In Camper Van: Make It Home, from developer Malapata Studios, I sink into a relaxing flow and decorate my little house on wheels. After already bringing a smaller camper van to life and travelling to a new destination, I'm now in an upgraded, larger vehicle, and it's pretty clear from the getgo that someone else resides here, too. With various belongings to set down, from toiletries to clothing and kitchenware, I have to fit all my stuff in with what's already here.
At one stage I unpack a mug that's decorated with a happy face and small arms that just so happens to match another on a countertop. To my delight, placing the mug opposite the other makes their arms link up as if in their embrace. At that moment, I realize I'm making a home for a couple. Fast forward to the next destination, and the connecting mug is gone, as is all of the other belongings I was fitting mine around, and I'm stocking up the freezer with tubs of ice cream and placing chocolates on my bed.
It's one of the many ways I'm reminded of Unpacking, with both Camper Van: Make It Home's organizing and environmental storytelling capturing me in much the same way as Witch Beam's pixelated, zen puzzler. But with delightful lo-fi music, beautiful changing backdrops as you move from place to place, and a pet companion, it has its own distinct road trip vibe, too.
Life on the road
You start out with a pretty small camper van, with options to choose its interior and exterior color, as well as which cute little charm you hang off its rear-view mirror (I opt for a happy frog, myself). Then, you're free to start setting down all your belongings, which proves to be quite the puzzle in itself since you have limited space. With a bed that has a pull out compartment that houses shelves and also serves as a fold out table, I sink into the sense of satisfaction it brings me to figure out the perfect spot for every object, from popping stationary in a shallow drawer, to finding a nook for my rolled up socks.
With different symbols on the right-hand side of the screen that mark different kinds of belongings – with a sandwich for food items, or a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste for toiletries, clicking on them will generate different household items in those categories. Once the symbol is completely purple, you know all objects from that section have been placed. Never knowing what item you get with each click adds to the puzzle element, since you might settle something down, only to have to rejig everything when another object would be a better fit for that space.
Just like Unpacking, I love how each item starts to paint a picture of the person who's on this journey. A guitar and polaroid camera? They clearly have a creative streak. Later on, I even squeal with delight when I pull out a Switch game box that I can instantly tell pays homage to Animal Crossing: New Horizons (they're clearly a person of taste, too).
Once all of the items are in place, I'm free to move on to the next destination, and each step of my journey is chronicled in a scrapbook that I can look back on any time. From venturing to a sunsoaked campsite, to a picturesque mountainside, and more, I also love the way the camper evolves throughout; getting bigger, or bringing in some new compartments for me to place objects in.
Alongside the environmental storytelling, I also get such a kick of the interactivity of some of the objects, as well as the camper van interior. While the camera can be a bit clunky to move around at times on PC, it's an absolute joy to click on everything to see if there are hidden interactions – like pulling up a collapsible shower, or snapping a shot with the camera. During my travels, I also get to choose from a cat, corgi, or lizard (all of which are adorable) who becomes a little travelling companion. I decide on the corgi after a lot of deliberation, and yes, I'm happy to report you can absolutely pet them.
Complete with lo-fi music that just brings the whole experience together, the vibes of Camper Van: Make it Home are immaculate. It's quite a short experience, but if you're after a relaxing puzzle game that takes you on a laidback journey and you enjoyed Unpacking, you'll likely love this, too.
Camper Van: Make It Home is out now on PC and is set to come to Switch later this year. To see what else we've been enjoying, head on over to our Indie Spotlight series.
