Neither Snow Nor Rainā¦
HIGH The chain tires ā snowy roads be damned!
LOW Inadvertently locking myself out of the true ending.
WTF The snow-covered frozen corpses I kept finding.
If I showed up for the first day of work and was greeted with empty city streets, caustic shopkeepers, and sub-zero temperatures that apparently send me to a bizarre void world after several seconds of exposure, I would probably turn around and go home ā which is probably why Iāve never been hired by the Easy Delivery Co.Ā
As a fresh-faced recruit, players will brave blizzards and uncanny townsfolk as they cruise snowy mountains delivering packages and piecing together the truth behind a mysterious village.
The core loop of Easy Delivery Co. is simple enough ā select a job, head to point A to pick up, deliver to point B, get paid.Ā Structured as a semi-open-world courier simulator, charting a route across three primary burgs is left to the playerās discretion.Ā Longer distance deliveries net higher payouts which, in turn, can be redeemed for gasoline, vehicle upgrades, and supplies to guard against the cold.
Weather plays a key role in Easy Delivery Co., with any time spent outdoors presenting the danger of rapid hypothermia (and a quick return to that spooky void world ā Yikes!)Ā Purchasing items such as logs to build a fire or coffee to keep up oneās cold tolerance and speed are crucial for surviving the long, cold nights.
Aesthetics are crucial for Easy Delivery Co.ās success and, thankfully, it more than delivers with its abrasive lo-fi ā90s styling forming a rock-solid foundation for its foreboding world.Ā Jagged, warping power-lines crisscross vacant streets.Ā Tires spin, straining doggedly against slushy terrain while kicking up chunky white pixels in their wake.Ā High beams click on in the waning daylight, taillights rendering as warm halos in dithering snowfall. Thereās a fuzziness to the whole affair ā a juxtaposition of warmth and chill that is at once disconcerting as well as curiously comforting.
The narrative is, for the most part, told indirectly through conversation with the denizens of Mountain Town and the surroundings hamlets.Ā The player has one ally, MK. Theyāre apparently the only lucid character in the area, providing context for the proceedings and also acting as the primary quest giver.Ā The townsfolk in Easy Delivery Co., seemingly confined to their storefronts, are generally standoffish.Ā Some are downright hostile, but most just seem depressed and lonely as they reveal their neuroses and desires in casual conversation.
While uncovering the secrets at the heart of the wintry town and its melancholy inhabitants becomes the primary objective, the narrative ultimately ends up feeling like a bolster for the tonal elements, as opposed to an end in and of itself.Ā I appreciated the pervasive unease and slow rollout of details, though I didnāt end up feeling terribly invested in the outcome, with the climax hinging on an emotional connection I never experienced.
Further buoying the stellar presentation is Easy Delivery Co.ās strong mechanical core.Ā Controlled from the third or first-person perspectives, players will spend much of their time in their (surprisingly nimble) mini ākeiā truck, but on-foot journeys across the unforgiving tundra are occasionally necessary.
The kei truck proves a faithful steed, and I relished every opportunity to manually open its tailgate as I loaded a package (dutifully closing it behind me), kicking on the headlights and puttering into the wavering dark.Ā There is a reactivity in its handling ā bouncing on its suspension over bumps, or losing traction as I hit a patch of snow or ice. It was rarely enough to jolt me off course, but just enough to demand my attention.
For the most part, Easy Delivery Co. lives up to its titular difficulty, but there is a subtle hostility in certain aspects of its design.Ā
The most notable of these is the map system, or lack thereof.Ā There is no mini-map, and while a full map can be accessed from the menu, it contains no indicators as to the playerās whereabouts ā only a waypoint for the destination.Ā While the level design isnāt terribly complex and a healthy smattering of road signs helped keep me on course, I couldnāt ever shake the feeling of being vaguely lost.Ā
Overall, Easy Delivery Co. is a resoundingly successful marriage of tone and mechanics.Ā The developers demonstrate a keen eye toward player engagement, offering just enough depth to require my focus, but not so much as to distract from their haunting world.Ā While the narrative ultimately falls a bit flat, the quiet moments of brewing tea by firelight and harrowing drives through blinding blizzards will stick with me long after I make my final delivery.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Buy Easy Delivery Co. ā PC
Disclosures: This game is developed by Sam C and published by Oro Interactive. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC.Ā ApproximatelyĀ 6 hours of play were devotedĀ to the single-player mode, and the game was completed.Ā There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: At the time of this review, this game has not been rated by the ESRB.Ā While there is no violence, blood, or gore there is spooky imagery that might be scary for younger or more sensitive audiences. Additionally, while there is no explicit sexual content, there is mildly suggestive dialogue during conversations with certain characters.Ā
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. I did not experience any issues when playing this game without sound, all audio cues are accompanied by visual indicators.Ā This game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: Certain functions are remappable.Ā While the primary controls cannot be altered in this game, the āAcceptā and āBackā buttons can be reversed in the options menu.
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