Gravel Runner

Gravel Runner is an arcade racer on loose gravel. Every lap the field digs a darker, packed line into the track: fresh gravel grips in the corners, the worn line is quicker on the straights, and rain, snow, fog and dust change the rules as you race.

• Four circuits: the CANYON between red rock walls, a snowy pine FOREST with a jump, the QUARRY under glacier peaks and the STADIUM in front of its crowd
• Six weathers that change the driving, not just the sky: dry, rain, storm, fog, dust and snow. Rain turns the packed line to mud; in snow the ruts are the grip
• 28 cars in three classes that never mix: 6 karts, 12 classic cartoon cars and 10 street cars, each with its own engine
• Cups for every class: the CUP, the WILD CUP in each circuit's roughest weather, and the MASTERS, at ROOKIE, PRO and ACE, with trophies and a podium
• Time Trial: race your own ghost, from bronze to the author's time
• The daily: one track a day, the same for everyone
• The garage: tunes opened with medals, and five liveries
• A co-pilot who calls the corners ahead
• Replays from TV cameras, a photo mode (depth of field, vignette, colour, bloom, grain), and split screen for two to four players on one PC

How to play

Three laps on a gravel track that wears under your wheels. Play with a gamepad (Xbox layout) or the keyboard; each line gives the pad's button, then the key.

• Accelerate: RT or A / W
• Brake and reverse: LT or X / S
• Steer: left stick or D-pad / A, D
• Drift (release to boost): RB / Space
• Camera: right stick / Q, E
• Look back: right stick click / C
• Pause: Start / Esc
• Photo mode: View / F1
• Replay (on the results): Y / V
• Join a split screen: A or Start / Space or Enter

The gravel

• The gravel wears as you race: a dark, packed line grows lap by lap.
• Fresh gravel grips better in the corners; the packed line is quicker on the straights.
• On the last lap, stay on fresh gravel to fill the FRESH LINE meter: a full meter is a boost.
• Rain turns the packed line to mud. In snow it flips: the packed ruts are bare and grip.
• Your co-pilot calls each corner ahead (Options turns it off).
• After the race, the map shows the track's wear and your line; REPLAY plays the race back from TV cameras.

Split screen: two to four players on one PC, a pad each (or one on the keyboard). Pick SPLIT SCREEN on the home screen and press A or Start on each pad to join.

Photo mode: View or F1 in a race or a replay; TAKE PHOTO saves the picture, FOLDER opens where they are kept.

The game's HOW TO PLAY screen (home) says the same.

Windows

64-bit Windows 10 or 11, about 2.6 GB on disk. A gaming graphics card is recommended; OPTIONS > QUALITY lowers the detail. A gamepad (Xbox layout) or the keyboard.

This is an in-development game: feedback is very welcome in the comments.

Credits

Built by jolvedgames, with Unity.

• Ultimate Kart Racing by BIG FRAMEWORKS (the template), its karts on Powerslide Kart Physics by Justin Couch (MIT License)
• The circuits: Pure Nature 2 (Mesa Desert, Mountains, Glacier Mountains, Meadows) by BK; POLYGON Pro Racer, Generic and Nature by Synty Studios; AllSky by rpgwhitelock; EasyRoads3D Pro by AndaSoft and GeNa Pro by Procedural Worlds
• Sky and weather: Enviro 3 (Sky and Weather, UBER Shader, Terrain Shader, Additional Weather Pack) by Hendrik Haupt; Volumetric Fog & Mist 2 by Kronnect; Rain by KriptoFX; Rain Drop Effect 2 by Globe Games
• The cars: POLYGON Pro Racer (karts) by Synty Studios; Retro Cartoon Cars, Cicada and Cartoon Sports Car by RCC Design; Stylized Vehicles Pack by Alex Lenk; RC Highwayman and RC Shvan by Daniel Zhabotinsky (sketchfab.com/DanielZhabotinsky), CC BY 4.0, modified (rescaled, the paint and the lamps)
• Roads and grass: Better Lit Shader by Jason Booth; Stylized Grass Shader by Staggart Creations
• Effects: Epic Toon FX by Archanor VFX; POLYGON Particle FX by Synty Studios; Feel by More Mountains
• Co-pilot: Dialogue System for Unity by Pixel Crushers; replays and ghosts: Ultimate Replay by Trivial Interactive; photo mode: PhotoMode by one_black
• Music: Ultimate Game Music Collection by John Leonard French; engines: Realistic Engine Sounds Plus by Skril Studio; the stadium crowd: Race Track Generator by MasterPixel3D
• Interface: Racing HUD & UI Pack by Vandorix Studios; Archivo Black (Omnibus-Type) and Liberation Sans (SIL Open Font License); TextMesh Pro by Unity

More games on jolvedgames.itch.io.