As usual, you use the arrow keys to steer in all directions, and you also have the option of switching between standard and automatic transmission. Once you’ve messed around with the controls a bit, you shouldn’t have any trouble steering the various trucks. You can also see additional vehicles marked on the map, which you can unlock and use when you drive up to them. The map itself is of limited use, as most roads are still inaccessible at the beginning, but you can clearly see the location of your main objective, various lumberyards, and other garages, where you can equip your vehicle with extra parts, have it repaired, or fill up your gas tank. All you get in the way of explanation are a few brief text tutorials that can be activated in the game menu. Each round begins at a garage, where the player has to decide the best way to get from point A to point B.
It sounds easy in theory, but in Spintires it ends up being a real challenge. The basic concept of the game consists in loading your vehicle with lumber at a lumberyard and transporting it to a lumber terminal, all on five playable maps. And there’s a lot of these vehicles in Spintires: from utility vehicles to freight trucks to heavy transports, just about anything that has to potential to leave deep ruts in the mud is available for you to control. But appearances can be deceiving – soon enough, the sound of my off-road vehicle’s engine rips through the pristine environment. The menu screen shows a lone forest road soaking in the rays of the setting sun as the gentle sound of birds chirping comes from somewhere nearby – the whole scene is pervaded by a sense of peace and harmony.