Expeditions: A MudRunner Game review
This is definitely a slow burn of a game, in fact, “slowly but surely” is probably an unofficial motto of the game. Every mission plays to the same tempo, your truck slowly tugs along, like a little tugboat in children’s books, pushing and pulling its grumbling engine and spinning wheels along the sand, rock, and mud.
In Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, you play your part for the sake of scientific expeditions, traversing harsh terrain with your all terrain vehicles, fixing research stations, delivering supplies, and other various errands to keep things running. It is one of those games where the journey is more exciting than the destination, and part of the joys of overcoming the adverse terrain with your customised vehicle is learning more about your vehicle as you get through each hurdle. The game is a spin-off of the MudRunner games, also developed by Saber Interactive. Expeditions: A MudRunner Game puts more focus on the exploration of things, putting various new tools such as drones to scout from the air, and sonar to help players determine the depth of water bodies.
While I have not tried any other games in the series, this was a very interesting introduction for me. The game started off very slowly, and gamers who are used to the results oriented nature of most games these days might find it to be an odd experience. The game does not have particularly big rewards at the end of each quest and mission, instead it is all about the satisfaction of driving through a particularly tough patch of mud water, or scaling steep slopes with the aid of your 4 wheel drive and attaching the winch to a nearby tree. Nothing is ever a breeze, and it always feels like obstacles force you to constantly apply pressure to overcome, rather than ever punching through them swiftly.
The game has quite a few different types of vehicles for the player to build his armada with, along with various upgrades and tools for each of them. As you complete missions, you unlock the help of various non-playable characters, who add new bonuses and traits to assist in your expedition.
With a focus on exploration, I have to say the environment is absolutely charming. In fact, it would not be a stretch to imagine any of the mainstream open world games taking place in its wonderful scenery. From the reddish brown canyons, to the green lush forests, or even the bright blue rivers, every scene is a marvel to take in, and it seems like the developers managed to reward the players for the exploration that they expect the players to do.
Although I was not a big fan of such games, I can certainly understand the appeal of them to anyone who enjoys switching gears, tweaking with fuel consumption, grinding the gears to go up the rocks. There was a certain solace while driving around, admiring the scenery while my wheels struggled to get out of the muddy water.
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is definitely one for gamers who enjoy off road drives, or someone who simply enjoys the sun rays shining through the dusty canyons.
