Jalopy is the story of a karmic road trip in a dilapidated, metal beast of burden.
Your uncle presents you with the keys to your very own Laika 601 Deluxe, the finest eighth-hand automobile in the Eastern Bloc, and with nothing more than the drive to see the world, you embark.
The titular jalopy, the Laika 601, is a workhorse, but she suffers dearly for her labours. You will need to purchase upgrades, scavenge parts, and keep her fuelled to progress; in order to do that, you’ll have to trade in whatever you can find – often, literally, on the side of the road – to keep your coffers filled and your wagon rolling.
To what end? To see the world, to discover new places, both outwardly and within. Jalopy is the poster of persistence, and a game that helped our own Josh finally understand Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance, a gift from his father, many years previous.
After two years of travel and travails in Early Access, Jalopy 1.0 is finally here. It’s a culmination of development effort since 2014, and much iteration and improvement, based on player feedback, during its stint in Early Access.
If you’ve missed all of the updates – including new countries, game mechanics, and, er, actual mechanics – here’s the Jalopy 1.0 launch trailer, to get you back up to speed. Slowly, and carefully, so you don’t damage your Laika 601, naturally.
To celebrate its full launch, Jalopy will be available on Steam with 40% off. The discount will run for a week beginning today, March 28th, 2018, but the experience will likely stay with you a lot longer.