Its really just not that great, and I'm a big fan of Runner Duck's games. All it made me want to do is go back and play Bomber Crew. If you're a big fan of the series then I'd still get it, but if you only marginally enjoyed Bomber Crew or Space Crew, I'd avoid this since it really is nothing like the other two. If you're a fan of Mad Max or Crossout and are looking for a similar post apocalyptic badlands vibe or vehicle editing system I'd say give it a try on sale but keep an eye on the return window.

The good things are without doubt the sound design, combat, and world. I am personally a big fan of the Runner Duck art style and they certainly nailed it with this aesthetic. The rock music gets you pumped up, and the folky banjo music is a nice vibe when you're tinkering with your crew loadouts or vehicle. The combat feels nice and fluid, it doesn't feel like your crew members are shooting in random directions which is my number one most infuriating gripe with Bomber Crew that I'm very happy they changed in this installment. The waste mode targeting is nicely done and gives Fallout vibes, which is a nice addition that adds an extra element to the combat. It feels like your crew members are actually trying to hit the enemies and listen to your directions.

Unfortunately though, that's where it ends for me. I will quickly touch on the driving mechanics before getting into the main issue. I will echo the complaints of others regarding the AI deciding randomly to change direction or just ignore your inputs completely ramming you straight into an allied car or a wall. The pace of the vehicles just feels slow as well, though I suppose that is a specific design choice as the map is not massive like, say, Mad Max. It feels like a decision needs to be made whether to make this game about free choice to go wherever or be on waypointed rails like the other two games in the series. Right now it feels like they tried to do both at the same time and all it does is frustrate the player.

The main problem for me with this game is the editor. Its not even a question that this is the worst anything editor I've ever used in any game ever. Unlike in other games, and I'll use Minecraft as an example here, where you can limit the block placement limit to prevent placing things behind or inside objects, that doesn't exist here. You will find yourself trying to build objects on top of each other but fail because the editor thinks you're trying to place it outside the truck or inside another block. Your placement and angle has to be absolutely perfect to accomplish what you want to do. Once you finally get said block placed you cannot build outward from it. Your options are to build straight up or don't do anything. It severely limits your creativity and makes it feel like you are just not allowed to build the way you want but instead build the way the game tells you to. You can try to build platforms but once again you'll find yourself placing things inside each other and end up having to revert multiple times to get it right. The grid is way too small, which some may like, but I feel like the devs need to either decide to have a toggleable grid that allows the player to free place or make the grid size changeable. There are tons of useless and strange objects which add to the post apocalyptic "use whatever you can find" vibe, but it doesn't make sense in conjunction with actual building blocks. Either design the building system with the intention for the vehicles to look shoddily held together with zip ties (which would be a cool look in line with the aesthetic) or make them look like well designed fortresses. It is, simply put, not an intuitive editor at all. Unlike Crossout, which isn't even the most intuitive either, there is no flow and smoothness to the building. It feels like a clunky mess just trying to accomplish the most basic task of placing one item down.

I just can't recommend it now. I can't even play it anymore. It feels like I've gotten all I'm able to get out of it. I know this will probably fall on deaf ears since it seems that nobody is really discussing this, but just heed this review as a warning. Try it out for yourself. You'll have plenty of time within the refund window to decide whether you like the building system or can't stand it.

Good concept, bad execution. I really wanted to like this game, I really did. A game that's centered around driving, even with rebinding the driving keys to WASD, the driving is awful and I mean AWFUL.
What's the issue, you may ask?
Basically you give "commands" where the ai driver needs to go, but it's not simple "point and click" nor instant WASD inputs for controlling the truck directly, instead you have to select the speed from 6 different throttle positions (including the "stop" position) and direction the driver should go with keyboard. It gets frustrating really quickly when there's delay between your input and driver actually doing something useful instead of driving into a wall, and reversing is just as bad. How difficult it is to set simple WASD controls for directly controlling the truck and set the mouse perform other actions, like changing camera angles? There really should be dedicated button for "command"-mode, when you need to order the gunners and other NPC's around the truck with the "point and click".
I unfortunately can't recommend this game with these god awful controls as of now, not until they release better control options for the truck, not this weird "pseudo driving" they have now.

Here are couple options how to improve the driving:
1. WASD (with option to rebind) to control truck directly, and separate command mode where you use mouse to micromanage your crew, for example when using the "slow time" mode, to give orders to your crew and then you resume driving.
2. Point and click, where you can use mouse only to give orders and keyboard to perform quick commands for the crew.

I only have a few hundred words to describe a game I feel deserves more. To start I have played 7+ hrs in my first day, and I love every bit. Combat is fast, fluid, and dynamic, with an emphasis on strategy, and vehicle building to succeed. You can do a lot of things with just your small crew. Want to stack all your guys on guns facing one direction? Go for it. Want to have a huge tower with a sniper on it? You can. As you grow, scrap, and learn new tech you will be able to try new strategies like using real vehicle parts, from truck beds, to much larger items to build up your ideal junk-truck. The characters are cute, and have a lot of charm to them, with their prosthetic limbs, outfits you put on them which provide huge varieties of pros/cons. The enemies are brutal, and will burn, shoot, stab, and board your vehicle all while acid rain, and other wasteland troubles hit. You also get beneficial perks for crew, which makes each new level feel like you achieved something. If you enjoy grinding in a wasteland I recommend this game thoroughly.