Saber Interactive has occupied an opulent position in the driving-sim subgenre for several years, thanks to its sterling work with MudRunner and SnowRunner. While 2024’s Expeditions continues to have a mixed reputation, that hasn’t stopped the team from forging ahead with RoadCraft—yet another heavy machinery project infused with the MudRunner DNA.
Interestingly, Saber has opted to sever this entry from the Runner family name. After the time I’ve spent with its Steam Next Fest demo, I can see why. RoadCraft truly does feel like its own project, and a great one at that.
Forging new paths
This expression is both figurative and literal, as the primary objective throughout RoadCraft’s missions is to create new pathways through disaster-ridden landscapes as you seek to get the infrastructure back in order. At the same time, RoadCraft is in many ways a departure from the formula set out by the Runner titles, hence the name change.
Thus, if you’re a fan of those games and are expecting this to be a sequel of sorts, it really isn’t. RoadCraft has a unique identity, even more so than that of the oddball spin-off that is Expeditions. I’ve spent some time with that entry too, and I still haven’t really connected with it. Meanwhile, RoadCraft captured my attention within mere minutes.
Making the most of it
Perhaps the biggest separation between RoadCraft and the Runner titles is that this is far more mission-based. The overarching theme is “search, recovery, and relief.”
You’re dropped into a large map and tasked with piloting your arsenal of heavy machines through rugged terrain, but the key focus here is simply on getting the surrounding area back into working order. Each machine has a specific use, and you’re left to figure out how to piece everything together your own way by playing these machines to their strengths.
For instance, the first demo mission involved “reconnecting a local plant to the power grid as part of a broader restoration effort,” as the game puts it.
The introductory phase involved taking a small scouting SUV through the rugged, mud-laden forest until eventually arriving at the Sawmill.
From there, I happened upon a tree harvester; a large track-based vehicle with a big saw attached to a crane arm. It made quick work of trees both large and small, cutting them from the stump and then processing them into logs by shaving off their branches.
A tree mulcher was then introduced to help get rid of the stumps. In this mission, using this didn’t seem to yield much additional purpose, but considering the next big layer of RoadCraft is resource management, I’m sure it plays a bigger role in the full experience.
The next machine was a mobile logging crane. The crane controls were intuitive right off the bat, also making good use of button modifiers to help ‘add’ additional inputs on a controller.
Once I had the required number of logs loaded onto the bed, I was tasked with hauling them up to the Sawmill a few clips away through the forest. The thick mud road eventually turned to swampy marsh, adding further complexity to the drive, much in the same vein of the Runner titles. This truly is where that family DNA is retained, and I must mention, the visual details of it all look even better now.
Particle effects and scenery complexity is cranked up a few notches here in RoadCraft. You can see the wind roll through the tall grass and shrubbery, as well as trees bending and swaying about from both the breeze and your machines pummelling over them.
Leaves fill the air, dirt and grime get all over the vehicles, and the ground beautifully reacts to every touch. Seeing big tires turn wet dirt into mud and crush blades of grass into the ground is so satisfying.
Even the way the trees bend and branches snap when being handled by the crane looked very convincing; much more so than simpler titles like Giants’ Farming Simulator which feature similar gameplay elements.
Both the exterior and interior details of each machine are also quite nice. The higher-detailed cabins first introduced in SnowRunner are even more refined now, and I took particular notice of the added windshield effects during rainstorms. Not only do water droplets run down the glass, but the wipers automatically engage and rather effectively sweep away the water.
Of course, the individual moving parts are on full display here, as machines unfold their implements and tear through the terrain. From saw blades, to big loaders, everything looks and behaves as it should.
Scenery density also appears to be ramped up. Perhaps this could do with the maps being a little smaller than in the Runner games, or just another benefit of the upgraded engine that RoadCraft is running on.
Either way, foliage is aplenty, along with other scenery elements like rugged structures, broken down vehicles, and more objects and natural features to admire. This all makes each map feel lived in, though, still quite unnervingly devoid of life at the same time, just as is the case in the Runner games.
