RoadCraft Review – The Road Ahead is Long

RoadCraft Review

Saber Interactive’s “RoadCraft” enters a genre congested with city builders and simulation games, attempting to pave its own path with a focus on realistic road network design and management. While RoadCraft showcases a promising engine and intriguing mechanics, it currently feels like a project still very much in the early stages of development, leaving me with more questions than concrete experiences.

At its core, RoadCraft attempts to soar in its approach to all things construction. Forget the overly simplified grid systems of some competitors; here, players are tasked with meticulously planning and executing road layouts, delivering supplies to the right locations, and rebuilding beautiful landscapes that have become uninhabitable.

Every Tool for the Job?

RoadCraft offers dozens of necessary tools for getting the job done, though it’s surprisingly lacking in what it offers compared to Saber Interactive’s last game of this nature, SnowRunner. For example, SnowRunner would give players options to customize their trucks in order for them to serve multiple purposes. They could tow, winch, and haul depending on the situation. RoadCraft removes this customizability, and as such, feels inherently more limited than its counterparts.

Experimentation is encouraged in RoadCraft, and the immediate visual feedback when it comes to terrain deformation is genuinely impressive. Witnessing vehicles seamlessly navigate a meticulously planned route is satisfying; however, not always for the right reasons. Most of the time, I was baffled by the AI’s complete inability to navigate simple turns. There were moments when I had a fleet of vehicles repeatedly driving in circles, even though the path I had laid out was a simple straightaway. As such, it feels great when things work as planned, because I often struggled against mechanics that simply wouldn’t function.

Lookin’ Good, Soundin’ Good

Where RoadCraft does shine is in its visuals and audio. Utilizing Unreal Engine 5, RoadCraft looks the part, with luscious environments at the forefront of the experience. Even when I wasn’t having fun with RoadCraft’s current technical limitations, I always found myself remarking that at least things looked the part. Foliage sways in the wind with authenticity, trees crack and boom as they topple to the ground, and roads show wear and tear that you won’t see in any other game. There’s no doubt that RoadCraft is Saber Interactive’s prettiest game to date, but it’s just a shame that odd design choices and a severe lack of polish hamper the moment-to-moment gameplay. Why is there no fuel system? Why do vehicles no longer take damage? These are questions I asked myself time and again over the course of the last week.

The learning curve is also undeniably steep. While the tutorial attempts to guide players through the basics, navigating the UI and mastering the nuances of RoadCraft’s tools feels clunky and unintuitive. Simple actions like operating a crane to lift an object often require frustratingly precise maneuvering. Moreover, RoadCraft’s limited documentation left me feeling lost when faced with more complex challenges, forcing me to rely on external resources and online communities. I imagine this significant barrier to entry for casual players will turn a lot of folks off. Admittedly, if I weren’t reviewing the game, I probably wouldn’t have stuck around for as long as I did.

Final Thoughts

With its visual prowess, RoadCraft presents a promising foundation for a unique and engaging construction simulator. Its road construction mechanics and realistic environments are impressive. However, it also feels underdeveloped and lacking in customization, which previous Saber Interactive games have. In addition, clunky UI and a plethora of bugs ultimately hold RoadCraft back from realizing its full potential. While dedicated fans of road engineering and construction simulators might enjoy the game’s granular control and visual feedback, “RoadCraft” requires significant improvements and additions before it can truly compete with established players in the genre. It’s a game with a strong concept but needs a lot more work before it’s ready for prime time. The foundation is there, but the road ahead is still under construction.

***A PC key was provided for this review***

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

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