We at Wylsacom Media love off-road. So much so that we even often go on rides, where we knead the dirt with might and main on our Toyotas, BMWs and other cars that can withstand harsh conditions.

We are very happy with the release of SnowRunner, a game that has become our salvation when there is no time to calculate routes, go somewhere, and only then knead the mud. You just sit down at a computer or set-top box and fly.

And in the list of platforms, the addition: the game was released on iOS and Android. Did the mobile MudRunner come out the same as its “big brothers”?

The idea of the game remains the same: you need to get from point A to point B. Doing this, of course, is not as easy as in some GTA. On the way, your main enemy, nature, will compete with you. Or rather, the lack of roads and surfaces washed out by rain.

You drive small off-road vehicles (there is definitely a UAZ and some kind of GAZ), or large trucks or dump trucks.

That’s almost the entire interface of driving a car. There is no gamepad support, by the way.

The game does not look very pretty, not only in comparison with SnowRunner, but also in comparison with the very first Spintires, released in 2014. Probably, the developers want to get the widest possible distribution, that is, you still have to worry about the schedule. If the game was released exclusively on the iPad Pro, then it could be made more beautiful.

In addition to the pillars, there is a problem with the perception of the surfaces on which you have to go. Suppose you have a flat surface in front of you. And in order to understand what it is – asphalt or mud in which you will drown – you need to look closely. And not the fact that you guess!

At the same time, the smooth surface of the dirt can be hard, or it can be viscous. What will happen now? And you’ll only know when you get there.

Calm water, by the way, looks like:

Is it dirt? This is water? Is it flat asphalt? On assignment, I understood that this was a swampy area, but a person watching from the side would not exactly make out what kind of incomprehensible gray substance it was.

SnowRunner pleased us with its beauty: cool snow, cool car physics, cool trees. In mobile MudRunner you don’t feel it at all.

Overcoming the dirt looks rather strange: here is a flat, smooth surface, here you are driving into it. At this point, it seems that the car slightly drove into the textures – the game does not describe the process of driving in any way. But right behind the car, a rut appears and some strange splashes:

Since the first game, MudRunner has been famous for its simulation of mud and liquids. But in the mobile version, you meet an obstacle and try to overcome it. At the same time, from the point of view of the player, it does not matter at all what kind of obstacle it is – it will be the same. A little harder or easier. Deep dirt? Complicated. Ford? A little easier. The game seems to resist you, but not much. Hours later, you won’t be thinking, “Damn, that deep, sticky mud again.” In addition, the earth does not stick to the tires. Generally.

But there are differences in the management of transport. The small UAZ jumps in comparison with the heavy ZIL, and the dump truck turns very strangely.

The graphics make the game feel empty. It’s sad to look at – even the world of PUBG looks more interesting, more filled and beautiful.

Mobile MudRunner is not about difficulties on the road. The game has become some kind of unusual puzzle where you need to get to a certain place, completing secondary tasks along the way. For example, frighten away ten birds with a horn. Or find and crush a pumpkin.

Some secondary tasks are difficult to complete. For example, in one of the first tasks you can not go into the oncoming lane. I failed it, because I crossed the oncoming lane at an angle of 90 °, not intending to leave it. Why? How? These questions will remain unanswered.

The missions don’t take long, and the “free mode” is not fun: yes, you can find new cars here. But for what?

Mobile MudRunner should be perceived as a puzzle. It is quite simple, but it’s worth breaking your brains somewhere: how to get close to the trailer without drowning along the way?

At the same time, as soon as the hitch has occurred, the player can absolutely not care what happens to this trailer – it can be dragged even on its side, almost completely immersed in water. The game does not penalize you for this.

The main problem is water. You don’t have to dive deep into it. The engine will stall and the mission must be restarted.

Unfortunately for us, mobile MudRunner didn’t become another off-road game. The emphasis in it is shifted to the opening of locations, and the difficulties do not look critical. Most likely, the creators wanted to make a game that you can play for five to ten minutes. But, unfortunately, she did not become the MudRunner that we know.

MudRunner is available on the App Store and Google Play . The price is 459 rubles.