TLDR
Fantastically in-depth car construction and tuning (I believe it to be the most advanced of its kind on Steam). Well thought out survival aspects and generally usable (a little clunky at times) controls. Rough around the edges with average graphics and sound but well optimised and brimming with good humour and interwoven themes of youth. You will love this game if you like cars and/or survival games. The asking price is steep for an early access game, but this is truly a gem worth exploring.

My Summer Car – A Journey through the Finnish Summer
My Summer Car is a special game because it bridges the gap between automotive and life simulation. In my opinion, it is the most detailed car construction simulator available on Steam today. There is more to the car construction aspect of this game alone than that of studio Red Dot’s Car Mechanic Simulator series. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re reading this then you’ve probably already played or investigated CMS and you will enjoy both games, but there’s so much more that My Summer Car has to offer and I’ll discuss where the two differ later in this review.

This game was wholly developed by two people and as a result it belongs well and truly in the ‘indie’ category. This is a category that we associate with bugs, poor optimisation and generally rough-around-the-edges gameplay. Surprisingly, My Summer Car is not heavily impacted by these drawbacks. It runs perfectly (even on low spec rigs), never crashes and takes up less than a gigabyte of storage. The movement and object interaction does feel clunky at times and this will cause you some difficulty, particularly when assembling the car but as anyone who has worked on a real car knows, difficulty is part of the experience. Graphically it isn’t fantastic and I can’t speak for the sound design either however these setbacks do not detract from the gameplay and extra attention has been given to important areas like the vehicle interiors and interactive objects.

My Summer Car really shines in its gameplay, which is incredibly well thought-out and filled with hidden detail. After a quick and humorous introduction, you wake up in your home with a note left from your parents on the fridge stating that they will be away for the summer. You are left to fend for yourself and this mainly involves doing odd jobs (Waste collection, Firewood delivery and many more) in order to make money to buy food as well as fuel and parts for the car. As with every aspect of this game, these jobs are never explained clearly (this is intentional) but they are very intuitive and perseverance always pays off. The objective of the game is to build the Satsuma (based on the Datsun Cherry), which lies in hundreds of pieces in your parent’s garage at the beginning of the game and then use it to win the weekend rally. It is currently the only buildable car in the game and it is extensively buildable; you will need to replace all worn components as well as buying oil, coolant, a new battery and other assorted necessities. The car assembly in MSC functions slightly differently to that of CMS, there is no inventory and every component (other than bolts) is represented as an in-game object which you need to pick up and lift into place. The objects snap together and then bolts can be tightened. This makes the building far less straightforward because there is no indicator as to whether you are assembling things in the right order other than whether it snaps into place or not. Some people may find this frustrating, knowledge of car internals and basic engine tuning will help you in this game substantially but a complete lack of knowledge will make things difficult (there are guides out there which will tell you how to succeed in this game, but using them subtracts from the experience in my opinion). After assembling the car it must be tuned by adjusting the cam timing, ignition timing, valve clearances and carburettor (of which there are a few to choose from). Already having experience in engine tuning, I found this part to be incredibly enjoyable but I do suspect the majority of people who play the game used a guide for this part. There are things that you can do when assembling and tuning the car that will cause catastrophic failures and even your own death in some cases but this is all part of the game (permanent death is also optional). I like to think of it as ‘Car Mechanic Simulator: Dark Souls Edition’. You will put a lot of time and effort into building the car and it will frustrate and sometimes bewilder you but when it finally runs and you go for a spin on the dirt roads in the car that you built and tuned, there is truly nothing sweeter (honourable mention to the driving physics, they’re not great but they’re not bad either and MSC does have wheel and controller support).

Developer ToplessGun’s greatest achievement is perhaps his ability to reproduce genuine feelings in his game. The feeling of accomplishment when you first run the Satsuma, the bitter unfairness of receiving a speeding fine or the sweet payout after a difficult day’s work are all present in My Summer Car and you can tell that the dev has drawn on his own experiences growing up in Finland when constructing his game. In this way, My Summer Car represents so much more than just an automotive simulation game, this game tells a story indirectly (fitting, for a game already so much like Dark Souls) and that is something which I never anticipated before playing it.

My Summer Car sports a high price tag for an early access game and that put me off for a long time but my only regret after making this purchase is that I hadn’t done so sooner. A simulator that appears basic on the surface but is in fact brimming with hidden detail. The dev, ToplessGun has (and continues to) put a colossal amount of effort into crafting a game that goes far beyond just building a car. Sometimes what makes a game good isn’t its graphics or music or smooth gameplay, sometimes the most important thing about a game is how it makes you feel. My Summer Car takes you on a youthful journey through the Finnish summer which is as frustrating at times as it is satisfying at others. Absolutely worth the 20USD price tag, one of my favourite games of all time.

Summary
Visuals - 5/10 – The visuals are adequate, the low quality does not detract from the gameplay.
Sound - 7/10 - Decent sound, it would be nice to hear some more realistic engine sounds in this game.
Optimisation - 10/10 – This game will run on just about anything and utilises less than 1GB hard drive space. Perfect for those on a super low budget or without reliable internet access.
Action - 9/10 – A range of activities to take part in that feel clunky at first but it all makes sense once you get a feel for it. Car building more detailed than the Car Mechanic series.
Characters - 5/10 – A few basic yet amusing characters, not what you’re here for though.
Story - 8/10 – A heart-warming story which is told in a similar way to that of the Dark Souls series.

The great tragedy of this game is that it targets rather a specific audience and there’s really so much more to it than meets the eye. I’d urge anyone interested in survival/car/indie games to give it a go.

