Get out and touch some grass… from the comfort of your mobile home in Camper Van: Make It Home – a casual, zen-like organising simulator from Malapata Studio that’s like adding wheels to Unpacking.
A quick yet accurate comparison, and from this perspective, a more Zen-like approach. Like Unpacking, there’s a faint narrative thread of personal growth and the possessions that accompany the journey; only this one is on the move as your life fits into a van.
Like Fruitbus, without the interactions (or fruit), you travel around an island and find a spot to unwind. Camper Van: Make It Home doesn’t provide control over the vehicle or pick the locations, but it does let you customise it so it becomes an extension of you.
Choose from a selection of pastel paints for the bodywork, then fill the internals with a plaid mattress and compact kitchen, built-in shower and more. You’re not limited to just one van; as a series becomes available, so does the narrative as you slowly find yourself and those lost keys you misplaced an hour ago.
Camper Van: Make It Home is a Swiss army knife of joy. Clicking in a drawer opens up like Transformers, offering you a hiding spot to stash your books, utensils or smalls. One of the many highlights of the game is that, unlike Unpacking, you can place your possessions anywhere without penalty and progress through the story with ease.
Why you would want to do that is beyond the scope of this review, but it’s a great touch, as there are no restrictions. Taking that out means that, on occasion, you might put the odd tin in the shower without fear of being judged. However, for the duration of your stay, you will likely be rotating objects on their arses to get the best possible placement, picturing exactly where you would have it IRL, as fundamentally, this is your space.
I played Camper Van: Make It Home entirely on the Steam Deck without issue. The controls are well-suited as you move around each scene using the sticks, zoom in and out, and ascend or descend the camera with the shoulder buttons. This is ideal for when you want to savour in the atmosphere and take a sneaky photo – filters and day cycles included. There are a few clunky bits with angles, but consider the space you’re working with.
A relaxing, wholesome puzzle game should feel like that. Sure, we all get stuck and a little frustrated here and there, but that didn’t happen once in this game. Camper Van: Make It Home is a seemingly timeless experience of bliss and freedom that allows you to melt into your own little world without distraction, as it should be. Even better, you can take this on the go with the Steam Deck, as well as the Nintendo Switch.
Try the demo now!
