Deliver At All Costs Review: Chaos, Humor, and an Unexpected Noir Story

Initially, the title Deliver At All Costs appears to be simple and clear-cut. Players assume the job of a delivery driver navigating a demolishable setting from the 1950s, leading to a humorous, cheerful, and disorderly adventure across America. However, as players advance, Deliver At All Costs proves to be a more complex and immersive journey, offering a deeper gaming experience.

In no time at all, enthusiasts quickly picked up on the classic charm embedded in Studio Far Out’s inaugural game, Deliver At All Costs. As soon as its introductory trailers were released,

At first glance, “Deliver At All Costs” appears to be a lighthearted and absurd racing game, with the primary objective of transporting goods. However, as the plot progresses, it transforms into an unexpectedly captivating tale of government secrets, corporate corruption, and the lengths individuals will go to achieve their desires. Nevertheless, the genuine enjoyment lies in destroying everything in sight, a pleasure that this game offers generously.

Deliver At All Costs Is Ridiculous in All the Right Ways

In the game “Deliver At All Costs”, your mission is straightforward: as the new delivery guy Winston Green, you’ll transport a variety of items from one place to another. However, the objects become more absurd and fragile with each task, almost shattering at the slightest touch. It amps up the high-octane driving gameplay of “Crazy Taxi” by adding chaotic cargo, such as a live marlin, a live bomb, and many other unpredictable items. The game environment also invites or even encourages you to smash through everything around you.

In a more casual tone, even the slightest jolt can bring down buildings, while over-steering might cause a precariously stacked load in the truck bed to spill out. While some games strive for realistic physics, Deliver At All Costs discards realism in favor of chaos, resulting in an unforgettably funny gameplay experience. The game is packed with intricate details and interactive elements, but rather than employing them to mimic reality, Deliver At All Costs embraces the absurd, offering a side-splitting gaming journey.

The game accentuates its intense destruction in a unique way by having amusingly subdued responses from its characters. Incidents like Winston’s pickup demolishing an apartment building or even hitting a pedestrian and launching them 50 feet into the air are met with casual reactions such as “I’m walking here!” instead of shock or fear. This nonchalance extends beyond the car, as shoving a bystander off a roof will initially anger them, but they’ll typically carry on with their day as if nothing happened once Winston is pushed back.

Vehicle Handling Is Precise and Satisfying

In the game Deliver At All Costs, the vehicles manage surprisingly well despite the frequent collisions being a key aspect of gameplay. Similar to other non-racing games with exceptional driving dynamics, speed isn’t the primary focus here; instead, precision is crucial. Minor adjustments are all that’s needed to accelerate and steer the in-game vehicles, which results in their responsiveness. This responsiveness brings two benefits: first, mastering the controls and successfully navigating challenging paths feels satisfying, and second, it’s quite easy to make mistakes and cause damage.

The physics in “Deliver At All Costs” truly excel when dealing with bulky, cumbersome truck loads or pulling something behind your vehicle. These extra elements can disrupt the steering and require some adaptation, which only serves to emphasize the aspect that makes standard driving so enjoyable. While it may take time to master, the joy of control is worth the bumps along the road, and the unintentional mishaps are hard not to find amusing.

Some Missions Feel Repetitive After a While

Even though driving, collisions, and explosions make the game thrilling, certain missions can become repetitive quickly. However, the game’s diverse mechanics and varying mission types ensure that Deliver At All Costs remains fresh as a whole. Unfortunately, individual levels may not maintain this excitement due to Winston often performing similar deliveries across several stages, which can lose their charm after the third or fourth repetition.

Refreshing repetitive tasks can be achieved by adopting unique strategies at each stage. You could opt for varying degrees of destruction, discovering fresh routes, or setting yourself unusual objectives, such as driving in reverse throughout or completing without any mishaps. However, the game doesn’t encourage these alternatives. While this offers players a lot of freedom, it can lead some levels to feel predictable if you don’t explore different approaches.

Deliver At All Costs’ World Is as Pretty As It Is Dangerous

In some top-tier open-world games, they prioritize a distinctive aesthetic over photographic realism, and “Deliver At All Costs” follows suit. The game’s visual style is reminiscent of a hand-painted scene, giving the world of St. Monique and its surroundings an old-fashioned postcard feel. This fits perfectly as the game not only glorifies but also critiques the idealized image of 1950s Americana that popular culture often depicts.

The music has a classic ’50s and ’60s vibe that aligns perfectly with the visuals. The cheerful tunes of surf rock and doo-wop add to the ambiance, yet they seem strangely out of place considering the violent scenes unfolding on screen. It’s amusing how the music encourages you to relax or dance at a soda fountain while you’re causing chaos by trampling pedestrians and destroying city structures. This discrepancy enhances the humor of the intense gameplay, but it also plays a crucial role in the narrative as it underscores the deception and unexpected twists in the plot.

The Painted Visuals Look Better from Afar

Drive At All Costs is visually appealing during gameplay, yet its cutscenes fall short compared to that experience. While not every game requires stunning graphics, there are many quality titles with intentionally low-quality visuals. However, the character movements and textures in the cutscenes, reminiscent of PS2 era, can slightly disrupt the immersion. The art style functions well when viewed from a distance during actual gameplay, but appears somewhat jarring in close-up scenes, particularly noticeable in characters’ mouth animations and facial expressions.

Instead of presenting some cutscenes as mini-movies, the game uses dialogue clips paired with still images to resemble a graphic novel experience, enhancing the game’s artistic style while potentially sacrificing action sequences. Regrettably, the game Deliver At All Costs didn’t adopt this approach for all its cutscenes.

The Story of Deliver At All Costs Is Surprisingly Gripping

Despite the somewhat lackluster visual charm of the cutscenes, they deliver in substance, making every moment worthwhile. Even when the gameplay gets a bit absurd, the storyline remains anything but light-hearted. It’s as if I’m immersed in a gritty film noir world, where each new clue unravels a mystery that seems to grow deeper and more complex with each twist, suggesting characters who are swimming in waters far beyond their comprehension.

As the tale unfolds, so does the gameplay experience. In Deliver At All Costs, the action is divided into three distinct acts, each introducing Winston to a fresh setting. Each novel environment expands upon the mechanics and possibilities introduced earlier, creating a larger, more engaging world than it initially appears. This approach not only keeps the game exciting but also subtly mirrors the narrative’s progression.

The exaggerated destruction of the settings in this story serves a purpose for the plot’s development. Although the plot may seem absurdly unrealistic, it is captivating and suspenseful. Despite its lack of realism, it maintains internal consistency in a world where buildings collapse easily and delivery companies retaliate by ramming each other’s vehicles.

As a dedicated player, I must confess that some emotional and profound scenes in the game sometimes fall flat due to an incongruity with the gameplay. For instance, it’s tough to swallow advice about the importance of family when my character has just mowed over a family, responding with nothing more than a casual “whoops.” However, despite these jarring moments, the game effectively delivers powerful messages about human greed and its destructive potential, leaving me pondering long after I’ve put down the controller. The wildness of the gameplay only serves to heighten the impact of these thought-provoking ideas.

Let’s be clear: “Deliver At All Costs” isn’t set to revolutionize storytelling or compete with the caliber of “The Last of Us.” However, it offers more depth than might initially meet the eye.

In essence, “Deliver At All Costs” delivers on its promise, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. For gamers yearning for a break where they can lay waste to a city from the comfort of an old truck, this game provides that very satisfaction. Yet, it also presents a compelling, engaging mystery-thriller narrative that unfolds in a thrilling, pulp-style fashion. On both counts, playing it is a delightful experience.

2025-05-20 11:09