I was prepared to throw 5 stars at this game right around chapter 8. However,t he last 5 hours were so much different and worse that what came before that I need to dock a whole star.

Despite being derided as a walking simulator, the core gameplay loop is actually fantastic. I loved creating routes, optimizing my paths between different bases, and integrating my constructions with the other online players. Planning delivery loops, then executing them by foot or vehicle is one of the coziest gameplay loops that I've encountered in a while. The trickle of new equipment is perfectly spaced out to give the player a sense of "oh! I can now put this on the map here, here and here" to optimize routes.

Walking and driving around wouldn't be as fun if it wasn't for the world design, which is top notch. The creepy, otherworldly aspect is contrasted well with the beautiful, scenic landscape.

The initial lore and mystery of the game is also highly compelling. I want to know how the world got like this; I want to know who the hell all of these people are.

Unfortunately, the last few hours of the game tank the overall quality of the whole experience. By chapter 9, walking and delivering is basically done - the player is in for a few boss fights that aren't terribly challenging, but are terribly time consuming. More of the third-person shooter sections appear: not the game's strong suit. It's a shame the game ends with hours of game play that the game really doesn't handle well.

And then the story. Most of the early story and lore is told in the first few hours. Enough to set the tone and get one excited to delve into the mystery. But, the meat of the game really spaces out the focus on the story. A few cutscenes and arcs here and there, but most of the lore is gained from emails and data logs, and even then, in small chunks.

Then the end game dumps the rest of the story on the player all at once. There are emotional moments that don't land, and scenes that should be tense but are more laughable and confusing as meaningless antagonists threaten the player and the plot seems to twist itself for no real reason. There are plot revelations that are like, "This is true. But actually it was this all along! But actually someone else did this! But actually it was really THIS behind everything, but actually this person is good, but actually this person is bad but no wait they're good!" The characters aren't developed enough to give a shit and it feels like Kojima is just making things up at the end. No emotional stakes. Please get an editor, Kojima.

Despite that - the beginning and middle of the game are incredible and those parts will stick with me for a long, long while.

A mesmerizing game at its best. The first few missions are such a slog, given that your starter trucks think of shallow mud as if it were glue, but getting a truck that can haul things over terrain with actual obstacles allows this game to show off how fun it can be.

It's a little bare in terms of gameplay elements - it really is just "deliver thing to place" - but the actual logistics of getting thing X to place Y turns this simple act of traversal into a puzzle, making this much more comparable to Death Stranding than SCS's Truck Sim games. It's a shame that the game is either ludicrously easy or really hard once you acquire a few trucks, with no real in-between. This means that the only real factor is "can your truck grip the terrain and/or winch itself along", which doesn't completely nullify the fun in the game, but I rarely feel like I need to use more than 4-5 of the 60+ vehicles in the game.

All in all it's still an enjoyable game that allows you to engage your brain a bit without being an overly stressful or action-packed experience. I'm not really big into them myself but I imagine this is peak "podcast game" material. My suggestion is to Cheat Engine in a small amount of money so the hump at the beginning is a little smaller, and you can get to the meat of the experience a little faster - you won't exactly be robbing yourself of the feeling of progression either, as most of the content is still locked behind levels.