Easy Delivery Co Switch Review

Easy Delivery Co Switch Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

With all the uncertainty going on in the games industry, it is amazing to see the indie scene still going strong, and gamers are lucky to be able to experience so many wonderful titles that buck normal gaming conventions to deliver unique and interesting experiences. Easy Delivery Co is one such game, putting you in the furry boots of a cat in a snowy world, delivering Uber Eats and the occasional random package. What’s it like? Pick up your order, tip your driver, and have an easy day as we review Easy Delivery Co on Nintendo Switch.

Easy Delivery Co starts off with little explanation about what’s in store. You simply start by performing tiny deliveries on a snowy block in the mountains, earning a dollar or two for your troubles. After speaking to a dog by a fire who opens up your map, the game starts to unfold its narrative, which essentially begins by guiding you through the process of doing town-to-town deliveries for bigger rewards, unlocking the ability to make coffee, and upgrading your truck to reach hard-to-access areas. There’s a somewhat dark narrative going on while all this happens, and the game offers multiple endings which I won’t spoil here.

There are two types of missions in Easy Delivery Co on Nintendo Switch. The first are jobs, which are randomised deliveries from point A to point B for a monetary reward. The second are goals, which are more structured missions like clearing a path to a new area or upgrading your vehicle. Jobs can be sorted by quick and easy local deliveries, or larger trips over longer distances for some extra cash. The core gameplay loop will have you doing deliveries, earning a small surplus of cash, upgrading, doing a story section or goal, rinse and repeat.

While it all seems basic on paper, Easy Delivery Co manages to keep deliveries fun with fantastic handling and physics mechanics, meaning you can lose packages if you drive a little too crazy. You then have to get out of your truck, lower your tailgate, load the package back in, and close the tailgate again for security. It’s still fairly forgiving, and I would say that, despite the themes, Easy Delivery Co is an almost cozy experience. You can fail by crashing into a ball of flames or succumbing to the elements when out of your truck, but thanks to generous checkpoints, failure rarely sets you back too far. There are on-foot missions to complete as well, which can turn into a delicate balance for survival against the elements. These sections never really outstay their welcome either and provide a break in the delivery cycle, keeping the gameplay feeling fresh while it lasts.

The reason I say that is because Easy Delivery Co can be finished fairly quickly, in about four to five hours, even if you don’t really know what you’re doing. Sure, you can continue to do deliveries to your heart’s content before the final mission, but the mission structure that keeps the game moving forward felt like an abrupt end. Which is such a shame, because I honestly could have kept going for much longer, as the gameplay and charm (or lack thereof with some NPCs) really drew me in.

I think much of the charm comes from the PS1-style graphics engine, which uses a CRT filter, low-poly assets, and pixellated textures to bring the world to life and add to the overall feel. The characters remind me of Animal Crossing, although they have a much less friendly and more jaded disposition, most likely because they’re far from a tropical island and stuck in a snowed-in setting. There’s a real satisfaction in watching your truck shift weight while turning, and despite the low-poly look, there’s a fair amount of attention to detail. There’s also a first-person mode while driving, complete with a rear-view mirror where you can watch your packages fly away with reckless abandon, and the first-person controls feel just as solid. The lighting in particular works really well, and the engine does a great job of making the world feel cold and isolated, which pulls you into the experience. These visuals are complemented by a radio that plays lo-fi, calming music to make long drives feel less like a quiet trek and more like a relaxing journey.

All of this performs great on both Switch 1 and Switch 2, offering smooth frame rates closer to the 60 FPS mark. There are only some brief loading hitches, which are barely noticeable and do not impact gameplay. I did encounter a very odd bug that probably will not affect most players. Pausing the game for around 10 minutes or so can cause it to crash to the home screen. Three times during my review period on Switch 2, I paused to make a coffee and came back to find a software error message. One of those crashes actually helped me because I had mistakenly purchased fuel instead of tyres, and it took me back right before the purchase. It is something worth noting, even if it only happens under these unusual circumstances.

For delivery drivers looking into accessibility, you can remove the CRT filter and tweak the controls, but outside of that, there are not many options to speak of. Because the game features a lot of snow, including snowed-in roads, it could be difficult for gamers with limited vision to discern where the road is. At times, there is also not a lot of contrast in indoor environments. As always, I recommend doing further research to determine if Easy Delivery Co on Nintendo Switch suits your needs.

At just under $20 AUD, or cheaper than getting a quarter-pounder meal delivered to your door, Easy Delivery Co on Nintendo Switch is a very fun, albeit short, adventure that is perfect for spending a night or two with. Its fun physics, surprising narrative, and core gameplay loop kept me hooked right up until the abrupt end. There is still the option to make deliveries and bank some money after the credits roll, but there is not much incentive to do so. That said, Easy Delivery Co was still such a wonderful and charming experience that I am glad I chose to buy it over Saturday evening takeout.

So what’s it like? Easy Delivery Co is like Crazy Taxi with a PS1-style aesthetic.

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