Construction Simulator 4 Switch Review

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It’s not a secret that I am a bit of a simulation game fan. Whether it be power washing, farming, or even lawn mowing, I tend to get so absorbed into a slower burn of a game that promises to help me build a business from the ground up while performing even the most menial of tasks that make me groan with discontent in the real world. That being said, I can’t say I’ve ever been asked to build a log cabin or repair potholes in my life so I’m not sure how tedious that may be. Construction Simulator 4 give gamers the chance to find out and promises to bring the Canadian Construction scene to life with a multitude of construction options. What’s it Like? Put on the high vis, lace up those steel caps, and is it smoko already? as we review Construction Simulator 4 on Nintendo Switch.

Construction Simulator 4 Switch Review

Before we start pouring the concrete slabs, would you mind liking and subscribing to my YouTube Channel? It’s the best way to support smaller outlets like What’s It Like. If you’re feeling generous you can buy me a Ko-Fi for smoko. Whichever way you go, I can’t thank you enough for doing so.

For the gamers who haven’t had their site induction completed, Construction Simulator 4 gives you the opportunity to start your own construction company that starts with a simple crane truck, tasking you to work hard and build your business to have a fleet of all manner of construction vehicles. You will start small by cleaning up debris, filling potholes, and delivering gravel, and work your way up to the big league by building houses and complex construction projects. Not only do you have to be on the tools so to speak, you will also have to manage finances and projects while maintaining your fleet of construction vehicles.

Gameplay varies depending on both the project and the vehicle you use. For example, you will start by using your loader truck with a small crane on it, picking up trees and boulders and loading them. If you over-extend or mess up, you can reset the vehicle and try again. Eventually, you’ll upgrade to steam rollers, excavators, backhoes, and even cranes to build all manner of projects across the Canadian landscape. Progress is fun and rewarding, and requires strategy and management on the player’s end to build your company. It’s not too complex, and I found the only difficulty I had adjusting to the game was user error in learning new functions on vehicles as I was too impatient to do the tutorials.

I did find that the UI had an annoying controls overlay that takes up a 3rd of the screen, you can hide it with a click of L3, but that also hides your contextual controls, making some machines difficult to operate without it. I wish there was a way to keep the control stick functions visible while hiding the blue overlay, but unfortunately, you can’t. This can also lead to other minor frustrations when starting out, like accidentally dumping some dirt slightly outside of the marked area, forcing you to drive back to the quarry and haul a handful of dirt back to the construction site. The more you play, the less these incidences occur, but the initial difficulty may be off-putting to newcomers to the series. Contracts may also be repetitive at first, especially if you’re like me aiming for quick turnaround deliveries. I delivered gravel to the same spot 3 times in a row, so I recommend diversifying your tasks if you don’t like the grind.

Despite these complaints, I found myself completely absorbed in the world of Construction Simulator 4, and after an hour or so of learning the ropes, I started to expand my company and add new machines and challenges to the fray, moving from single-burn contracts to building campaigns that provide a more rigorous challenge. If you get caught out on a job with a vehicle you can’t afford, you can always hire one or apply for a loan, and I really enjoyed this financial management aspect of the business. Do I buy a machine for future jobs and pay back a loan? Or simply lose profits by hiring one. These choices make deciding on jobs or contracts a more strategic approach that rewards the calculating construction tycoon.

Graphically, Construction Simulator 4 has some highly detailed models of your vehicles and the vehicles that drive around the world that look fantastic. You can see hydraulics, working parts, and collecting new vehicles is an exciting endeavor, but this contrasts with the so-so look of the environment which is rather hit or miss. From what I can tell, sometimes the trees render, and sometimes they don’t, leaving the world looking far less detailed than those that inhabit it. It doesn’t ruin the experience in any way really, but when driving down the Canadian highway sometimes it takes you out of the immersion it does a great job building. Hopefully, this minor rendering issue will be patched out in a future update.

For my vision-impaired tradies, there aren’t any accessibility options so to speak, but you can highlight objects in the construction view making some interactions easier. As always, I recommend further research to find out if Construction Simulator 4 is for you. At $55 AUD, there’s a lot of gameplay for simulator fans, including almost 100 licensed vehicles, many of which open up new avenues of gameplay and challenges, so I think there’s a great deal of content and value for money. If you are new to the series and are still resting the ol’ shovel on the boot wondering if you want to dig in, you can opt to play one of the previous entries of the series at a lower price point to see if it’s for you.

All in all, Construction Simulator 4 is a fantastic addition to the Construction Sim Franchise. It’s bigger, better, and has almost double the content of its predecessor. There’s plenty of variety in projects should you choose them, and progression feels rewarding and strategic. Sure, it’s not without its minor issues like rendering pop-in, but it’s a solid package that’s entertaining for simulator enthusiasts at a competitive price point. If you have enjoyed previous entries, this is an essential purchase, and for those looking to start a career in Nintendo Switch virtual construction, then Construction Simulator 4 is a great way to start your apprenticeship.

So, What’s It Like? Construction Simulator 4 is like Lawn Mower Simulator… with much larger toys!

Construction Simulator 4

76% Score

Review Breakdown

  • Graphics and Visuals 0%
  • Polish and Performance 0%
  • Gameplay 0%
  • Content and Features 0%
  • Value 0%

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