Challenges were often exactly what the mode described, but having to reverse park a trailer into a precise position was more work than it is worth. No matter the controls, the terrain is the main antagonist you will face, as well as your own patience. The parts in which you go into “Advanced Mode” to activate winches and other components of the vehicle you’re driving are intuitive.

While I didn’t think it would work, the gamepad controls for the game work quite nicely, and are smooth.

Some more finite detailed control here would go a long way. Though, there’s no indication what they actually do or what you’re increasing or not. Graphically, Spintires: MudRunner does looks better, but the options are relegated to sliders that say “CPU” and “GPU”, for physics and graphics, respectively. For a game so focused on simulation, I had found it an odd omission. It seems those who worked on this game read my review of the original, because now there’s a cockpit view. This gives the game purpose and focus over its aimless sandbox. To alleviate the feeling of it being a glorified tech demo, there are now challenges that have been added to the game. As you uncover the map by exploring it, you’ll unlock vehicles along the way (19 in total) – provided you don’t get them stuck as you make your way through the muck. Here, this is where you learn how to navigate different types of terrain with different vehicles. With only one new map being added to the mix, gives the game six sandbox levels to explore. Getting back to the terra semi-firma of Spintires felt pretty natural, and seeing everything in motion is rather impressive.

I liked the first one, and found myself playing co-op more than I thought I would post-review, but it was still a bear to play, even among friends who could bail you out of sticky situations. The game is now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and again on PC. Taking over publishing duties from IMGN.PRO is Focus Home Interactive. The core experience of sloshing through mud is interesting and fun, until it isn’t. The updates and improvements to the game are noteworthy, but the frustrations I had years ago remain. Now helmed by Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive, the game shows interest in progressing the series, but still is too niche to recommend fully. Spintires: MudRunner (or as the game’s logo would have you believe: MudRunner: a Spintires Game) is the re-release of the 2014 original with improvements and expanded onto consoles.

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