Alaskan Road Truckers - Ice in Their Veins

In Alaskan Road Truckers you'll take to the wild roads of Alaska, fighting against weather, time, hunger, exhaustion, and the freezing cold as you make your mark on this state. Become a trucking legend against the odds in this unique mix of trucking game and survival sim. Hit the road, level up your trucker, and survive in one of the harshest environments on the planet. From snow to sunshine, experience Alaska like never before in Alaskan Road Truckers.

Developed by Poland based Road Studio SA and published by Movie Games and Green Man Gaming Publishing, Alaskan Road Truckers is a unique game taking place in the ruthless environment of Alaska. It blends the well-known simulator classics with elements of the survival genre into an interesting hybrid driving and survival-lite experience.

Alaskan Road Truckers is more than a simulator. In fact, the developers changed the game's original name from Alaskan Truck Simulator to Road Truckers fairly late in the in development an effort to emphasize that point.

The game is not a truck driving simulator. (Truth be told, the driving mechanics are one of the game's weak points). In Alaskan Road Truckers you aren’t just a truck, you play as a trucker with a focus on life both inside and outside of your vehicle.

Deliver cargo, build a successful business, and get out of your truck to explore Alaska while maintaining your vehicle and taking care of your own health and needs. As you navigate treacherous conditions on the road, remember that your character's well-being is just as crucial as the cargo you're hauling.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. Truck simulators? Meh! But, while titles like Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, and SnowRunner have already carved their own lanes in the trucking niche, this game takes a different route by infusing role-playing game (RPG) elements into the mix.

Picture this: you're in the picturesque, but also challenging, Alaskan wilderness. The game offers a range of missions, some of which can take up to a whopping three hours to complete! To kick things off, you get to pick one of ten unique characters, each with their own traits and attributes. An introductory video sets the stage, briefing you on the job you're about to tackle. From there, the game guides you through tasks like connecting cables, securing trailer supports, and settling into the driver's seat of your trusty rig.

What sets Alaskan Road Truckers apart are its interactive elements. It's the little things that count, like starting the engine by virtually turning the ignition key. As you complete missions, your parking precision gets graded on a scale of one to five stars. Once the cargo is safely delivered, you unhook the trailer, just as you learned earlier. Then, it's time to submit the tutorial mission to the nearby Job Manager and venture into the vast Alaskan world.

Right around the tutorial area, you've got your headquarters, serving as the central hub for managing your trucking business. You can access a workshop for truck customisation and repairs, and you get your own office. Want to expand? You can do that too, adding facilities like a tire workshop and extra parking areas.

Also, reputation matters. You'll need to build your reputation as a reliable and dependable transport operation before getting access to some of the more complex (and lucrative) jobs available, adding a neat layer of progression to your journey.

You've also got to manage your character's health, hunger, and energy levels. Inside your truck's cabin, you've got a microwave for heating up food, storage for your items, and a bed to catch some Zs and replenish your energy.

And don't forget the occasional truck maintenance – you can open up the hood, fill the vehicle up with required fluids, or even make necessary repairs.

Elements like maintenance abilities are skill tree system based. Alaskan Road Truckers has three separate skill paths: personality, trucking, and mechanical. Each of these paths unlocks various upgrades and improvements, and you earn experience within a specific path by performing relevant actions. For example, fixing up your truck earns you experience points in the mechanical tree.

Alaskan Road Truckers isn't without its quirks and issues though. The game's world may seem a tad empty, lacking pedestrians, and AI-controlled vehicles can sometimes go a bit haywire, blocking your path.

The driving experience, while engaging, falls short of the high standards set by other, truer simulation titles. The steering feels very limited, and there are some hiccups with truck handling, especially when switching between drive and reverse in an automatic gearbox.

Realism also takes a backseat in some cases. For example, unlike games like Euro Truck Simulator, in Alaskan Road Truckers you won't get penalised for exceeding speed limits or even running red lights, which dampens the realism and the challenge. There are also a few rough edges in terms of animation during tasks like refueling and connecting cables to the trailer. Game optimisation also needs improving. And the game would benefit greatly from a solid graphics pass to iron out some of the graphical glitches.

To be fair, the development team is seemingly committed to make improvements, with two patches released within the first 48 hours of the game's launch. With more attention and updates, Alaskan Road Truckers could transform into a really trucking title. It could perhaps have benefitted from an Early Access release initially, to allow the developers to work on those improvements without the added pressure of having to fix things for a full release.    

Whether you're a seasoned truck simulator fan or a curious newcomer, this game could be your ticket to the rugged Alaskan frontier, with its blend of realism and role-playing. So, buckle up, and see where the snowy roads of Alaska take take you!

Fans can also load up with additional PC content with the Mother Trucker Edition DLC, available to purchase now for a limited time only. The Mother Truckers Edition lets aspiring truckers conquer the Alaskan frontier and show off their badass style with a brand new, tattooed character and some cool upgrades for their truck.

The DLC content includes:
• A badass new character with tats to match
• ‘Flaming Hot’ truck decals
• The hottest hood ornaments in Alaska
• The ‘Cattle-Killer 5000’ grill
• ‘Climate Changer’ exhaust
• The ‘Ultra Deluxe’ cab light set

Verdict:

If you're looking for a driving experience that is as truck simulator focused as Euro Truck Simulator or American Truck Simulator with an Alaskan Ice Road Truckers skin, this isn't it.

Alaskan Road Truckers slightly flawed large truck driving mechanics are offset by the addition of the survival-lite life mechanics that make the game an interesting hybrid. Take it for what it is from the outset and the game will not only satisfy, but it will also grow on you as it improves and is enhanced with more content.

Alaskan Road Truckers scores a Wide Load 7 / 10 on the Reddometer.

Alaskan Road Truckers is out now on PC via Steam and is Coming Soon™ on Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5, and for PC on the Epic Games Store.

Buy Alaskan Road Truckers:

Available with outstanding value Regional Pricing for South Africa at just R200 for the base game and R232 for the Mother Truckers Edition.

Also at Green Man Gaming for the same prices, if you want to collect some GMG XP at the same time.

More Info:

Developer narrated gameplay preview: