The successor to SnowRunner was approached in its PC version for several hours before its release scheduled for March 2024. Enough to give you our first impressions straight away, in every sense of the word.
It’s difficult to explain to an uninitiated person what it feels like to control a game from the MudRunner family. Relaxing exploration, fascination with the slow work of mechanics towing colossal masses while braving an often hostile nature, and above all time-consuming addiction. For example, the latest addition to date, SnowRunner, offers at least several hundred hours of play to anyone who wants to invest in it. Almost four years after its release, Saber Interactive’s title still benefits from constant, high-quality support, pushing the initial experience even further while maintaining an active and growing community. After so much good and loyal service, the handover time has come with the arrival of Expeditions: A MudRunner Game. Several weeks before its release, set for March 5, we were able to try out the title at length on several new environments.
MudRunner in the Wild West
The very first trailer for Expeditions announced the color, the game will take us to visit new places around the globe. If SnowRunner, as its name suggests, initially focused part of its maps on the snowy environments of Alaska and then Russia, the climate change will be radical in this new opus with the introduction of arid and rocky areas , like Colorado and Arizona. The change of scenery works instantly with decor in warm tones, predominantly yellow and orange, but nevertheless far from welcoming. And don’t worry, the mud, a sort of trademark of the saga, is indeed present under the burning sun of the American West. A third environment, Carpathians, was also offered to us, this time a return to what we are already more familiar with with hilly and green terrain, ideal for mud baths and impressive views of wild nature. SnowRunner was magnificent when it came out, Expeditions will be too. Based on the same graphics engine, the developers have optimized everything in order to push the sliders and the final rendering ever higher. Our PC configuration based on RTX 4080 will have clearly amazed us, although everything remains in line with the previous game in the series.
It was therefore in Colorado that we first got to grips with Expeditions via a tutorial phase presenting the basic gameplay and its main mechanics. Management of speeds, differential and drive wheels according to the nature of the ground, at first glance, regulars will not be too lost with an interface that is broadly similar in its operation. But new features quickly appeared, starting with real-time management of tire pressure. Indeed, it is now possible at any time to play with the bars via a gauge, thus making it possible to better adapt to the terrain to be tamed, regardless of the type of tires fitted, but to the detriment of fuel consumption. and an increased risk of puncture. A hard track will be more recommended at maximum pressure, while loamy and very muddy ground or even crossing rocks will require much “softer” tires for optimal traction. A welcome addition which should limit impromptu road trips at high speed and thus give more versatility to the rubbers, even for the original ones. And between us, what a pleasure to admire the tires deforming to match the terrain and the obstacles encountered. Crawling enthusiasts will have a blast with a physics engine that is still impressively detailed.
The discovery continues with the introduction of an exchange system via supply crates scattered across the maps. An inventory, available for each vehicle, allows you to store items gleaned from your explorations and missions. Refueling and repair parts of course, but also a whole range of new gadgets and accessories to help you in your progress. We can cite in a jumble: a drone to pilot yourself to anticipate the terrain upstream and the difficulties to come, supplemented by measuring binoculars, an echo probe allowing you to determine the depth of a body of water at cross, or even lights to place behind you to mark safe areas validated by you. I save the best for last with a single-use jack to right a stranded vehicle and manual anchor points to winch your machine in any situation. We then quickly understand one thing: Expeditions seeks to be easier to access for the general public while always refining its possibilities. If for solo players these additions will be able to avoid a lot of frustration, I still have a reservation, in particular on cooperation which should not become too simplistic, the difficulty and the hassles being paradoxically inseparable and even obligatory on a game stamped MudRunner. A balance to watch out for during the final release of the title.
Gold and silver prospector
We also find this notion of accessibility in mission management. It is true that a SnowRunner could be very complicated and difficult to understand on this point for a novice, requiring a certain amount of practice before being mastered. On Expeditions, the player will be much more guided and taken in hand, at least on the main missions of each environment, the secondary objectives still being scattered across the map in free exploration. Preparing for an expedition will be done via a menu from which you will choose and prepare your equipment and vehicles according to the constraints imposed. Types of gear required or authorized, mandatory or optional accessories to carry in your holds and even crew members to recruit. And this is where another major evolution of Expeditions comes into play: money management. Previously without much interest, because they were simply limited to the purchase and customization of machines, the funds take on a whole new dimension here. Not only will they be useful for expanding your motorized fleet, but also for your preparations. Do you want to take on board optional equipment to facilitate your crossing attempt? Then you will have to buy them. The same goes for excess fuel or repair parts. Add to this the possibility of building supply structures on the ground and crew members to be paid and you will quickly understand that sacrifices will have to be made to avoid seeing your savings go up in smoke. Bonuses will also be offered to you at the end of the mission depending on your performance.
Back to our crew. If this functionality is not innovative in itself, other games such as F1 or WRC having already more than tested it, it offers Expeditions a gain in depth. Various specialists will be available to make your shipments easier or even increase their profits. Mechanics and logisticians will improve the performance and capabilities of your vehicles, while hydrologists and jaegers will facilitate your crossings over the terrain. Managers will have the ability to increase your earnings per mission accomplished. It will then be up to you to juggle between exploration assistance and money collected, knowing that recruitment is deliberately limited for each mission.
Gone to last
To travel through these three environments, we had several vehicles at our disposal, classified as usual into three categories, namely Scouts, heavy trucks and offroad. Regulars will find certain emblematic machines and brands from the saga alongside new ones. The list being however very limited in this preview, we are therefore waiting for the final version to make an exhaustive list, while knowing that Expeditions will be experienced over time with monitoring and additions which we already know are substantial given the studio’s liabilities. We also look forward to exploring all the environments, urban areas being completely absent in this version presented. On this point and in relation to what we were able to see during these few hours of gameplay, it is important to note that the game lives up to its name with maps almost completely devoid of roads or marked trails leaving room for exploration. the most total and with all the difficulties that this generates. There is little doubt that Expeditions will be able to win the hearts of its community, while at the same time wooing newcomers who may be too intimidated by the colossal contents of a SnowRunner at the end of its life. The introduction will take place in a few weeks but be careful, it is very difficult to put down after you have tasted the very special and unique experience of a MudRunner game.
We await Expeditions: A MudRunner Game… with envy!
Nearly four years after the release of SnowRunner, Saber Interactive gave us a glimpse of a promising sequel with Expeditions. With new environments taking place in particular on the American desert lands, the title offers a renewal and new sensations of travel, enhanced by high-level graphic and physical achievement. The additions to gameplay and game mechanics, including the overhaul of the mission interface, seem to address the game to a wider audience. It now remains to be seen if the general balancing does not make the experience too simple for veterans of the genre, including in cooperation. Expeditions seems to build on the particularly solid foundations of its predecessors, without revolutionizing the experience but always pushing it further. Our final verdict in a few weeks!