Sunset Overdrive starts out silly, but the deeper you get into its campaign, the more low level play starts looking like a tame, almost different game. Late-game Sunset Overdrive characters can do insane things that dramatically affect the way you navigate and fight your way through the gorgeous playground that is Sunset City.

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Near the end of Sunset Overdrive’s story, I was tasked with protecting a makeshift boat on the way out of the city. Even at this point, Insomniac Games is introducing new enemies — in this case, gross, flying bat-dragons that vomit evil meatball monsters. The onslaught of enemy fire means needing to heal the barge, naturally, by gathering trash and chucking it into a healing hole.Sunset Overdrive is really weird — but it’s also very smart. It marries combat and traversal in an intelligent way, giving you the opportunity to not only learn new ways of getting around, but to use them in battle as well. Leaping off the boat, bouncing off vehicles, grinding on rails, and slaughtering bad guys is the heart of Sunset Overdrive, and what keeps it interesting over time is the evolution of character skills.I loved surfing on water, bouncing off the ground after slamming into it, slinging myself off of wires and dashing through the air because it’s a skill-based series of navigation abilities. Looking at Sunset Overdrive, I thought its movement looked boring and automatic. After a few hours, I started appreciating the level of coordination needed to move that smoothly. Not all of these abilities are available early on, so I really appreciated how complex Insomniac Games' simple systems got later on.Gathering garbage to heal my busted boat required coordination, spatial awareness, and reflexively switching between weapons best-suited to kill certain enemy types. By the end, I wondered how I ever survived without my late-game air-dash, ground-bounce, and other abilities. It made me appreciate my character’s growth, and the strength of Sunset Overdrive’s combat. It’s fast, chaotic, and sort of confusing, but that’s the point. You’re up against overwhelming odds — use your ridiculous powers to kill as stylishly as possible.Sunset Overdrive commits for the long haul. This is the rare kind of game that keeps its momentum going strong all the way through. Based on what you’re able to do, in combination with its crazy weapons, and the sort of situations you’re in, I’m significantly more hopeful for Xbox One’s big new exclusive than I have been since its announcement more than a year ago. All it took was to spend some time in its insane, gorgeous, and ever-changing world.

Mitch Dyer is an associate editor at IGN. He hosts IGN Arena , a podcast about MOBAs, and is trying to read more. Here's his reading list . Talk to Mitch about books, Dota 2, and other stuff on Twitter at @MitchyD and subscribe to MitchyD on Twitch