[b]TLDR[/b] Fantastically in-depth car construction and tuning (I believe it to be the most advanced of its kind on Steam). Well thought out survival aspects and generally usable (a little clunky at times) controls. Rough around the edges with average graphics and sound but well optimised and brimming with good humour and interwoven themes of youth. You will love this game if you like cars and/or survival games. The asking price is steep for an early access game, but this is truly a gem worth exploring. [b]My Summer Car – A Journey through the Finnish Summer[/b] My Summer Car is a special game because it bridges the gap between automotive and life simulation. In my opinion, it is [i]the[/i] most detailed car construction simulator available on Steam today. There is more to the car construction aspect of this game alone than that of studio Red Dot’s Car Mechanic Simulator series. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re reading this then you’ve probably already played or investigated CMS and you will enjoy both games, but there’s so much more that My Summer Car has to offer and I’ll discuss where the two differ later in this review. This game was wholly developed by two people and as a result it belongs well and truly in the ‘indie’ category. This is a category that we associate with bugs, poor optimisation and generally rough-around-the-edges gameplay. Surprisingly, My Summer Car is not heavily impacted by these drawbacks. It runs perfectly (even on low spec rigs), never crashes and takes up less than a gigabyte of storage. The movement and object interaction does feel clunky at times and this will cause you some difficulty, particularly when assembling the car but as anyone who has worked on a real car knows, difficulty is part of the experience. Graphically it isn’t fantastic and I can’t speak for the sound design either however these setbacks do not detract from the gameplay and extra attention has been given to important areas like the vehicle interiors and interactive objects. My Summer Car really shines in its gameplay, which is incredibly well thought-out and filled with hidden detail. After a quick and humorous introduction, you wake up in your home with a note left from your parents on the fridge stating that they will be away for the summer. You are left to fend for yourself and this mainly involves doing odd jobs (Waste collection, Firewood delivery and many more) in order to make money to buy food as well as fuel and parts for the car. As with every aspect of this game, these jobs are never explained clearly (this is intentional) but they are very intuitive and perseverance always pays off. The objective of the game is to build the [i]Satsuma[/i] (based on the Datsun Cherry), which lies in hundreds of pieces in your parent’s garage at the beginning of the game and then use it to win the weekend rally. It is currently the only buildable car in the game and it is [i]extensively[/i] buildable; you will need to replace all worn components as well as buying oil, coolant, a new battery and other assorted necessities. The car assembly in MSC functions slightly differently to that of CMS, there is no inventory and every component (other than bolts) is represented as an in-game object which you need to pick up and lift into place. The objects snap together and then bolts can be tightened. This makes the building far less straightforward because there is no indicator as to whether you are assembling things in the right order other than whether it snaps into place or not. Some people may find this frustrating, knowledge of car internals and basic engine tuning will help you in this game substantially but a complete lack of knowledge will make things difficult (there are guides out there which will tell you how to succeed in this game, but using them subtracts from the experience in my opinion). After assembling the car it must be tuned by adjusting the cam timing, ignition timing, valve clearances and carburettor (of which there are a few to choose from). Already having experience in engine tuning, I found this part to be incredibly enjoyable but I do suspect the majority of people who play the game used a guide for this part. There are things that you can do when assembling and tuning the car that will cause catastrophic failures and even your own death in some cases but this is all part of the game (permanent death is also optional). I like to think of it as ‘Car Mechanic Simulator: Dark Souls Edition’. You will put a lot of time and effort into building the car and it will frustrate and sometimes bewilder you but when it finally runs and you go for a spin on the dirt roads in the car that [i]you[/i] built and tuned, there is truly nothing sweeter (honourable mention to the driving physics, they’re not great but they’re not bad either and MSC does have wheel and controller support). Developer [i]ToplessGun[/i]’s greatest achievement is perhaps his ability to reproduce genuine feelings in his game. The feeling of accomplishment when you first run the Satsuma, the bitter unfairness of receiving a speeding fine or the sweet payout after a difficult day’s work are all present in My Summer Car and you can tell that the dev has drawn on his own experiences growing up in Finland when constructing his game. In this way, My Summer Car represents so much more than just an automotive simulation game, this game tells a story indirectly (fitting, for a game already so much like Dark Souls) and that is something which I never anticipated before playing it. My Summer Car sports a high price tag for an early access game and that put me off for a long time but my only regret after making this purchase is that I hadn’t done so sooner. A simulator that appears basic on the surface but is in fact brimming with hidden detail. The dev, [i]ToplessGun[/i] has (and continues to) put a colossal amount of effort into crafting a game that goes far beyond just building a car. Sometimes what makes a game good isn’t its graphics or music or smooth gameplay, sometimes the most important thing about a game is how it makes you [i]feel[/i]. My Summer Car takes you on a youthful journey through the Finnish summer which is as frustrating at times as it is satisfying at others. Absolutely worth the 20USD price tag, one of my favourite games of all time. [b]Summary[/b] Visuals - 5/10 – The visuals are adequate, the low quality does not detract from the gameplay. Sound - 7/10 - Decent sound, it would be nice to hear some more realistic engine sounds in this game. Optimisation - 10/10 – This game will run on just about anything and utilises less than 1GB hard drive space. Perfect for those on a super low budget or without reliable internet access. Action - 9/10 – A range of activities to take part in that feel clunky at first but it all makes sense once you get a feel for it. Car building more detailed than the Car Mechanic series. Characters - 5/10 – A few basic yet amusing characters, not what you’re here for though. Story - 8/10 – A heart-warming story which is told in a similar way to that of the Dark Souls series. The great tragedy of this game is that it targets rather a specific audience and there’s really so much more to it than meets the eye. I’d urge anyone interested in survival/car/indie games to give it a go.