MudRunner continues off-roading with Expeditions, for science
A new entry in the mucky driving sim series
It's rare for a game to have showy tech which is more than skin-deep and actually enables new types of play. Sure, the dynamic mud of driving sim Spintires was impressive to look at, and it also gave us a game where driving two metres through a puddle could become a serious puzzle. So I'm certainly interested in today's announcement of Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, this time sending us off-roading to conduct science. Well, if the mud doesn't blind me, the science surely will.
Setting out for science, Expeditions will have us bumping and squealching across distant lands with off-road vehicles full of fancy science machines. Along with drones to scout and scan, and handy tools like echo sounders and anchors to help us get about, we'll have toys like metal detectors to perform science. Ideal for finding ancient Tizer ring pulls.
The blurb says we will need to "Manage your camp by building research structures and hiring experts to unlock new skills and possibilities during your expeditions." Your own little Time Team.
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is due to skid onto Steam in 2024. It'll also be on Nintendo Switch, PlayStations 4 and 5, and the Xboxes One and XS.
I'm going to need a few minutes to drill into my head that this is not part of the Expeditions: Conquistador/Viking/Rome series of turn-based RPGs. Though a few eight-wheeled off-roaders deployed in the right spot certainly could rewrite history. Hannibal must be kicking himself for not simply waiting 22 centuries for the invention of the truck.
Following a convoluted and confusing chain of legal jockeying and mudslinging, MudRunner is what Spintires became when Saber Interactive took over. Following 2017's mucky MudRunner, things got crispy in 2020 with SnowRunner.
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to our Gamescom 2023 hub. You can also find everything announced at Opening Night Live right here.