The sound engineers also deserve a hearty thumbs up, as each effect is perfectly articulated. You can hear the variation of each terrain type, from mud, to gravel, and grass. Every bending branch, every tire skid, every gear shift as you trudge through treacherous terrain; RoadCraft is a true delight to enjoy with a good pair of headphones.
Capping off its soundscape is a very nice ambient track list that plays here and there. The best way to describe the genre is ‘rustic acoustic,’ with guitars and ethereal synths filling the air with gentle, lightly engaging notes that completely fit the scene of working in the great outdoors with heavy machinery.
Back to life
We’ve digressed quite a bit from the gameplay track. Though, I truly was enamoured by all the details for several minutes; I did forget I had some tasks to complete. Nevertheless, once I transported the logs to the Sawmill, the next objective involved getting the Cement Plant back online.
This was a two-fold mission, with the need to run an underground power cable from a remote substation over to the Plant, in addition to bringing a backup generator to the Plant.
Exploiting the game’s insistence on player choice, I opted to first ferry the truck with the backup generator.
This took only a few minutes, but required a little bit of strategy, as the direct access road to the Plant was severed by a missing bridge; possibly destroyed during the hurricane. I had to then traverse around a river and through the forest, eventually getting to the Cement Plant from around its rear.
Much like Saber’s past driving sims, the map is obscured by a ‘fog of war.’ Although, the map is far more detailed this time around, providing a practically 1:1 birds-eye view of the surrounding area that you can easily zoom in and out of. But, with that fog blocking most of your view, a scouting vehicle continues to be a handy tool for gradually revealing the details ahead of time so you can plot out courses for the larger vehicles.
With the backup generator delivered, the final phase of this operation now had me making use of a trench digger. This large, lumbering machine tears through the ground, laying down cable as it rolls along. As I began my journey from the substation, I quickly realised that the destroyed bridge from earlier would once again prove to be an obstacle that would prevent easy access to the Concrete Plant.
I had to plot a course through the forest and find a roundabout way to the Plant; unable to use the exact same path as before, considering the generator truck and trench digger started in two different sectors of the map.
With some more use of the scout, I eventually did find a path for the trench digger, though maneuvering it through the thick forest was laborious. I may have even made things harder on myself with the path I ended up taking, but therein lies the overall gameplay narrative of RoadCraft: it gives you the objective, but you have to piece together how you want to complete it.
Getting the job done
This was one of three missions offered in the Next Fest demo. As the introductory challenge, it was labelled as ‘Easy,’ with the subsequent missions being ‘Medium’ and ‘Hard,’ respectively. Admittedly, I didn’t dive into those before penning this piece for the sake of time.
Still, just this first mission alone sold me on RoadCraft’s concept, especially in lieu of it being a spiritual successor to the Runner games, rather than a direct sequel.
Its more linear, mission-based progression is a great departure; not that it’s inherently a better formula, but it’s different enough to give it a unique identity that works with its gameplay elements.
Tasks in MudRunner and SnowRunner are often on a grander scale and only require the use of one or two machines to complete, whereas RoadCraft is all about efficiently orchestrating a fleet of specialised vehicles to gradually complete an overarching objective. There’s a little more structure here, but still with the freedom to execute your plan the way you want.
With its heavier focus on resource collection and management, there are also new systems at play, such as resource production facilities and (optional) CPU-driven task completion that simply isn’t available in preceding titles. Multiplayer does return, allowing players to handle each mission together; I didn’t try this here in the demo.
It should also be mentioned that with all the focus on hopping between different vehicles, gone is the gearbox and fuel management elements from past titles. Runner-faithfuls may not be too fond of this change, though I genuinely found it to make things smoother, given all the other tasks RoadCraft has you juggling.
I’m more than ready for when the full experience arrives on May 20. Saber has once again upped the ante with its simulation experience, continuing to make similar trucking sims feel archaic.
With Expeditions still not finding its footing just yet, I am genuinely curious to see exactly how the community responds to RoadCraft. It’s a different experience almost altogether, but with some of the best elements that made the Runner titles so good.
Check out more big machines:
Euro Truck Simulator 2 – West Balkans – Is it worth it? | American Truck Simulator – Kansas — Is it worth it? | Tram Simulator Urban Transit PC review — Track tycoon | Truck and Logistics Simulator PC review — Straight to the point
