Some road trips are about getting from A to B. Barkside Roads is rather more interested in how you get there. Afil Games’ latest puzzle adventure puts a cheerful dog from Rio de Janeiro behind the wheel of a dune buggy, before sending him off across some of Brazil’s most recognisable sights in search of the perfect route.
Priced at £4.19, Barkside Roads is available in three versions for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC. It’s another small-scale puzzle offering from Afil Games, but this time the destination is just as important as the journey.
At A Glance
- Game: Barkside Roads
- Developer: Afil Games
- Publisher: Afil Games
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC
- Price: £4.19
- Genre: Puzzle / Strategy
Plotting A Route One Hex At A Time
In Barkside Roads you’re presented with a hexagonal grid and need to build a route through it, connecting paths while reaching various objectives along the way. So far, so Afil Games…
The catch is that your decisions stick.
Every piece placed becomes part of the road behind you, meaning there’s no endlessly experimenting with different routes without consequence. You’ll need to look ahead, consider where the available pieces can take you and work out how to reach the finish without painting yourself into a particularly awkward corner.
As the levels progress, new pieces open up additional possibilities, gradually turning what starts as a fairly straightforward exercise into something that requires a little more thought.
The Journey Is The Reward
There are 30 levels in total, with the adventure taking the dog and his dune buggy through locations inspired by some of Brazil’s most recognisable destinations.
Copacabana, the Lapa Arches and Arraial do Cabo all provide the backdrop, giving the puzzle-solving a colourful sense of place rather than simply throwing you into a succession of anonymous grids.
Start Your Engine
With its combination of hexagonal route-building, Brazilian scenery and a rather charming canine protagonist, Barkside Roads looks to be another relaxed puzzle option for Xbox and PC players. There are no grand stakes here and no need to save the world. Just 30 levels, a dune buggy, some beautiful Brazilian locations and the increasingly difficult task of working out where the road should go next.
Barkside Roads is out now, available through the Xbox Store in three flavours on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC, each for £4.19.
The engine is running, the road is waiting and, for once, the dog gets to decide where the holiday goes.
