There is a container. It needs to be moved. Get on this big crane and move it around. That's a short and sweet look at the Steam Next Fest demo for Docked, Saber Interactive's latest addition to their ever-expanding roster of simulations based on jobs that require high-visibility hardware.
Docked's keen focus on simulating port operation means that, at least as far as the Next Fest demo is concerned, there is very little of the dynamics that characterize the siblings. Roadcraft And SnowRunner. You don't commute because all your work is in and around Port Wake. Instead, Saber seems to be targeting people who lived off their previous jobs, in which you were given a crane and told to load a load onto a truck, usually using a crane.
I'll be honest, this has never been particularly attractive to me. Although this may be due to my tendency to rush things and end up causing a pile of logs to break free. However, if you want to be able to access the complex controls of some heavy equipment, Docked has you covered. The demo consists of four small missions, the first of which requires you to climb onto a colossal crane to transport the ship to shore, running around on foot while you launch it. Once you're in, the process of moving containers off a damaged ship wasn't too far removed from what I've experienced in other Saber simulators, but I did appreciate the change of pace that was a bit of a first-person climb.
Honestly, this is the peak of the demo. Other tasks also involve moving containers, but this time using smaller vehicles. The straddle carrier you used last was my favorite of these, as it's a giraffe-style contraption that rides on top of containers to pick them up, which is wonderfully satisfying compared to the more mundane crane lifting of its cousin, the reach stacker.
The menu suggests that the full version will have many more detailed port controls, but none of these are available yet. It's a bit of a shame because I think for Docked to really catch on, this will be the aspect of the game that has to do the hardest work. Saber themselves have already released plenty of games where you can lift something with a big machine, but I can't think of too many games where you have to be responsible for a full port. It remains to be seen how many updates and changes you'll be able to make to Port Wake, but since it seems to be the game's calling card, I'm hoping there will be plenty of answers.
There's no specific release date yet, but you can find a demo of Docked's Next Fest and wishlist it through her Steam Page.
