Euro Truck Simulator 2 is somewhat outside my usual milieu. A truck driving simulator rather than a cRPG or grand strategy game. At a glance, this isn't quite for me. Yet, by a twist of fate, trucking happens to be part of my heritage. I grew up spending much of my childhood travelling from one location to the next, seeing the world from inside one of those cabins. Scania, Volvo and of course MAN aplenty. They fill many of my childhood memories. If this game isn't made for me, I don't know who it could be made for. Now, after having explored much of Europe and built a trucking business empire, even if just virtually, let's put down a few words for the game that reminded me of so much.
You are a truck driver and you are in Europe. You do jobs ferrying cargo from one city to another. A minimalist premise. You, your truck and your next destination. Just get behind the wheel and go. The game's other aspect, the business sim layer, doesn't meaningfully change the equation. Yes, you can buy your own fleet of trucks, garages all over Europe and hire other truck drivers to do more jobs, but it isn't much more than passive income. It doesn't even scale well in the late game, particularly when it comes to purchasing specialized trailers in bulk. It doesn't take long to go from a somewhat entertaining power fantasy to a repetitive chore and eventually to simply obsolete once you have enough money coming in. The focus always returns to the driving sim aspect, that's the core. The game's key accomplishment, the map, is what adds the finishing touch.
The game offers a lavishly detailed highway map of Europe to explore. Scaled down obviously but places are instantly recognisable. Cities display their unique identities, with lots of landmarks carefully recreated and waiting to be discovered. Travelling in this game does feel like an approximation of the real thing and it's more than enough to trigger nostalgia. I remembered so many places, it was pure joy to just visit them again, from the convenience of my desk this time. The only glaring issue with the map is the monetization system. Unfortunately, it is sold piecemeal across numerous DLCs. I can understand this funds continuous development of the game but the sheer number of DLCs needed for the full experience is becoming excessive, particularly for someone starting anew. Perhaps if older DLCs were gradually integrated into the base game and retired, that would have been better.
As beautiful as the map is, the graphics in general do not impress. Yes, the trucks are fairly accurately modelled and the dashboards elegant but the engine shows its age and the end result is no more than decent. The most obvious omission is the lack of any kind of damage modelling, no deformations, not even scratches. Collisions in general are poorly simulated and lack believable impact. Hit any tiny little obstacle and it won't even flinch, yet your truck will be totalled. Be it the random titanium bush or the tollbar of impervium. What's a 70-tonne truck in comparison? The game is generally light on physics. This affects the driving experience. Traffic seems robotic, the cars moving as if they were on rails. Traffic laws are enforced in a rather arbitrary fashion, often to a comical degree. It's safer to slowly push a police car off the road and down a cliff than to overtake it.
Bringing it all together, I found Euro Truck Simulator 2 to be a relaxing and comforting experience. I sat back and just travelled to my next destination, taking in the scenery along the way. It satisfies both the nostalgia I feel for those trips and the sense of escapism they can facilitate. Yes, it is a bit janky, yes it could be a better simulator, but it has something that often is more important. It has a clear identity and a lot of heart. I warmly recommend this game to anyone with even a passing fascination with trucking and driving across Europe.
