Off The Road Unleashed | Nintendo Switch Review
Updated: Nov 19, 2021
Off The Road Unleashed is a sandbox type, off-road driving sim developed and published by Dogbyte Games. I must admit, going into this game seeing that it was a port of a mobile game, did not inspire me with any confidence whatsoever. Cue the old adage, “never judge a book by its cover”. Off The Road Unleashed really took me by surprise. It is currently only available on the Nintendo Switch and I was playing it in handheld mode.
The aim is simple, you need to gather resources in order to build new roads and buildings to expand the world you are in and ultimately unlock the next map to progress through the game. It starts you off in a small flatbed truck, you must explore the map in order to unlock new vehicles, this can be done by finding old barns to open or smashed up wrecks to restore. Collecting spare parts will earn you different cosmetic upgrades for each vehicle. There are 5 different maps to unlock and a variety of vehicles which can be discovered including flat beds, dune buggies, monster trucks, boats and even helicopters. But if none of those tickle your fancy and you just want a leisurely stroll around the map, then you can get your hiking boots on and explore on foot. Each vehicle has a winch which can get you out of sticky situations or up steep inclines. This can also be used to tow wrecked vehicles or even cargo. You will embark on rescue missions, undertake deliveries, compete in races and take part in checkpoint challenges to complete each map.
After delivering enough resources to complete one objective I found myself wanting to dive straight into another objective. I didn't want to put the game down, there is just so much to do on each map and each area is big so there are lots of terrain to explore and different vehicles to unlock. I found it very addictive and so relaxing to just drive around collecting resources and delivering loads. Whether it was collecting trailer loads of rocks from the quarry, logs from the tree cutter and iron from the foundry, there was never a lack of things to do. You will need to keep a good eye on the fuel gauge though and plan your journey accordingly. Depending on the vehicle, you can load the truck with fuel cans to make sure you never run out or you can find the nearest gas station to top up your tank. Toolboxes can also be collected in order to repair your vehicle of any damage that you will inevitably inflict on your machine as you traverse through the off-road world.
The graphics and visuals certainly won’t blow you away but there is absolutely nothing wrong with how this game looks. The landscapes look great with bright, vivid colours and sharp lines. The attention to detail is wonderful. Damage to the car can be seen and even mud sticks to the truck until you take it to the garage or drive through some water to wash it off. Each vehicle handles differently but overall the vehicles feel good to handle and move around the environment quite nicely.
I never thought of myself as much of a trucker and these kinds of off-road driving sims never really appealed to me. Oh how wrong I was. Time and time again Off The Road Unleashed had me reaching for my trucker cap and donning my finest plaid shirt as I settled in for more hours of off-road trucking adventures. This is a fantastic little game and I for one will certainly be losing many more hours behind the wheel of my wee blue pickup truck.
PaultheBrave's Rating: 4.5 trailer loads of steel out of 5.
For more information on Off The Road Unleashed please use the following links...
Dogbyte Games - Developer | Publisher | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Many thanks to Dogbyte Games for the Review Key.
Off The Road Unleashed | Nintendo eShop
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