A punishing yet deeply rewarding experience
SNOW RUNNER is nothing short of a slow-burner. Agonisingly gaining ground on an inch-by-inch basis while the threat of failure persistently looms over you sounds ominously similar to a certain Kojima release a few months back. The main difference between the two titles is that Snow Runner is a game about a delivery service, while Death Stranding is a game about a delivery service that spends the entire time trying to tell you its about something else.
Snow Runner puts you in the driver’s seat in a range of trucks in some thrillingly hostile environments from mud-soaked Michigan, through icy Alaska to the parched landscape of Russia’s Taymyr peninsula. Snow Runner’s predecessor – Mud Runner – featured similar maps, cargo types and objectives, but Snow Runner brilliantly expands and improves on virtually everything offered by its 2017 forerunner. Snow Runner is a game largely based around deliberate, thoughtful decisions. There’s nothing twitchy about lugging many tonnes of steel across a hostile landscape, but Snow Runner rewards smart driving and patience like no other game in the genre.
Completing objectives earns cash for new trucks, or simply upgrading the trucks you already own. What is rather baffling is Snow Runner’s insistence on arbitrarily locking parts upgrades behind level requirements that you could otherwise afford. Luckily, cash isn’t everything in Snow Runner as there is a healthy amount of new trucks scattered around the maps that you can claim as your own.
Perhaps Snow Runner’s most impressive feature is in the physics and handling of the trucks. Each of the larger vehicles feel satisfyingly hulking and monolithic. The sheer sense of bulk in these things is quite literally palpable and that, combined with the ear-shattering engine sounds make for an entirely visceral experience.
As if to place the cherry on top of an aready delightful gaming experience, Snow Runner can also be played from start to finish in up to four-player co-op. The arid landscapes can sometimes make for a decidedly oppressive experience, so it is immensely relieving to be granted the opportunity to share the experience with friends.
Snow Runner is a punishing yet deeply rewarding game and should be considered a must-buy for any truck simulation enthuasiasts.