Tiny Teams is here, providing exposure to many games developed by small independent studios. Many demos have released or been updated for the event, giving a taste of what the full games will hold. Since this year’s Racing Month had a bit of a delivery theme, I felt I’d start with some games that continued it. As such, the first game I tried was Easy Delivery Co.. A game definitely not hiding any secrets, as developer Sam C humorously states in the description.
Since, upon first starting out with the demo, it’s clear this mountain town is hiding many. Being hired as an easyCo delivery driver, I have a truck and a computer. It’s my job to drive around the town making the deliveries the anthropomorphic animal residents post on the job list. Doing those deliveries, getting friendlier with the residents, will uncover the secrets of the town as the story progresses.
The demo keeps things light on story, with introductions to the residents and learning that the previous delivery driver has gone missing. What the demo excels at showing is the atmosphere of its world. The snowstorm that is ever present which has seen the town become lonely and repressed. The whiteness of the sky and the lack of visibility on the mountain roads. The crunchiness of its early 3D models that adds a nice charm to an otherwise bleak world.
A world that is made enjoyable to drive through thanks to the light handing of the pickup truck used for the deliveries. Its very loose suspension has it leaning away from any turn it takes. Turns which it makes very tightly. Naturally, with snow everywhere, there’s also a chance for the truck to start sliding, leading to some hilarious accidents. The same goes for driving over jumps, which can easily transform into barrel rolling along a road.
The bitter cold of the world means I can’t stay outside for too long, otherwise I will freeze and collapse. So once I’ve accepted a job on the computer, which is a lovely retro model, I head to the resident who posted it. After talking to them, I waste no time loading what they want delivered into the back of the pickup. The same when dropping things off, though there’s no-one greeting me at the end of the journey.
With the only guide on where to go being the map, which always has to be opened to view, the feeling of being lonely in this world is increased. Aside from the camping dogs who provide tasks that progress the story, there is no-one around. Just crows and the occasional deer. Roads are empty, buildings are in disrepair. It’s a town that is continuing to be, just about. Hed together by its community. As even from this small introduction to the world, I get the feeling easyCo aren’t being much help.
The price to buy anything easyCo owned is high. Energy drinks which I need to keep working are almost $5 a can. A lantern which can hold off the cold almost $60. And don’t even get me started on the fuel, where the clerk at the counter insults me for not having enough to fill up the entire tank of the pickup. And the pay for jobs is said to be low. It’s something I feel might have been adjusted for the demo, as travelling between the high and low parts of the town on a job nets me almost $20.
Speaking of delivery jobs, Easy Delivery Co. is at least kind there. It is a relaxing game, after all. Despite the oppressive atmosphere. Every item that a resident wants delivered is picked up as one. There’s no straps on the back of the pickup, but no worries there. It doesn’t matter if anything falls off, as it will magically appear when I grab it again. And should it all somehow fall out, it will reappear nearby.
Since there’s very little to the story, endless mode is activated pretty quickly for the demo. Though its true end comes with the completion of the three tasks of the camping dogs. The hardest of the tasks comes with activating the second radio tower to gain more music to listen to. Music that is very nice and varied, with some slower tunes among the energetic ones. Or there’s listening to the ambient sounds of the storm, which are captured well.
Easy Delivery Co. is a very nice game from these first impressions. The start of the mystery has me wanting to play more. The truck has a good feel to it, making driving across this bleak, repressed world a joy. I also enjoy what the residents have to say, as most are trying to stay hopeful in this trying time. I will look forward to when I can progress beyond the roadblock that hides the rest of the world when Easy Delivery Co. has its full release some time this year.
Images Taken From:
Easy Delivery Co. | PC
