Construction Simulator 2 is a title by Astragon Entertainment and weltenbaur.SE who are well known for various transportation simulation games such as the Bus Simulator. It was earlier released in 2017 on consoles, iOS devices, and PC and recently, the title made its way towards Nintendo Switch. We have seen a lot of titles being ported to Nintendo Switch recently and Construction Simulator 2 is one of them. Porting a game such as Construction Simulator 2 is no easy feat however we got our hands on the port and this is our review of Construction Simulator 2 on Nintendo Switch.
The first thing you will notice right after booting up Construction Simulator 2 is that the game does look inferior when compared with its other console counterparts. This is natural for Nintendo Switch ports since Nintendo’s flagship device is not as powerful as its competition but its main advantage lies in portability and this is where it shines. Construction Simulator 2 is also available on iOS devices but I can say Nintendo Switch version is definitely the one that you should opt for if you want a construction game that you can play everywhere you go.
I previously mentioned that the Nintendo Switch version lacks visually. This is true but in its own way, it comes with nearly all the special effects and lighting that the console versions offer. Only the terrain texture really feels like it is extremely low. The vehicle design is great, all of their lights work perfectly and they look amazing on the Nintendo Switch. Soil physics is the same as well however it does look a little low quality but that was quite obvious from the moment I booted the game that Switch version will lack visually.
When it comes to gameplay and sound, Construction Simulator 2 is brilliant. Gameplay will take a lot of time getting used to because Nintendo does not have the ability to provide keys as a PC keyboard does. Similar to PS4 and Xbox One version, the keys are heavily saturated and you will find one key handling many commands at the same time. For example, pressing R will switch between the camera and the machinery movement. This will make you continuously switch between the machinery mode and the camera mode as you dig, drive around or perform any other task in the game.
This can get a little tiresome but who said construction was easy. Pressing Right on the D-pad will allow you to choose from different camera options. The camera options vary from vehicle to vehicle. If you are operating a Cement Mixer, you will have normal tracking ones, static ones and one which is focused on the mixer. If you are using a massive crane to lift objects to high-rise construction buildings, you will have different camera modes such as the hook view which will allow you to focus on the hook carrying the object so that you can easily move it around.
The Nintendo Switch version also comes with the arcade, SAE/Euro and ISO hydraulic support so you can pick from whichever you want to according to your own preferences. The vehicles look great and play a vital role in the game. You will find a lot of officially licensed vehicles in different categories. You have rollers, cranes, dumpers, flatbeds and much more. You can visit the dealership and purchase them as you expand your company in the game. The vehicles look great and the game offers an extremely good collection of some of the best brands available in the market today.
Your main goal in Construction Simulator 2 is to start and expand your very own construction company. You take on different contracts that start off simple but as you progress in the game, level up and purchase better machines, you will start to get advanced construction tasks as well. Your vehicles will be crucial in these contracts so you will need to practice if you want to master all of their controls. Each vehicle is unique and thus comes with its own unique controls. Luckily, the game offers vehicle-specific tutorials which are a great way of learning the cool tricks of your brand, spanking new dozer or tractor.
During these contracts, sometimes you will need to head back to the materials shop and purchase specific materials and bring them to the construction site. The materials shop is pretty extensive and offers a lot of different construction materials. This shows that the game does not lack in any aspect of construction. You can also roam around the brilliantly detailed world of Construction Simulator 2 without any worries. While you are not working on a site, you can take out your favorite vehicle and explore the world.
The game offers 5 districts however you have to unlock the remaining four by playing the game and leveling up. Some of the advanced machinery is also locked until you practice with the entry-level machinery and unlock new districts. Each district comes with its own Dealership and Materials Vendor. You also have your own Home Base in each district which saves you the hassle of traveling back again and again to the first district to store your vehicles and do other tasks.
Construction Simulator 2 is a really fun game on Nintendo Switch 2 but you cannot enjoy it unless you spend some time getting used to the controls. Due to lack of freedom as that of a PC, the controls are a little hectic at first but with a little practice, you can easily start performing different tasks easily which appeared to be difficult at the beginning. It is only at this time when you truly start enjoying Construction Simulator 2 and the level of detail offered by it. Each vehicle is really fun to operate and handle really well too.
However, you will also need to manage your company at the same time where the simulation comes into play. You must earn enough to purchase new machinery which is required by different tasks. You can also rent machinery but it is not a good option in the long run. As you continue to purchase more machinery, they will require maintenance costs which will increase as you continue to increase your fleet of vehicles. Incur too many losses in a row and you will be unable to run your company. You will need to find the right balance between your expenditure and income to maintain a healthy financial account.
Overall Construction Simulator 2 is a brilliant simulator for Nintendo Switch. It may lack visually when compared to PS4/Xbox One or PC versions of the game but none of them offers portability. I currently have it installed on my Nintendo Switch Lite and the game does not have any sort of performance issues on it as well. It plays really well and I can take it anywhere I want. It is a game that requires time and is not really the title that you can simply hop in, play for 5 minutes and leave it unless you are simply roaming around the city. Construction bits will take some time and precision which makes it a great title for killing time.
Final Verdict:
Construction Simulator 2 is a brilliant addition to the ever-expanding Nintendo Switch library. We’ve seen many simulation titles making their way to Nintendo Switch but I think this one takes the top spot. It is really well made despite having weak visuals. There are no framerate dips even at night time when there are plenty of lights on here and there. The controls will take some time getting used to but once you’ve gotten a good control on them, Construction Simulator 2 will keep you busy for hours and hours to come. If you love simulation games and more specifically construction sim titles and you have a Nintendo Switch, this is a must-buy title for you.
Final Score: 8/10
