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Not every game is born after months of planning and market analysis, and Driving Is Hard is a great example. The idea for the project was born during a casual conversation by the office espresso machine, when the creators began wondering about combining racing with the notoriously difficult Foddian game formula. At first, players were even meant to control the car solely with the mouse, but it quickly turned out that the idea didn't work in practice. In the end, the crazy prototype became a game in which, instead of a car, you drive a bathtub on wheels, and behind its wheel sits a bald protagonist named Jeff.
From a coffee-machine joke to a demanding racing game with a bathtub on wheels
The story of Driving Is Hard began before Elegant Horse Studios existed as a full-fledged studio. The founders were working full-time at other companies and developing their own projects in their free time. During one break at the coffee machine the topic of Foddian-style games came up, that is, titles intentionally designed so their high difficulty level would frustrate players. Then one of the creators had the idea to make a similar game, but instead of climbing or classic map navigation it would focus on racing. The first prototype came together extremely quickly. After going home the creator started working on the code and after one intense weekend the first version of Driving Is Hard was ready. At first the game was controlled exclusively with the mouse, but tests quickly showed that system was simply awkward. The creators abandoned it and went with more classic, arcade-style controls. After that change tester reactions were much better, and the original joke began to turn into a real project. That was also when the idea for the game's distinctive look appeared. They initially considered several types of vehicles, including an RC car, a stylized race car, and a buggy. In the end the creators decided a plain buggy wouldn't make the game stand out enough. Inspiration came from one creator's story about a bathtub that disappeared from his family home after a renovation. So instead of a classic vehicle they made a bathtub equipped with wheels, and inside sat a half-naked, bald protagonist. That's how Jeff was born; he has to tackle extremely steep terrain and deal with the game's merciless physics.
Seven worlds, three difficulty levels and a constant fight with physics: here every mistake can mean losing progress
Driving Is Hard is built on a very simple premise, but its execution is meant to be exceptionally demanding. The player guides Jeff in a bathtub on wheels through seven different worlds, each of which offers its own obstacles, mechanics and challenging track sections. The key is mastering the vehicle physics, because even a small mistake can end in a fall and force you to redo parts of the course. The developers also prepared three difficulty levels. "Driving Is Easy" offers a more relaxed experience and checkpoints, "Driving Is Hard" is the core challenge, and "Driving Is Insane" is aimed at players who want to push their patience to the absolute limit. Beyond simply completing tracks, the game also contains Jeff's story, in which he faces his father's expectations, family problems and his own doubts. During play you can also unlock new bathtub skins and hunt for 21 hidden soaps. That way the unusual concept isn't limited to jokes and tough physics, but also has its own character and narrative. Driving Is Hard is already available on Xbox and supports Xbox Play Anywhere. For about $10, players can see how far they can get in a bathtub before a steep course and merciless controls send Jeff back to the very bottom.
Driving Is Hard shows that even a simple, absurd idea can turn into a full-fledged game. The game offers challenging bathtub-on-wheels driving, seven worlds, three difficulty levels, and Jeff’s story. The developers focused primarily on demanding physics and the satisfaction of overcoming successive obstacles. The game is already available on Xbox and could be an interesting option for fans of challenging skill-based games.
source: Xbox
