX 5600XT
DirectX	Version 11	Version 11
Storage	5GB available space	5GB available space

Best PCs to Play Caravan SandWitch

Beautiful graphics require modern hardware. While Caravan SandWitch can be played on older tech, my RTX 2060 is testament to that, you may need an upgrade or two to fully enjoy those stunning vistas. At Overclockers UK, we have an extensive range of gaming PCs and laptops that are ready for adventures on Cigalo. We’ve picked out a few favourites here, but you can explore our full range if they don’t meet your van life needs.

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