Have you always wanted to know what it's like to be a baker, a zookeeper, or a priest? Do you dream of running a farm, a jewelry store, or just want to drive a taxi? The Polish publisher Ultimate Games S.A. has plenty of such games on the Steam platform.
This time, we present a game for the Nintendo Switch console called Truck Driving.
The name itself tells you what it's about; you are behind the wheel of a truck. When you start the game, you have several options in the main menu. One of them is the ability to change the controls for driving the vehicle. Right there, you will start to notice the simplicity of this game. There are only four commands: forward, backward/brake, horn, and pause. You can turn off the music and sound effects, although I don't really see the point of that.
I left everything on default, so let's drive.
On the vehicle selection screen, you will notice that only three trucks are offered, one of which you can drive immediately, while the other two you unlock with money earned by completing missions. All the trucks are brightly colored and inspired by Indian culture.
I chose the only unlocked truck and started the first mission. Simply put, you drive straight from point A to point B. No turns, no obstacles, nothing. I thought these were just a few introductory missions to get familiar with the controls.
But no, all missions, that is, all 25 are practically the same, with a few turns or inclines. The course, and let's be honest, the whole game feels like you are in a driving school, is bordered by colorful posts, and in some missions by containers. When you hit any of them, the truck stops. There is no sound of impact, nothing. I somehow managed to get outside the boundaries of the course by squeezing through the posts, but I couldn't find my way back, and the game informed me that I had to restart the mission. And that's the only way to fail a mission. After you reach the goal, you will be greeted with applause and confetti.
For each successfully completed mission, you earn 200 coins. Since you have nothing else to spend them on anyway, when you collect enough, you can buy new trucks with them. But honestly, it makes no sense because the difference is only in the appearance of the vehicle and the sound of the engine.
After completing the first 25 missions, you unlock the so-called "Night mode," which is actually the exact same 25 tracks, the only difference being that you drive in twilight, and there is no background music. Instead, you hear crickets and dog barking. Maybe it's for the best, as the background music is the same as in the main menu, and it's on a loop.
When you honk the horn, you hear the Dixie Horn, and that's the best sound effect in the entire game.
It's also important to note that the missions are very, very short, averaging 5-10 seconds, so I finished the entire game in 31 minutes, and that includes the time I spent taking notes and trying out what can be done.
The game is available on the Nintendo eShop for the price of €6.99, but honestly, it's not worth the time spent looking for it there.
If you absolutely must have all possible driving simulations or are the biggest fan of the publisher Ultimate Games S.A., then get it; otherwise, steer clear of it.
A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the publisher Ultimate Games S.A.
