Truck and Logistics Simulator Review (Nintendo Switch)

Title: Truck and Logistics Simulator
Genre: Education, Multiplayer, Racing, Simulation
System: Nintendo Switch (also on PC)
Developer|Publisher: Simula Games | Areosoft
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: UK £36.99 | EU 39.99 | AU $64.99 | CA $50.40 | US $39.99
Release Date: 25^th June 2020

Review code provided with many thanks to Areosoft

A Simulated Attempt

Where do I begin with my thoughts on Truck and Logistics Simulator for Switch? After seeing the screenshots and reading the e-shop blurb I had such high hopes. Whilst some of those hopes did in fact come to fruition. A whole lot more were shot down in a blaze of disappointment. Read on to follow my journey across Simula Games recent attempt at bringing the driving simulation genre to our beloved little Switch.

Down to Business

When you boot up the game you are taken to a basic yet functional options menu. After choosing an avatar you are taken into a garage environment and given the chance to purchase one of a range of different vehicles to begin your journey. At this stage your finances are dire, so you’re only able to afford a simple van. When your finances do improve though there are a solid range of vehicles on offer. From the few I tested the handling mechanics appear to be unique for each one.

The graphics and lighting on display are impressive and it feels as though a lot of effort has gone into making the vehicles as realistic to look at as the hardware would allow. You also get the option to choose the time of day and weather settings. This was  something I was a little saddened by as I was hoping for an active day/ night cycle.

Driving Lesson

It doesn’t take long before you are plonked into the game proper. From here you are shown the basics of the control schemes and my thoughts remained positive throughout this process. For example, being able to manually start and stop the engine, activate each indicator, and use your hazard lights really added to the idea of this being first and foremost a vehicle simulator. The tutorial is swift yet effective in showing you the different controls for each vehicle and it won’t be long before you are out on the road delivering your cargo.

Keep on Trucking

For my first few hours with the game the structure and flow of tasks remained the same. Choose a cargo mission, load the cargo using the loading vehicles, drive to location, refuel if needed, choose next cargo mission. This structure would work perfectly fine however it relies on the simulation making sure that the elements surrounding those moments are fun and realistic. Sadly, this is where Truck and Logistics begins to break down.

For starters the graphical quality is very variable. The player vehicles have great textures and the lighting effects on a night-time, rainy play through are impressive. However, step into the harsh light of day and things take a turn for the ugly. Buildings and environments seem very much from the PS2 era and at one point I even felt like I was back playing Driver 2 on the original PlayStation.

There are no pedestrians or signs of life other than the occasional NPC car, which should be noted share none of the high graphical fidelity of your own. Environments pop in and for a world that includes a fair amount of tower blocks this can be irritatingly obvious. I also found that when driving off road and ‘accidentally’ into the water, I simply carried on driving. Like some weird delivery driver version of Aquaman I was able to remain underwater for as long as I wished.

Time for a Truck Stop

A simulator lives or dies by the level of immersion it can offer the player. Sadly, when you are driving down a motorway and see only one or two cars pass you on your journey. A barren wasteland of green on either side of you and the occasional building appear out of thin air. The immersion simply evaporates.

Another area I found disappointing was the soundtrack. I imagined myself driving down the open road listening to my radio and enjoying the cool breeze from my window. Whilst the interior graphics of each cab are again very impressive. There is no radio interaction to speak of. In fact, in all my play throughs so far the only music I heard could be found in the garage at the start of the game. Again, this simply does not help make the player feel immersed in the world.

Trucking with Friends

One area Truck and Logistics impresses is in the surprising addition of online multiplayer. And whilst this is no Call of Duty (COD) leader board style. What you do get is a chill environment to continue your missions with others. This did help to give the game a little more life. Driving past a fellow player whilst delivering my cargo was a nice experience in the otherwise barren and lifeless world around me.

I really wanted to love Truck and Logistics. Bringing the simulator genre to the Switch is commendable and we need more games of this type. However, it feels that the console is capable of a lot more. Whilst playing I didn’t feel that the reason behind the issues I faced were due to console limitations, but more the game feeling unfinished. This thought led me to go online and do a little more research into the title. It is here we find the biggest issue I have with this game.

A Truck without Wheels

Heading over to Steam, the other platform on which you can play Truck and Logistics you see the very clear ‘Early Access’ banner. I also noticed the significantly lower price that usually accompanies such titles. It soon became clear that the game is in fact still going through continued development with many planned future updates. Skip back over to the Switch store page and none of this information is clear. What we see is a finished game with a AAA price. I find this unacceptable. I am more than happy to support a company with their early access game. However, I expect to be told as much, and to pay an appropriate price. Many customers will not realize they are in fact buying a title that over on a different platform is openly advertised as unfinished. Switch players should be treated no differently.

At this stage I could not find information saying if the Switch will receive the planned updates or not. It becomes hard to recommend a game based on the areas I have discussed above. Especially when we now know that the game is in fact unfinished. For the sake of transparency, the game does not allow you to use the screenshot function. All screenshots are those available via the developer. Interestingly most of which are either at night, in the rain, or from forced angles.

Turn off the Engine

There are glimmers of fun here. I do not wish to ignore those. Driving down the open road, delivering your cargo in the night-time rain can be a relaxing experience. However, these moments are so few that they simply do not warrant the price being asked of by this title. The real problem here is that the game is clearly unfinished. Were the publishers asking a lower price of the title then many of the problems above could be overlooked. Currently though the price remains worryingly high and therefore not something I can recommend.

Final Verdict: I don’t like it