Before I get into any details about this game I will say flat out that this is one of the lamest games I have ever played. It was torturous playing it for the required 1-hour to evaluate it.
This reminds me of the time that I was hired as a game tester as part of the QA team for a medium-sized software company that no longer exists. When I first got hired as part of the testing team I thought to myself that this is going to be the most amazing job ever! I get paid money to play video games! This will be awesome.
Well as it turns out this is not a great job at all because you do not get to choose what you are going to play nor for how long. Sometimes I would be asked to play some of the most mundane games for 40-60 hours and I couldn't really even stand playing the game at all. Be careful what you wish for I guess.
Mud Runner reminded me of my time working for that company and I can't really understand how anyone could possibly enjoy this.
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There are apparently people that feel differently because there are multiple DLC's for this title and it has a relatively high star rating on several websites that conveniently happen to sell the game so therefore the voting is probably rigged at least a little bit.
Keeping in mind that I don't do any research on the PS Plus Extra games I went into this one knowing only what is in the picture. I figured it would be some sort of off-road racing game but alas, it is one of these "job simulation" games whose popularity I fail to understand.
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The game concept is not at all what I expected as you find yourself behind the wheel of some sort of massive diesel truck and your objective is to carry cargo from one place to the next through terrible terrain. The movement is painfully slow and when you do get stuck in the mud - and you will - you have to winch yourself out by magically attaching yourself to a nearby tree that if that tree were actually used in this scenario in real life, it would definitely snap.
I suffered through the tutorial hoping that perhaps later I would a better vehicle and that my current vehicle was just some shitty beginner model. I regret to report that it is precisely the opposite that happens. After the turorial you are given missions that involve having a far lessor powered vehicle used in transport.
I never took on any objective other than hauling logs from one point to another, which is boring enough as a concept but wait! There's more!
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In order to even pick up the cargo you have to painstakingly reverse your rig under the trailer and get it just right or you cannot hitch the trailer in the first place. This stupid and time-consuming process is made even worse when you have to back the rig with the trailer attached to it at your destination. I've actually backed up a truck with a trailer on it in real life and yes, it is a complicated and frustrating experience. How they manages to make it MORE complicated and frustrating in a video game defies all logic of game design.
To make matters worse, there is no automatic navigation about where the hell you are supposed to go so it necessitates constantly checking the map to make sure you are actually heading in the right direction. While this might change later in the game, there wasn't even any other moving vehicles that I encountered at any time during the two missions that I suffered through.
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I didn't play the game long enough to know if this changes but I can honestly say that I think it is strange that someone out there thought that it would be "fun" for someone to painstakingly transport goods from one side of a town with no pavement to another also unpaved part of town. I mean, what sort of industry is this that has no roads?
It isn't often that a game is so bad that I am actually angry at it for existing, but Mud Runner is definitely one of those games in my opinion. I whole-heartedly recommend that you stay well away from this game, even if it is free.
Final Analysis
For me, this game has no redeeming qualities and is just simply bad. Keep in mind that my opinions are based ONLY on first impressions and how well I think the devs capture your attention and keep you there. Looking at the various upgrade options that I had access to at the time it appears as though there are a ton of options in this game and I certainly hope that those are fun because the initial scenarios that a new player is going to find themselves in for the first, and in my opinion, the most important hour, almost nothing happens but sheer frustration and repetition.
Games I have tried in my journey to play every PS-Plus Extra game for at least an hour
- Windbound (survival game with rogue-like elements - not recommended)
- Magicka 2 (top-down humorous multiplayer hack and slash-sort with immense spell system - maybe recommended)
- Tearaway: Unfolded (charming casual 3D platformer with inventive graphics and gameplay designed for all ages - recommended for casual players)
- Spiritfarer (casual simulation / resource-management style game with an extremely good story - recommended for all)
- Observation (point and click survival sort of... interactive game of sorts set in space - found it very boring after just one hour and do not recommend)
- Gabbuchi (simplistic puzzle game that I feel is better suited to mobile devices. Not recommended on consoles)
- The Messenger (8-bit style action/platformer that is a throwback to original Ninja Gaiden. It's simplistic fun. Recommended)
- Megadimension Neptunia VII (typical JRPG with some adjustments made to combat for uniqueness. Could be fun and I lukewarmly recommend for someone willing to dedicate 50 hours to a turn-based RPG)
- Monster Jam: Steel Titans 2 (monster truck racing game that will appeal only to people who are already fans of the sport - not recommended for any other people)
- Entwined (Visually appealing rhythm pace game that is very easy to pick up but gets repetitive after 30 minutes or so - recommended for anyone that can get it for free.)
- 2Dark (8-bit graphic survival horror/stealth hybrid. The game becomes extremely difficult really fast and therefore failed to hold my attention - not recommended)
- Virginia (interactive-cinema...not really a game and it is over in a couple of hours. Not recommended)
- Trials of Mana (simplistic action RPG that will definitely appeal to the casual gamer that is a fan of old-school RPG combat mechanics - recommended)
- Journey to the Savage Planet (FPS exploration game in a semi-open-world environment. The game is intentionally silly and I loved it - recommended)
- Resogun (arcade-style single-screen SHMUP that will get boring to most people after an hour or so. Not recommended)
- The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (point and click adventure game that doesn't work on consoles and is just irritating to play - not recommended)
- Mighty No. 9 (it's Mega Man but terrible. Definitely not recommended)
- Moving Out (delightfully funny moving company simulator. It gets boring and repetitive pretty quickly. Recommended for a short laugh)
- Last Day of June (a sad story done in 3rd person perspective that while an interesting story and/or life lesson, quickly becomes repetitive and dull. Not recommended)
- Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom (action adventure RPG with an inventive combat system that unfortunately becomes very boring very fast. Filled with bugs and invisible walls, I lost interest within the first hour. Not recommended)
- Hue (inventive puzzle-platformer that whose basic controls are the reason why it is fun. This is also the reason why it gets old after a couple of hours)
- Dragon Quest Builders (simple building game similar to Minecraft with a quest and story system built it. A lot more fun than I thought it would be and highly recommended)
- Bound: Shattered Kingdom (artistic 3D platformer with an unusual graphical style that has an amazing story. It's only 2 hours long but still very good. Recommended)
- Hohokum (an artistic and relaxing experience but ultimately it isn't really a game because there are no clear objectives. Not recommended.)
- Bound by Flame (basically a budget Witcher but fails in almost every way. This game was frustrating to endure for an hour. Not recommended )
- Stray (a simplistic and beautiful adventure / puzzle game that I think most people would enjoy. However, it isn't as perfect as professional reviews would indicate IMO)
- Alienation (action RPG that plays similar to Diablo3 but set in a futuristic world. Recommended for casual multiplayer with friends)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (A classic beat-em-up akin to Double Dragon that loses its appeal in the first 15 minutes of gameplay. Not recommended)
- I am Dead (Point and click puzzle-hunt game with a fantastic story that is unfortunately bogged down by very boring gameplay. Not recommended)
- The Gardens Between (puzzle adventure game that has a wonderful story in it that involves no words being spoken. It's a wonderful casual experience and is very-well made although a bit on the simple side... recommended)
- My Time at Portia (building management / RPG that is like so many other games out there that are exactly the same. Since there is basically no innovation here I would give this one a hard pass)
- Infamous: First Light (fast paced action adventure game that I found to be absolutely awesome. Controls are easy to pick up and the game almost never has to load. One of my favorite games on the PS4 and highly recommended)
- Mud Runner (Truck driving simulator that is honestly one of the most mind-numbingly terrible games I have ever played. Not recommended at all)