Mon Bazou

We've mentioned countless times before that video games have been getting more accessible over time. And by accessible we don't mean that they've been getting cheaper, but that it's more possible for people and small studios to make their own games right now. One of the coolest things about it is that games can get to be oddly specific, as they are made by smaller teams with direct interests and for a specific audience. And here we just love that. If you also like weird, oddly specific games with clear labor of love, well, we have one for you: Mon Bazou, which roughly translates in Québécois French as "my shitty car." But, what is Mon Bozou all about, and why is it so specific? Well, Let's talk about it.

About the game

Mon Bazou is a game where you have to earn money by doing small jobs to turn the titular Bazou into a real racing car. It all takes place in Canada, in 2005, around "the hot scene of tuner cars and wannabe street racers."

Although Mon Bazou is in Early Access, it's clearly a labor of love from solo developer SantaGoat. Honestly, I'm impressed by how much is packed into it, considering it was only released a few weeks ago. At the time of writing, it has over 100 reviews on Steam that are incredibly positive. For us, that's the same energy that made My Summer Car a hit and made it one of the most original racing games we've seen in years.

You can chop wood, sell it, build a garage with the wood, build a sugar shack to harvest maple syrup, deliver pizzas at night, or spend it racing and betting on races, hell, scavenge at the junkyard to get good parts for your vehicles. Just make sure you earn enough money to keep gas in the tank. In short, live the rural Canadian dream of making your own poutine and growing grass in the woods.

There are plenty of upgrades to make to the titular car, as well as mechanics for a trailer, a boat, and an ATV. It's a rural, pedestrian game with a strong sense of humor. It's about being happily engrossed in one's hobbies.

Characteristics

There are a lot of things that make this game stand out from a lot of other car games. We know it's a genre that sees a lot of competition, so it's not easy to make it stand out from the rest. So, what are some of the things that make this game stand out? Well:

• A huge amount of customization available
• You’re able to change every element of the car by hand
• Different kinds of cars and vehicles
• You get to actually make maple syrup and sell it
• Run a maple syrup business
• Develop your crops to create a successful business
• Gather resources and enhance your production
• You can pick up scrap parts to customize your vehicles

Review: 6.5/10

The game is pretty solid gameplay-wise, and it works pretty well, however it is a very specific game. You have to really be looking for something like this, otherwise, it could be a bit hard for the player to connect with this title. While the gameplay is all right, the visuals could use a little more polishing.

Pros:

• Has a solid gameplay system
• It’s incredibly fun to play

Cons:

• Some parts of the game are pretty buggy
• The graphics aren't really great

The fact that the weekend I got Mon Bazou, I stayed up until 2 in the morning playing it tells you just how addictive I found this game. I guess, I would have to say that it is a car mechanic type simulation game, but it is so much more than that. I would actually say that it borders on being a full life sim, but with a Canadian street racing theme built around it! Even if you know nothing about cars, you can still have fun with this as there is so much more to this game than working on your car and racing it.

So You Want To Street Race Eh?

Mon Bazou takes place in a little Canadian town and the premise that holds the game together is that we want to be the ultimate street racer. The game takes place in 2005 so stuff like The Fast and The Furious and games like Need for Speed Underground and Midnight Club made street racing the coolest thing ever! The thing is, we do not have the best car that is ideal for street racing so we are going to do a bunch of jobs to make money so that we can get the most badass street racing car around and rule the streets.

Cars, Cars, Cars…. And More

Let’s start with the whole car aspect of Mon Bazou. The game has a really cool car building mechanic where you get different parts for your car that you have to manually install on the car yourself. These will make you faster, handle better, and so on. However, while this sounds complicated, it explains it all very well and you are never at a loss for knowing what a certain part will do to your car. There is street racing that you can do which can make you more money, however, you can also lose money this way if your car is not as good as the other street racers. There are other vehicles too like an ATV, a bus and even a boat!

Making That Money

Now, the whole car mechanic and street racing thing that Mon Bazou has going on is cool, but there is so much more to this game than that! You can make money by selling maple syrup (this is Canada) selling weed and also offering your services as a driver. You can even start your own business! There is grinding here to make money, but doing stuff like chopping the wood and manually taking it to sell or tending to your garden so your weed doesn’t die is so addictive. You always feel like there is something that needs your attention and the allure of making money to spruce up your car or even invest in your business so you can make more money is awesome.

Canadian Hospitality… Eh

I love the kind of grungy and retro look that Mon Bazou has. The game takes place in 2005 and it does kind of have a PlayStation 2 or perhaps an early PlayStation 3 game look about it. The game has a great personality and I liked how there were plenty of interesting Canadian characters around that had some interesting stuff to say and ask of you. The game has a ton of personality and I get that some may be put off by the less than amazing visuals, but I think that the way the game looks adds a ton of charm to it and it is something that I found very appealing the more I played the game.

Pros:

• I got a kick out of the Canadian setting
• The various ways you can make money are cool
• The building of your car and making money is very addictive
• I liked how it was set in 2005

Cons:

• Some may be put off by the car mechanic thing
• The graphic ae not exactly the best