Rob reviews Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator on Nintendo Switch...
The great thing about video games is that they allow you to do things that you couldn't necessarily do in the real world. From being an ace fighter pilot, super soldier, or even a footballing star - video games are a great escape from the shackles of everyday life.
Away from the glitz and glamour of games such as; Call of Duty, and Fifa, there's a small niche market of titles that aim to simulate everyday life. There is an abundance of these "Simulator" games that cover a wide spectrum of everyday jobs. From lawn mowing, space rover repair, and even being a train driver. There's a simulator game that allows you to virtually live out these vocations within the comforts of your own home.
The latest title offering a real-world experience is the aptly named - Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator. It's here where you'll live out your dreams of running your motorbike garage, complete with the highs of stripping down and repairing bikes, and the lows of customer satisfaction. But how does it play? Well, come with me as we open for business...
Developed by BeardedBrother.Games and Pineapple Works, you take on the role of an unnamed mechanic whose sole goal is to repair motorcycles. You'll start the game in a relatively small garage that's complete with a rather complex set of tools and equipment. What's immediately clear is that there isn't a lot of hand-holding. Aside from a few jargon-filled screens of text, you're pretty much left to your own devices. While this form of gameplay is pretty standard for simulation titles, for a complete motorcycle novice like myself, I would have liked a tutorial - or two - on how the various equipment was used. There was a lot of missions where I stumbled my way through whilst making more work for myself than what was originally tasked. At first, this took a lot of enjoyment I had away, yet as I learned things got a lot easier.
Gameplay consists of taking on jobs from clients, to then effectively completing their needs. Each client has a problem that needs to be solved before moving on. These vary from simple repair jobs to the more complex. For example one of the earlier jobs sees you simply repair the bikes front lights, whilst another sees you strip a chopper to then completely rebuild it. Each job also has a customer satisfaction rating to it. This means the better the job, the more money you'll receive. This is ultimately what drives the early hours of Biker Garage, as in true simulator fashion - money is everything.
When it comes to repairing the bikes you have a robust set of tools at your disposal. Before you attempt to make the necessary repairs you'll be able to inspect every part of the bike to diagnose what the issue is. Often these are quite straightforward, yet on occasion, you'll have to remove parts first to then try and find the part that needs the repair. Once this has been located you can then remove the affected item and either attempt to repair it yourself, or order a new replacement. Naturally with ordering brand new parts they often don't come in the same colour as the original. This means you'll then have to head over to another part of your garage to respray it before attaching it to the bike. Failure to do so will result in a lower payday, so it's always worth going that extra mile.
Aside from taking on customer jobs, as you progress further you'll open up the auction house. This will allow you to purchase your own bikes to then repair, upgrade, sell, and even race. This is where most of my enjoyment came from and it felt as if everything up to this point was one big tutorial. There's a lot of variety to keep anyone with a passion for motorcycles or mechanics interested!
Everything that Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator does well is sadly detracted by its controls. Everything feels sluggish and even the basic form of finesse is thrown out of the window. Painting parts becomes a tedious experience that feels more like a chore than a core part of the gameplay. Your trusty laptop also falls foul of this, and the sluggish, unresponsive controls make navigating its many menus unnecessarily difficult.
Visuals are also a mixed bag - which in reality is more the limitation to the console than the actual game. Whilst playing within the docked mode, the game looks quite impressive. Each model of bike is unique and their parts all fit together in one big inter-locking jigsaw. It's a real joy seeing the fruits of your labour come together, especially when you repair a real rust bucket. The garage itself is also fairly detailed and comes complete with a variety of worktops and those red toolboxes that every garage seems to have.
When it comes to handheld mode all of this is thrown out of the window. Everything feels compact and it's hard to see what you're doing. On a few occasions, I either damaged a part that I wasn't meant to work on or started to dismantle more of the bike than needed. The reticule is also so minute, it may as well not be on the screen. Considering the Switch's main gimmick is its portability, this game is a poor example.
Overall, Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator is an enjoyable game. There's a surprisingly in-depth title awaiting to be discovered. The main highlight is the ability to restore and customise your motorbikes, as well as expanding the workshop. If you manage to get through the non-existent tutorial and don't mind a few technical issues then Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator is a worthy addition to this niche range of games. Will it push you into a career change? Well, probably not. But BeardedBrother.Games and Pineapple Works have created a game that will certainly steal a few hours from your leisure time.
Rating - 7/10
A code was kindly provided for this review
Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator is out now and can be purchased via the Nintendo Switch eShop by clicking here.
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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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