Food Truck Simulator Preview: Good Burger
Before you say there’s nothing to play, this week’s Steam Next Fest will be eating up any PC gaming time you have, so where do you start? Well, here’s a scoop for Food Truck Simulator as I had an early look at it.
From the people behind Gas Station Simulator, Drago Entertainment, this lil’ simulation has you hitting the streets giving food poisoning to Johnny Public. That’s not entirely accurate as you can clean your grill and be considerate with your food prep.
Food Truck Simulator is flying the flag and changing the way we see simulators: no more grandpa leaving you the family business, this time; it’s dad. Dad used to run his food truck around town, and now it’s time for you to take the torch – only you haven’t a clue how to do it and have to work your way up, so to speak.
First off, we have a base where you can customise your vehicle. Bear in mind that this preview is based on the demo. There are limited options, but enough of the tip to make you want more. We can change the colour of the vehicle, add some nifty decals on the side, plus (more importantly) fit it with the necessary equipment to run a business.
After decking out my truck with a splash of paint and new wheels, I installed a grill, new fridge and stocked up on supplies from sold old dear whose name escapes me. She’s a family friend that will sell you the goods you need, occasionally with a discount – best of all, she’ll talk you through the game in the tutorial section. The voice acting is alright, nothing special, but it does the job.
Once you have placed your order, it’s out into the seemingly open world of Food Truck Simulator. If I could give a quick summary of what this game is, it’s GTA IV meets Happy’s Humble Burger Farm (without the horror element and mascots). Out in the wild, you’re free to drive about in first-person or third-person view, you can run over pedestrians without consequence(!), listen to music, and should you get stuck, press Z to flip the truck over. Anyone who played Gas Station Simulator will love this option.
Setting up shop takes place in the park, and here you’ll learn how to manage the tasks. Install a gas canister for your grill – a consumable that must be restocked, and then switch on the grill and wait for your first customer. There are two LCD screens equipped in the van, which is pretty fancy considering how shabby it is, and these will list your orders and the ingredients required.
It’s not as mental as it could be, but you have to multi-task the toasting of buns, burgers to a certain level of ‘well-done’, then manually slice up ingredients such as tomatoes. The latter is pretty damn cool and easier than anticipated. It’s worth noting that you’ll do better if you’re speedy and accurate as once your burger is ready, like Happy’s Humble Burger Farm, you shove it in a bag, and the punter will rate your efficiency.
While funds are in abundance, you can’t go all out in the Food Truck Simulator demo but still get a good idea of what to expect. I have to say that I loved Gas Station Simulator, and easily one of the best simulators about. This goes one step further, notably with the driving sections and no sign of Dennis spraying cocks on the wall. That said, within the first ten minutes, your character starts talking about him. Wait a minute…
Presentation-wise, this is excellent. I almost always run all my games on Epic or at 1440p, but the performance choked. That’s more likely my setup than the game. Some of the NPCs are a bit freaky, and they pause on the spot when out in town, but the environments, lighting and textures are great. Even more important, the gameplay is addictive in the best sense, I anticipate that Food Truck Simulator is going to rack up 40+ hours of playtime in the first few days of release.
The demo is released today as part of Steam Next Fest.