Developed by Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive, SnowRunner is a simulation–driving game where the player controls off-road vehicles to travel around various unique locations and complete different objectives. That may sound incredibly vague, but it is what the game is mostly centered around, as there is no real story or core objective in SnowRunner. Due to this lack of focus and the specialized nature of the simulation-driving genre, those who play this game are most likely to have one of two opinions on it. They are either going to love it and think that it’s exactly what they are looking for, or not be into it at all. Sadly, I lean more into the second group, as the time I spent with this game felt more tedious and frustrating than anything else.
For a good portion of the game, the controls felt incredibly clunky and difficult to use, as there would always be a lag between when I would make an input and when the vehicle would move. However, some may see this as a positive of the game, as that slight delay in movement properly reflects how it feels to drive a vehicle in real life and could increase their immersion in the game. While this may be the case, I still never found the Nintendo Switch controls to feel totally right or comfortable. Since the gameplay is entirely centered around driving, these stiff controls greatly affected my enjoyment of the game, as I didn’t entirely like the process of traveling. The camera suffers from a similar issue, as it never feels like it’s in a proper position behind your vehicle. However, as I got into the later portions of the game, I slowly became more used to the controls and camera and found myself getting acclimated to them. It did take a fairly significant amount of time for the driving to feel normal, but once it did, I found myself having a better time with the game, as traveling across the expansive map no longer felt like a chore.
Wonky controls aside, the environments you will travel through in SnowRunner are nothing short of fantastic. The forests, wetlands, mountains, and ice-covered biomes not only have different gameplay functions, with different ways to inhibit your driving, but they are also visually distinct in beautiful ways. Bright orange trees contrast the brown mud you must trudge through in Michigan, while the white snow covering treetops and roads in Alaska seem to gleam as light reflects off it. In fact, the visuals were easily my favorite aspect of the game. Even when I was unmotivated to travel across the map, I could at the least rely on being able to see visually astounding areas. This ultimately made it more interesting to travel to different areas of the map, as a new area could mean a brand-new landscape or view that I had not yet seen before.
There is no real story in SnowRunner, but you will still be tasked with various missions and jobs. Many of these felt like tedious work to me, simply acting like fetch quests and padding rather than objectives I was interested in completing.
SnowRunner is in an interesting predicament. It is a game that fans of the simulation driving genre will mostly likely love, and I cannot recommend it enough for them. However, with fairly clunky controls and a significant amount of tedium, it is a game that will not be appealing to everyone. Despite not completely enjoying it, SnowRunner is a game that I can recognize the value and impressiveness of. If you are a fan of the simulation driving genre, then this game will be right up your alley. However, if you are not, then this might not be the game for you.
Check Out the SnowRunner Trailer:
SnowRunner is currently available on PC via the Epic Games Store, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
For more information, visit www.focus-home.com/en-us/games/snowrunner
Related: SnowRunner Heading to Microsoft Store and Steam May 18
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Video games have been a part of my life since my early childhood, and have always been a major aspect of it. I love video games not only as an outlet for enjoyment, but also as an artistic medium that often gets overlooked.
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