Five years after the highly successful Snowrunner, Saber Interactive is back at it again with Roadcraft, the latest entry in the franchise, with a focus on doing the dirty work after natural disasters.
With a fleet of vehicles at your disposal, ranging from huge cranes to asphalt pavers, Roadcraft feels like a true step forward from Snowrunner and offers somewhat of a sandbox to make your mark across eight huge maps—but I can’t shake the feeling that we could have gotten more.
Roadcraft Review
Roadcraft is a spectacular simulator and a driving love letter, with environments filled with a calm ambience, despite the destruction that has caused havoc, and a basic approach to missions—use vehicles to repair the damage caused by Mother Nature.
Returning players from Snowrunner will quickly find their feet in Roadcraft, with the core functionality and controls the same, but there are some stand-out changes, including the removal of fuel, stopping you from being stranded, and no damage to sustain that can immobilize you.
This may put off hardcore players seeking a challenge, but it was a welcome relief for me, and it’s something that will certainly be appreciated by those who are new to the franchise.
While I understand why the damage mechanics were in place in Snowrunner, there was nothing more infuriating than seeing your vehicle almost wiped out by hitting a small bump slightly too fast.
Instead of managing fuel and cursing any potholes, the journeys you take, across a wide variety of vehicles, are oriented around finding the right route to take to your destination and making sure you bring the right tools. There aren’t many quick fixes in Roadcraft, with several vehicles often required to complete a job, and your hard work goes out the window if you get stuck in the mud.
This is where the main freedom of Roadcraft comes in, with a question I’ve regularly asked myself being whether it’s worth trying to push through a treacherous spot and risk becoming stuck, or whether to call upon my fleet of road-building vehicles to make a smooth surface to cruise along.
As a completionist, I’ve been delighted by the variety of main quests to complete and optional side quests, the latter of which usually revolves around restoring infrastructure like electricity, fixing pipelines, or building brand-new roads, and the wide array of vehicle types keeps me on my toes when I’m trying to decide what to splash my hard-earned cash on.
For all the great fun and hard work Roadcraft offers, though, some teething problems have been rather infuriating and have left me hating AI more than Will Smith in I, Robot.
AI Annoyance
An important job that Roadcraft often calls upon you to do is to plan routes between points for AI vehicles to follow and make deliveries. On the face of it, it sounds simple enough, particularly after you’ve built a brand-new road for them to chug along, but these AI drivers frankly shouldn’t be behind the wheel.
They are unable to comprehend any sort of obstacles, instead following the exact route you’ve laid out to a T, and even being more precise doesn’t help, as they can end up on the opposite side of the road for no apparent reason.
The pain doesn’t end when a route has been completed either, as for some reason, the same vehicles that passed through with flying colors mere moments ago now get stuck in entirely new areas like a fish out of water. A simple fix would be to allow me to drive the vehicles myself, but, strangely, this option isn’t available.
My biggest gripe with Roadcraft, however, is that I feel we could’ve had a lot more. The core of the game is to run your own business, which expands pretty quickly to include a full fleet of vehicles for every job. While this is great for opening the doors, I’d have liked a bit more control.
Rather than handing me everything, why not make me choose what route to go down and leave me deciding whether I should get vehicles to lay electric cables first, or to go down the logging route?
All the missions and side quests are linear too, and with some huge maps wrecked by natural disasters, I’d have liked the option to do more, even if it was just a case of delivering wood to help rebuild houses. Odd jobs popping up randomly would really help with replayability.
In many ways, Roadcraft has played it too safe with the Snowrunner formula and has taken small steps forward, rather than the leaps it could have. It’s not an issue, per se, but I get the sense I know where the franchise is eventually heading, and I wish we could get to the destination sooner.
Roadcraft Review Verdict
Roadcraft is a wonderful game, and I can’t wait to dive into multiplayer with my friends, which is sure to be absolute carnage. The bottom line is that if you enjoyed Snowrunner, you will enjoy Roadcraft. It’s a rewarding game that offers plenty to dig your teeth into, but don’t expect major changes from its predecessor.
For new players, Roadcraft is a lot more forgiving than the likes of Snowrunner and Mudrunner ever were. It’s the perfect jumping-on point and, with a hardcore difficulty planned post-launch, experienced players will be catered for too.
With two DLC maps planned later this year alongside modding support, added to the years of content drops and seasonal updates that Snowrunner received, Roadcraft’s launch is just a drop in the ocean, and I highly recommend diving in.
VERDICT: BUY NOW
For more Roadcraft coverage, take a look at the full list of achievements and trophies to earn, and don’t forget to head to the Insider Gaming Forum to share your thoughts.
