Truckful shares surprising similarities with Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding, from its cargo management to its tricky deliver routes haunted by monsters.
Truckful’s Weird Yet Interesting Gameplay
Every now and then, there’s a videogame that suddenly tries to be so many things at once. Hideo Kojima did just that with Death Stranding, combining his mastery of tactical stealth action with a novel approach to the traditional delivery game with a baby strapped to your chest. Back then, it was as polarizing as ever, with many calling his latest opus a “walking simulator.”
Then there’s Truckful, a driving-slash-delivery-slash-horror game developed by MythicOwl and published by Pocketpair (the same folks behind Palworld), If you check out its Steam page right now, you might mistake it for a nondescript driving game with a bit of that “cozy” feel. However, as you read through its description, you’ll discover that it’s more than meets the eye, with horror elements thrown into the mix.
In our review of Truckful, where I gave it a 74 out of 100, I couldn’t just discuss the game without comparing it to Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. There are just way too many similarities between the two, and every time I explore Truckful’s world, I’m greeted by something familiar, making me feel like I’ve seen these features and mechanics somewhere before.
Before I go into detail about the similarities, be warned that there are light spoilers for both Death Stranding and Truckful ahead.
Death Stranding’s Impact
Despite the initial backlash against Death Stranding for moving away from Kojima’s usual stealth-action formula in his Metal Gear games, it was eventually praised for its seamless systems that harmoniously blend delivery and action. It was addicting, to say the least. There were moments when I got so lost in its world that I spent hours doing random deliveries, picking up other people’s Lost Cargo whenever I stumbled upon them while exploring.
What made the experience even better was how Kojima added his own nuances to the delivery gameplay. Sam has to contend with a weight limit for his cargo and constantly press the shoulder buttons to maintain his balance. Meanwhile, the threat of monsters and Timefall (rain that can melt your packages) adds emergent gameplay to what would otherwise be a simple, mundane task of working as a FedEx deliveryman in a post-apocalyptic world.
Safe to say, those influences have made their way into Truckful’s concept. It’s not a 1:1 adaptation of Kojima’s complex delivery systems, nor is it meant to be. Instead, Truckful puts driving front and center, casting you as a lone truck driver navigating a small town haunted by its past. It's also worth noting that Truckful's cargo system resembles Leon’s attache case in Resident Evil 4, adding a small minigame that breaks the tedium of delivering by giving you multiple ways to stack your cargo without compromising its package.
Truckful and Death Stranding’s Physics and Deliveries
The similarities between Truckful and Death Stranding become apparent within the first few minutes, when you have to haul Rutti, a kid, in your truck. In Death Stranding, Sam had to brave rocky terrain and dangerous riverbeds, and you’ll get pretty much the same feeling in Truckful. You’re already figuring out how to handle your cargo while navigating a series of obstacles, from slopes and winding curves to potholes that test your patience with the game’s inconsistent physics system.
Speaking of its physics system, Truckful is a physics game at its core, and it’s frustrating, to say the least, as I stated in my review.
You have to constantly worry about your cargo flying out of your truck whenever you swerve or brake while navigating a rough curve. Death Stranding has a physics system as well, but it’s so ingrained in Guerrilla’s Decima Engine that navigating the terrain feels smooth, even as Sam has to bob left and right to maintain his balance. In Truckful, you’re left at the mercy of its chaotic physics, hoping that a random speed bump won’t send your cargo flying.
Even road repairs are a thing in Truckful, where I have the freedom to restore these broken-down roads to their former glory. But instead of carrying ten XL Ceramics and Metals like in Death Stranding, you have to transport construction workers along with a couple of roadwork materials to the damaged roads. These extra minigames add to the overall quality of life experience, making future deliveries even smoother.
Monster Encounters and Preparation
The biggest similarity between the two games is how they incorporate monster encounters into their delivery gameplay. Hideo Kojima had to spread BT-infested zones across specific areas, (like the horrifying Wind Farm) so players would know what to avoid and what to expect when passing through these areas during deliveries. Truckful does the same thing. You’ll have to get through dark forests to reach your delivery destination as quickly as possible, but doing so risks encountering the game’s evil cars, which will chase you to the ends of the earth.
These horror encounters add a bit of spice to the simple delivery gameplay, creating tension as you try to deliver your precious cargo without turning it into smithereens before it reaches the receiver. There were moments in Truckful when I prepared the right tools to get through monster territories by equipping my truck with better enclosures and using tools like Sticky Cargo, a magnetic tool that temporarily glues my cargo in place and stops it from flying into the air.
Death Stranding demanded that same level of preparation, where I had to find the optimal path to avoid as many risks as possible and bring items like Ladders and Climbing Ropes for when things got intense. Both games give you that choice, but there are moments when they force you into these encounters, which is something I admire because it tests your skills and how well you’ve mastered the gameplay.
Of course, these comparisons don't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. Gaming and its interactive mediums have to take inspiration from somewhere. Even Silver Pines, another game we recently reviewed, took a few pages from Silent Hill and, most obviously, David Lynch's directorial catalog. Truckful does the same, although that doesn't mean it lacks original ideas. In fact, there's plenty that sets Truckapart apart, such as its Metroidvania aspects, which let you explore its big open world even further with the right tools, and its heartfelt story about making peace with the past.
Call this a reach or something, but the gameplay systems in Truckful and Death Stranding have so much in common that, even if developer MythicOwl hasn't said it outright, I can see how Truckful borrows so much from the latter. Both games have their fair share of weaknesses, of course. Death Stranding wasn't a perfect game either, as it’s often bogged down by slow pacing. Truckful, on the other hand, suffers from unreliable driving controls and janky physics that undermine an otherwise flawlessly optimized game.
So I guess this piece is more of an invitation to fans of the delivery and driving genres. If you’re a fan of Death Stranding’s driving systems, there’s something similar to explore in MythicOwl’s Truckful.
