Deliver At All Costs Review – Lukewarm Goods

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Although it may seem like a typical arcade sandbox game, Deliver At All Costs is surprisingly story-centric. Its heavy emphasis on narrative could be off-putting for those seeking mindless fun. After finishing the story, I can understand why one might feel this way, considering how much effort the game puts into being a masterpiece of storytelling. The game is divided into three acts, each with its own distinct town to explore and complete missions. One act even includes a time jump and an irreversible moment. Even if you prefer to disregard the story and concentrate on excelling at deliveries and causing chaos in the streets, you’ll still need to watch some cutscenes and progress through the narrative to unlock new towns and side quests.


 

“The majority of the side content in Deliver At All Costs isn’t very enticing.”

In essence, most of the additional tasks in the game Deliver At All Costs aren’t particularly appealing due to the unimpressive rewards and repetitive fetch quest structure. These tasks require significant effort but offer little payoff. However, if you enjoy exploring different maps, then going off-track for these side missions could be enjoyable. The treasure chests and secret boxes scattered across the game provide cash that can be used for vehicle upgrades, but many of these upgrades can also be obtained from rewards earned during the main story missions.

I thought I’d enjoy customizing the vehicles, but I was let down by their narrow usage. The reason being is that upgrades can only be employed within pre-set story missions; it’s quite disappointing. However, the crane attachment and enhanced hauling capacity upgrade are entertaining to use, don’t get me wrong, just that they are exclusively designed for their specific tasks. To clarify, if you were anticipating a vibrant vehicle playground filled with various options and rewards, Deliver At All Costs doesn’t deliver on that front.

I continually link the game with the freedom of sandbox play because of its map layout, which adopts an old-school 2D Grand Theft Auto-style isometric driving perspective. During story breaks, you’re granted the liberty to explore the town at your leisure. The top-down isometric camera angle used for driving and running around adds depth to the environments, giving them a pleasing diorama appearance. Moreover, you can adjust the camera between two different angles if something is hard to see.

When it comes to the view, there’s quite a bit happening as you travel and make deliveries.

The distinct stores and iconic attractions in this miniature model exude a timeless ambiance beautifully. Notably, the music aligns perfectly with the backdrop, featuring lounge jazz and instrumental surf rock that seldom grows monotonous. Furthermore, the radio contributes to its connection with GTA, offering occasional broadcasts that enrich the setting’s storyline. Each town boasts various districts, each with a unique theme, enhancing the diversity of the landscape even further.

Talking about landscapes, it’s quite fascinating to notice the bustle while I’m on my delivery rounds. Characters carry out their daily routines, birds fly overhead, and there’s a constant flow of vehicles along the roads. Frankly, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming with so much activity. The streets are usually congested with cars and pedestrians, making accidents a common occurrence.

“NPCs roam the streets and become aggressive when threatened.”

The game feels quite bustling, which I generally appreciate, but it seems overly crowded at times, hindering my enjoyment. A more balanced approach might have been to increase traffic density as you advance in the game, given that the towns evolve from rural to urban settings throughout the storyline. At the minimum, there’s a visually appealing mini-map with clear labels and pointers. Navigation is further facilitated by helpful arrows pointing towards mission objectives.

Instead of just transporting packages within a specified timeframe, the game offers a diverse range of missions that keep things interesting. The unique selling point is its physics-driven driving mechanics, which often lead to amusing situations. For instance, an early mission requires you to transport a truck filled with rotten watermelons. Your objective is to take them to a sanitizer first, then paint them to make them presentable, all while navigating traffic and preventing the watermelons from tipping over in the back of the truck. This mission is one of the game’s highlights, showcasing the physics-based gameplay effectively. As you advance through the game, the missions become increasingly absurd and inventive. In fact, during a late-game job, you even become a UFO hunter! Unfortunately, the heavy traffic and occasionally finicky controls can detract from the overall enjoyment.

“I like how the missions get progressively more wacky and clever as you progress.”

The controls for driving aren’t overly complex – just point your vehicle in the direction you want to go and press the accelerate button. However, the quick response required for acceleration, braking, and turning can make for an irritating experience, especially when navigating high traffic areas, making the driving feel a bit clumsy. Additionally, all vehicles handle similarly, with most of your gameplay being focused on a single truck. The graphics aren’t particularly appealing either, especially the character models. Facial animations are poor and the overall art style is unimpressive, failing to compensate for the visual shortcomings. Furthermore, there are still considerable load times between different regions, which disrupts the smooth flow of the open-world gameplay.

However, the aspect that seems to suffer most from the game’s graphics is the narrative itself. It’s challenging to appreciate the dramatic elements when they’re presented in such a lackluster manner. The game tries to create a cinematic experience during cutscenes, but the textures are bland and the close-ups of characters’ faces resemble those from early PlayStation 1 games. Fortunately, some of the characters are quite endearing, despite their low-resolution models. For instance, Winston’s delivery companions exhibit a level of depth and have a rich backstory. Additionally, Winston himself is a well-developed character with a distinct personality that you can easily imagine working alongside.

“Winston’s delivery mates have surprising depth and a good amount of backstory.”

Characters such as Norman are immediately appealing, while Donovon, Winston’s fierce adversary and rigid superior, is undeniably irritating. The dialogue in this piece stands out to me, as it’s written with a casual, everyday feel that gives the characters an authentic touch, despite their simplified Unity appearance.

Initially returning to my critique, I found the game surprisingly challenging on the story front, but it didn’t quite resonate with me entirely. The quirky and sincere tone is well-executed, however, the resolution of the plot felt incomplete and lacked the anticipated closure. The enigmatic history of character Winston and the real intentions behind the delivery company’s leadership could have woven a captivating narrative thread. Regrettably, the ending failed to deliver the promised impact, feeling somewhat underwhelming.

“The game goes surprisingly hard on the story front, but it didn’t fully land for me.”

Overall, the game “Delivery At All Costs” offers a quirky and entertaining, albeit occasionally frustrating, isometric delivery adventure with a narrative that pushes its boundaries slightly. This game has the potential to become a cult favorite, although for most players, it won’t provide an exceptionally captivating experience. If you’re seeking a game with a unique and imaginative concept that ventures into new territory, and are okay with gameplay and graphics reminiscent of three generations past, I recommend giving “Deliver At All Costs” a shot; it might just hit the mark for you.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2025-06-01 20:41