New on the shelves
Car mechanic simulator lets you work in virtual garage
“Completing these jobs will earn you money and experience”
FIRST TEST Car Mechanic Simulator Available for: PS4, Xbox One
Price: From £20.99 Rating: ★★★★★
THINK of car video games and you’ll no doubt expect action-packed racing with the latest supercars on the most famous circuits around the globe. With Car Mechanic Simulator, it’s time to think again.
The game drops players into the role of grease monkey in a basic garage with a few tools. The aim is to complete repairs by diagnosing problems and fitting new parts.
Finishing these jobs will earn you money and experience which can be used to unlock new tools and skills, plus upgrade your garage to an all-singing, all-dancing workshop.
You can also spend your hard-earned cash on renovating rusty cars that you’ve found in the junkyard, restoring a barn find or purchasing a classic from the auction. Do a good job on a restoration and you can then cash it in to earn some extra dollars.
The controls are incredibly easy to use, with parts and actions highlighted clearly to make gameplay intuitive. Once you get used to the options available, stripping down a part and rebuilding it is done in minutes. Handy hints stop you making too much of a mess of rebuilding an engine.
There’s a lot of problem-solving required to play the game, working out what’s wrong with a model and which parts need replacing. While a healthy dose of car understanding is a benefit, the simulator never leaves you feeling lost or frustrated.
With more than 1,000 parts and 48 cars, including licensed models from Jeep and Mazda, the game shouldn’t get old, while repairs are randomly generated so you never know what’s coming next – just like real life.
The graphics are a bit rough and ready, especially on the test track. The driving dynamics here also feel years out of date but ultimately, the game as a whole isn’t really any the worse because of it. One of the biggest negatives is the loading times between some screens, which slows the pace.
Overall, Car Mechanic Simulator is a refreshing break from other more flashy titles and works the brain in a way racing games don’t. The feeling of completing a job and getting a car back on the road is incredibly rewarding and kept us coming back to the game for more.