Based on the studio’s latest development video, the new Alaskan Road Truckers name better fits what the project has become during development. Unlike traditional trucking simulators like American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator series, Alaskan Road Truckers features some survival elements to go along with the main driving experience.
Obviously, you’ll be playing the role of a trucker (not necessarily an Alaskan trucker), but this time you’ll be able to get out of the truck and manage your trucking empire. The survival elements consist of managing hunger, thirst, and body temperature, something I’m not sure many truck sim fans enjoy.
Most of us just want to sit back and relax as we get our load from A to B. If there are good views along the way, that’s a plus, but having to control hunger and thirst will definitely add a challenge and stress to driving. experience.
Equally important is the fact that in Alaskan Road Truckers you will have your own headquarters that can be expanded as you progress through the game. You start with a very small garage, which can be turned into a huge complex with all the necessary tools for a professional trucker. Yes, that includes a refrigerator for food and drinks, a coffee machine, and even a kitchen oven to show off your culinary prowess.
Photo: Road Studio
The video also goes over some of the upgrade and customization options for your HQ, which is divided into a couple of sections such as the Workshop, Parking Area, and Tire Stations. You can buy new trucks, accept contracts, and run the rest of your business right from your base.
Players will also be able to go directly to other locations in Alaska to obtain tasks. Not only that, but various NPCs in Alaska will offer you jobs that vary in difficulty, while offering you either money or reputation as a reward (or even both?).
While traveling you will be able to listen to internet radio channels which is great. I’m not quite sure how well the trucks from Alaskan Road Truckers drive, but they don’t look that good, especially on the inside.
In fact, the images shown in the video are not attractive at all. Still, considering this is probably an alpha version, I hope the studio can make some improvements (if they haven’t already?).
Alaskan Road Truckers players will also be able to buy food, drinks and gas on the go. Fortunately, his truck houses not only a bed and storage space, but also a microwave that allows him to cook. Still, I’m not so sure about the refueling and stocking up on food and drink parts of the game.
Photo: Road Studio
These survival mechanics are probably meant to make Alaskan Road Truckers stand out, but I’m not sure how many truck sim fans will enjoy them. Considering that many of the changes recently implemented by the developers are based on feedback received, it seems that there is actually a market for this particular type of truck sim.
Another interesting mechanic is truck maintenance. This can be done by you, or you can pay someone else to do it for you. Since it looks like a fun gameplay feature, as shown in the video, I’m pretty sure a lot of gamers will want to do it themselves, at least at first.
Ultimately I agree with the developer, Alaskan Road Truckers is not your typical truck sim. Due to the survival mechanics, whether you like it or not, you will also get to experience life as a trucker.
The 8-minute gameplay trailer goes over a few other features of the game, but the earlier ones feel more interesting. However, it’s important to mention that the footage was captured with an older version of the game, so we don’t actually know what the game looks like now.
However, the folks at Road Studio claim that they’ve made a lot of progress since then, so we look forward to seeing some new footage of the game. Alaskan Road Truckers doesn’t have a release date yet, but its Steam page does mention that it will be released this year.
Apart from PC, the game will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, so there is no next-gen console release for this one. If you want to show your support for Alaskan Road Truckers, you can wishlist the game on Steam right now.
