Truck Driver: The Dutch Connection – PS5 Review

I can see the appeal of truck sims. There’s a meditative quality to long drives through a gorgeous landscape, all while keeping an eye on your precious cargo. Truck Driver: The Dutch Connection attempts to coalesce the mercenary jobs into a cohesive narrative. That largely succeeds but the act of driving through a largely lifeless map makes for a dull time. Soedesco Studios Pilsen and Kyodai have a modicum of ambition on display but the execution is below par.

Based around a fictional map of the Netherlands, Felix is a Texan trucker looking to make some money in mainland Europe. He’s a grizzled veteran of the trade and he quickly befriends Lucas, a younger rookie. Naturally, one mentors for the other and the narrative weaves between the two. Felix has something of a settled home life whereas Lucas has family that would rather see him taking a more lucrative profession. It’s a very pro-trucker tale but there is some minor strife thrown in for good measure.

How the story is told is through spoken dialogue and the occasional watercolour image. It relies on the performance of the voice cast to pull it together. It doesn’t always work but Felix sounds believable and Lucas seems genuine enough. There are times when it sounds like two people performing rather than friends speaking. Despite that, the story does help bridge the gap on the long, lonely stretches. Unfortunately, the majority have to be concluded before triggering any events like repairing the vehicle or resting up. That’s a real nuisance.

It shouldn’t be but, as those long scenes play out, the clock is ticking. As a trucker, you have to manage stamina, hunger and fuel. The latter is easily managed with regular gas stations across the map. The other two are harder to find and I do have to plan routes with food and sleep in mind. Being caught in dialogue can see those meters dwindle. It wasn’t a game long issue but, certainly in the early missions, you really have to be watchful. Running yourself to the point of exhaustion sends you back to the nearest town, with very little rest to get back underway.

As a driving experience, the truck has the right kind of weight to it. Without the trailer attached, the cab can feel comparatively nimble. Changes of direction have to be considered as any sudden moves really unsettle the truck. Thankfully, the Dutch roads are largely flat and straight. There’s also a genuine lack of traffic. Crashes will damage the truck but I find it can tolerate a lot of bangs.

Damage does eventually mess with the steering but I was able to compensate for it. For as much as jobs specify needing a careful touch, I’ve never had one reject over roughing up the cargo. The lorry will not detach unexpectedly from jackknifing. At speed, you’ll probably do that a few times. Some roads can be narrow and gradients can genuinely be a struggle to navigate. Luckily, there’s very few of them but that’s not much comfort if you’ve got a big hill between you and the drop-off.

The traffic behaviour is diabolical. I think part of it is down to traffic control like lights not being adequate enough to direct cars. The majority of the chaos is from a general eagerness from all drivers. As soon as green hits, everyone’s keen. If you’re behind a red light, they’ll still honk obsessive at you. Out on the motorways, they’ll switch lanes on a whim and they generally have a lack of awareness. Accidents between them are common and it made me very wary of other road users.

The game does encourage you to obey traffic laws. Fines are dished out for speeding and charging through red lights. Accidents you cause come with financial penalty. As I’ve said, exhaustion is a present danger and trying to be a law abiding citizen pushes you closer to that limit. Money from jobs is decent enough to offset any potential fines so I have decided to forgo civility. Speed limits are a funny one. As a truck, you’re limited to 80 kilometres an hour, despite road signs dictating higher limits. Regardless, you’ll struggle to hit 100 on most roads.

There is a skill tree that unlocks after a few missions. It’s very small but it does include enhancements to stamina drain and damage. As those skills increased, I did come to terms with Truck Driver: The Dutch Connection. At their default values, one early mission can seriously put you perilously close to passing out. Even with these improvements, I never wanted to second guess stamina or hunger. I took every opportunity to detour and top up. Money can also be used to purchase new vehicles or upgrade current ones. That’s money well spent to make a truck more resilient or a few kilometres an hour faster.

As the distances between stops became longer, I valued putting my foot down. I didn’t want to linger and, whilst the game does want you to admire the landscape they created, it’s incredibly lifeless. Cities without people, motorways being untravelled and so on. Sure, there’s windmills, a massive airport, lakes and mountains but it lacks the details for me to truly appreciate them. It looks ugly with weather being particularly grim. I feel like I spent most of my time trucking in a thunderstorm.

Truck Driver: The Dutch Connection is an irritating depiction of long-haul life. Whilst the meter management kept me on my toes, the traffic behaviour is insanely broken. Driving across a large map doesn’t feel inspiring or meditative. Instead, I can only find some joy in putting my foot down and seeing if I can keep a swinging trailer under control. The story does at least try to present two protagonists in a decent light, even if it is told in drawn out monologues.