My Summer Car Review: A Permadeath Pit Stop to Madness
An intricate blend of masochism and mastery
Early Access Review
last updated Jan 03, 2024
This game will have you alternately throwing your wrench in exasperation and raising your beer in triumph.
Wrenches and Rage
My Summer Car delivers an authentic gearbox grind, inviting players to the grueling and glorious task of assembling a virtual car from the bolts up. With nary a tutorial in sight, the game is as unforgiving as a rusty screw, planting you firmly in the driver's - or should I say, mechanic's - seat. Mastering the temperamental Satsuma requires the patience of a saint and the curiosity of a cat with nine lives. The control scheme dances on the edge of quirky and maddening, with a delightful option for automatic transmission still on many a player's wishlist. With every assembled component and successful engine start, there's the palpable risk of being back to square one, thanks to the game's lovingly cruel permadeath feature.
Finland's Finest Frequencies
Turn your radios to 'love-it-or-hate-it FM' because My Summer Car's soundscape is a polarizing playlist of earworms and eerie silences. From the buzz of relentless summer flies to the rev of the Satsuma's engine, the game's audio palette is as minimalistic as it gets. And let's not forget the soundtrack - an eclectic mix of Finnish hits that may drive you to a drinking game of your own. No, seriously, you can literally drink in-game while tweaking with the tuner - talk about immersive sound design. When you're not cursing the flies, you may find yourself humming along, submerged in this sauna of sound.
A (Pixelated) Picture of Perfection
You won't find photorealistic graphics here, but that's part of the charm. My Summer Car's visuals are to AAA games what a Nordic sauna is to luxury spa experiences - refreshingly straightforward and bizarrely compelling. The performance, like an old Satsuma on a cold day, mostly purrs along, although the odd hiccup in framerates mirrors the in-game vehicular breakdowns. Quirky animations breathe life (and frequent death) into this pixel-perfect, Finnish countryside. Just don't expect ray tracing or fancy textures; the beauty here is in the gritty, blocky detail.
The Unyielding Road to Mastery
Traversing the Finnish countryside in My Summer Car is an exercise in patience and humor. The game hits you with all the tenacity of a Nordic winter, demanding you manage basic life functions while trying not to die from a combination of inebriation and vehicular mishaps. Jobs in this game are as clearly outlined as instructions in a sauna installation manual, meaning not at all. And then there are the bugs - enjoyable quirks for some, rage-fuel catalysts for others. Despite this, the game provides a wealth of dark satisfaction as you juggle trying not to starve, dehydrate or crash into a tree.
EARLY ACCESS RATING
Developer & Publisher
Amistech Games
Early Accesss Release Date
October 24, 2016
The Verdict
My Summer Car is the unlikely Venn diagram intersection of gaming masochists and car enthusiasts. This game will have you alternately throwing your wrench in exasperation and raising your beer in triumph. If you're looking for a cozy, casual Sunday drive, this isn't it. But if you relish the thought of being Swedishly wronged by a diabolical developer while laughing at the absurdity of it all, buckle up. It's a bumpy, broken ride through the Finnish countryside that might just be the most rewarding trip you've never actually taken.
