Rover Mechanic Simulator, developed by Pyramid Games S.A. and published by Ultimate Games S.A., offers a relaxing environment where players can focus on repairing different types of rovers for colonists. This simulation game has a comprehensive tutorial that slowly introduces players to each workstation and its functions. Rover Mechanic Simulator is an immersive gaming experience, like Car Mechanic Simulator, with machines that are meticulously crafted to be as accurate as possible.
In each task, players will disassemble a rover to find broken or damaged parts, then repair and reset it before sending it back to the colony. Colonist requests can be demanding and amusing, which adds to the otherwise lackluster atmosphere of being stuck inside a Mars rover repair shop. The only other sources of excitement come from the oddly included arcade games like Space Invaders, and the timed premium tasks. Unfortunately, the premium tasks aren't much of a challenge after upgrading a few abilities.
To level up, players will work with a 3D printer, a workbench, and a soldering table to make new parts or clean and repair existing ones. However, the 3D printer quickly becomes the only tool players will need. Resources build up very quickly, and printing even the most intricate parts, like the mast, is easier than trying to replace one or two pieces in the set. Since resources aren't spent on anything else, there's no reason not to print sets over individual parts. There may be one or two instances where players will need to build up their resources again, but most of the work areas become obsolete early on in the game.
Like Robot Squad Simulator X, there are frustrating controls to deal with in Rover Mechanic Simulator. The crane that picks up the rover at the beginning of a job will occasionally shake or glitch, not allowing the rover to be placed. Once the rover is on the table, players can go in and begin working on it, but unfortunately, the camera and cursor controls are worse than the crane's. The camera will sometimes pan up on its own, and it focuses in too closely, so there's a lot of backing out and going back in. The cursor also moves very slowly, even with the sensitivity turned all the way up. The combination of these bad controls can hinder the repair process, which is particularly concerning for players that take on premium jobs before upgrading their skills.
Awkward controls aside, Rover Mechanic Simulator offers simple, relaxing gameplay. There are many jobs to complete with varying levels of difficulty and resource requirements. At the beginning of the game, the jobs are fairly diverse and maintain their intrigue. However, after completing about half of the available jobs, the game gets very repetitive. Since there are only a few machines to choose from, jobs become very similar, and the only difference is the way requests are worded.
With over 12 hours of gameplay, and upgrades that streamline the repair process, Rover Mechanic Simulator turns out to be too much of a good thing. The game's job diversity only lasts for the first half, and there's not much challenge after that. Still, the accuracy of the machines, and the satisfaction of completing a complicated repair make Rover Mechanic Simulator an enjoyable game that can help players unwind, as long as they're okay with the limitations at play within its gameplay mechanics and design.
Rover Mechanic Simulator is available now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One, with a Switch launch still planned for 2021. Screen Rant was provided a digital Xbox One download code for the purpose of this review.