We’re massive fans of the PAKO series from developer Tree Men Games, and one of the most impressive things about it is how every game takes that central “car chase simulator" premise but each adds their own unique spin to the formula. The original PAKO tasks you with surviving as long as possible against an increasingly hostile police pursuit across a number of different maps and vehicles; PAKO 2 features much larger environments and a more action- and mission-oriented structure; and PAKO 3 feels a bit like a blend of the first two games with a bunch of new ideas thrown in. Then there’s the spin-offs PAKO Forever, which is like the original game but with some randomly-generated roguelike flair, and PAKO Caravan which is as if the original game and Snake had a baby. All quite different games from each other mechanically, but all very much PAKO games. Now Tree Men is working on another spin on the PAKO series, this time tackling white-knuckle arcade-style highway racing. Check out an early sneak peek trailer for PAKO Highway.
While PAKO 2 felt the most different from the other games thanks to its different camera angle and slightly different art style, PAKO Highway is perhaps an even bigger departure with its behind-the-car and hood camera views. Described as a “quick project" and a “love letter to PS2 era racing games" the concept in PAKO Highway is like a time attack racer where you need to build up a boost meter by performing near-misses with traffic, and once your boost meter is full you can unleash a turbo mode that will allow you to blast right through other cars and rack up points and combos on your way to the next checkpoint and time extension. It looks intense! But again, also very much a PAKO game aesthetically. No timeframe has been given for release but if you want to check out an early version of PAKO Highway you can do so on Android over on the Google Play Store or on PC over on the Tree Men Itch.io page.
