Ever wonder what would life be if you woke up one day working on a construction site operating on a massive expensive machine? Any life Simulator games give us this opportunity to be someone else in a different line of work so we can experience it and see what makes their job unique. I always love simulator games and I had the opportunity to jump in and check out Construction Simulator on the Xbox developed by Weltenbauer and published by Astragon Entertainment GmbH. Construction simulator is one of my favorites so far, this game is bigger and more in-depth than the predecessor, it utilizes a lot of construction business management mechanics and course a rich open-world story to enjoy both alone or with friends.
Before I jumped into my review of the gameplay and impression so far, here is a trailer for Construction Simulator:
Gameplay
Construction Simulator like any other simulator game must have tons of big machines and a massive brand name to get the job done, with over 90 plus different vehicles you can purchase, the choice is yours. You can use these vehicles to lift heavy goods, create new roads, excavating massive holes, adding cement to the road, and more. The number of tasks you will have to complete in the game makes it worthwhile and keeps you going, working day or night, the job never ends.
You have the choice of playing in two different unique locations that offer different stories, there would be plenty to do and explore. You will have a choice of a German-inspired village or just a normal city in America, both locations have a wide range of different jobs you will have to complete but also gives players a chance to explore the world and meet people that you will help.
Construction Simulator is a pretty straightforward game, you basically create your company, run it, then make a profit but also helped rebuild the town so it can flourish. You are given contracts to complete and during these contracts, you will get to buy and experience new equipment, learn new skills, and build amazing things with everything you learn. Your construction career revolves around completing these contracts and some of these can be long and complex, and they will test your knowledge and skill as a builder, but the rewards for completing these are great.
Rewards range from experience and money to purchasing goods and new machines. Keep in mind while playing sometimes your machines can get damaged or you need fuel, this makes the game feel more realistic in a way that you will have to pay to repair or get fuel, also watch out for crashing into cars or driving into buildings I can vouch for that it happens a couple of times with me when I get distracted.
The world map is pretty big, you will drive in urban neighborhoods or city blocks and sometimes you will have to travel a bit to get from one location to another and driving these big machines can take some time, good thing there is a fast travel option which helps but at cost of a fee, so you have a choice if you want to take the long route or decide to take a few shortcuts to complete some of the contracts you have. Also, this approach works the same when it comes to building materials if you want you can manually lift every item on trailers and transport them to different construction sites or you can decide to have the delivery which saves time.
Visual/Audio/Controls
The game looks gorgeous, and the world environment from the different buildings, to people walking and cars driving on the road, brings life to the game where this is how close to realism it can be. The cinematic scene doesn’t look polished, but it is still okay to look at. The machine designs and lighting was done well, and playing the game at night was a fun experience, when it comes to the in-game experience something about playing at night makes a big difference.
The audio for the game is as realistic as it can be, the sound effects were on goal from the engine roaring, to excavating a hole, and the drifting on the wheels when you decide to drive super fast on the road. I have to say the audio part of the game shines the most because growing up in the city I am surrounded by noise and especially construction noise I can say the sounds are similar. I would add that wish when working on some of these contracts it is great if there were a selection of songs when operating the machine, it would help time goes by fast. Other than that I enjoyed the sound of the game. The cinematic cutscenes are voiced which is pretty cool because you don’t see that in many simulator games.
When it comes to simulator games, I am always skeptical when it comes to controls, because more controls need to be added and modes. I thought I would have a hard time with Construction Simulator but good thing my skeptical went away as soon as I operated my first machine, it was very simple and on the top of the UI system for the game was very helpful, especially with the help submenu that helped me remember the buttons because this is a game that I would expect to pick up again later and I won’t have to go through the tutorial again to figure out what buttons does what. The tutorial was super helpful for each machine and I was able to complete each task like it was nothing.
There’s more
Simulation games are known for their replay value, and that is something gamers enjoyed all the time, especially if it is with friends. One thing that makes this game special unlike the predecessor’s simulator games, is it has multiplayer to 4 players that can help you complete tasks because doing jobs alone can be hard and long, and teamwork makes the dream work. Also with two maps to explore, tons of vehicles to purchase and check out with endless contracts to complete, this is a game that will keep you going. On top of that, there are collectibles hidden throughout the world, and players will most likely try and find every single one, I know I will because I like to complete everything 100%.
Another cool thing I found out was the camera switching between third person and first person, which was pretty cool I like that feature, and the majority of simulator games don’t give that option. It helps you see the world from multiple views.
Conclusion
Going straightforward is Construction Simulator a game worth checking out? I would have to say yes because there is so much you can do in the game and there is a massive world out there to explore. Both world location is different, with different tasks to check out. I don’t know anything about what it is like working on a construction site or rebuilding a town, however, this game gives you a chance to experience that. The number of machines you can operate, the challenges you face, exploration of the world. If you want to experience life on a construction site and build amazing buildings while operating heavy machines then this game is for you.
Overall: 8.0
Visuals: 8.0
Audio: 8.0
Gameplay: 8.0
Construction Simulator
Platforms: Xbox, Playstation, PC
Developer: Weltenbauer
Publisher: Astragon Entertainment GmbH
Release Date: 20th September 2022
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