To be honest, I saw someone discussing this game on the forum recently, and I rejected it at first. After all, the old guys who have played in the Symbian era have long been numb to the current reskinned mobile games. But last night I played "Euro Truck Simulator 3" with the intention of giving it a try. As a result, I drove it for three hours at a stretch, and I actually regained the feeling of hiding in bed and playing Gameloft racing.
Not to brag, but what impresses me most about this game is its physics engine. Many sim driving games are either too floaty or too stiff, but the truck suspension in this game is well tuned. You can clearly feel the weight shift of the cargo box when cornering, the front of the car will press down slightly when braking, and even the vibration feedback of road bumps is very delicate. To be honest, this kind of detail would have been unthinkable on those Symbian machines that had replaceable batteries more than a decade ago.
The operation logic of the game is also very old-school, without so many fancy auxiliaries. Manual transmission, clutch, and even the need to pay attention to the engine speed to shift gears may be a bit discouraging for novices, but for old people like us, it is this kind of hard core that is enough to taste. I tried turning off all prompts and ran a long distance. The immersive feeling of completely focusing on the steering wheel and road conditions was no worse than many current console simulators that are advertised as "real".
The picture is not the kind of mindless special effects style, but has a simple realism. Although it can be seen that it is made by a domestic team, the optimization is surprisingly good, and my old machine runs without any lag. The scenery details are also in place, from the forest on the side of the German highway to the small church in the French countryside, and even the flickering lighting in the tunnel are restored.
What surprised me the most was that it was completely free, with no in-app purchases and no annoying advertising pop-ups. I have never heard of the developer Hainan Star Jump before, but this sincerity is indeed worthy of praise. Compared with some major manufacturers now offering 648 gift packs at every turn, this kind of attitude purely for the sake of making good games is so rare.
Of course, there are also regrets. For example, the map is currently only open to the Central European region, and the mission system is a bit single. However, considering that it has only been released not long ago, and the development team is very active in the community and often responds to players' suggestions, I feel that there is hope for subsequent updates.
After playing for so many years, I have long passed the age of pursuing excitement. Now I feel that being able to drive a long distance quietly in the game, listening to the sound of the engine and looking at the scenery along the way, is the best way to relax. Not to brag, this game has rekindled my hope in domestic mobile games.