5 months after the release of the last free DLC “The Ridge”, Saber Interactive is offering a third add-on, this time for a fee, to satisfy American players looking for more local maps and vehicles. American Wilds was born.
A year ! We have been wandering through the mud for a year in search of logs to meet the needs of local sawmills. If you don't know the title, the previous sentence is a good summary. Developed by the studio Saber Interactive, the game has only evolved: 2 DLC each bringing a set of vehicles and a map to test them have emerged. But that's not all, Spintires MudRunner has also opened up to the Steam Workshop, and a comfortable mod editor has emerged. All the lights were green. However, last February, during the “Focus What's Next”, Saber Interactive announced the development of an extension to meet the demand of American players. Chevrolet, Hummer, Ford… it is true that these brands were missing… Not anymore.
Two maps that contrast with the old DLC
Grizzly Creek and Mont Boismore. Under these 2 names hide the 2 new cards of the DLC American Wilds. Were you used to a grayish environment, no roads, muddy, unsanitary limit? It's over ! The American maps are colorful, realistic… and with roads! Don't jump to the ceiling. Not immediately. The decorations contrast radically with those of the “The Valley” or “The Island” maps, where we take 90% of paths and 10% of roads. Here it is rather the opposite, we often find ourselves on the road but every exit of the track becomes a real nightmare.
Common point of the 2 maps: their sawmills. They are contiguous. You will therefore need to bring 16 points (2 × 8) to the same place. The simplified mode becomes linear and loses some of its interest. In this mode, a map ends in less than an hour flat, where you could spend a good 2 hours previously on the original maps. To ensure extra lifespan, the developers have added a new log collection function. Also several collection points are scattered on the map and you no longer have to go through the "loading station" box to stack the logs on the trailer. If in solo mode, it is difficult to find the interest, in multiplayer on the other hand, it is hours of hairy trying to load the material through the forest.
I shot the sheriff… to steal his 4 × 4 Chevrolet!
The other novelty of this DLC is of course the US vehicles. No less than 9 machines are added to the catalog. From the Hummer H1 to the K-9000, including the legendary Chevrolet K5 from the local sheriff, the American atmosphere is faithfully recreated. A word of advice: for your first game on the new maps, do not change the vehicles and go with those offered to you. Let me explain.
As said above, the maps have little mud to go through. Also, if you attack directly with Russian army 8WD military gear, you will end your game in a flash. On the new DLC vehicles, 3 of the 4 transport trucks are NOT made for off-road. In other words, a wheel protruding from the road can cost you your cargo because the machine will not hesitate to overturn on the road.
And the difficulty is there. Play on US maps with US hardware. Even the impressive K-9000 isn't willing to make it easy for you with its turning radius closer to that of a train than a bicycle. One of the solutions is to use the K-8400 construction machine to winch a truck such as the Western Star 6900XD. It is also the latter that will allow you not to lose all your driving benchmarks acquired during your long hours of play in the mud of the map "The Flood".
At what price ?
The complete “American Wilds” game, including the game + the 2 existing DLCs, is displayed on Instant Gaming below the 20 euros mark, while supermarkets display the console version at 35 euros (Xbox One and PS4 only, the Switch version is coming in November). The DLC only can be found on the blinds and on Steam for less than 10 euros. Should we buy this DLC? For fans of the game, there is no doubt about it. The few hours taped to the screen will make you forget that you have to wait until early 2019 for the MudRunner 2 released. Don't know the title? It is possible to find the original game Spintires: MudRunner below the 15 euros mark. For 5 euros more, it's up to you.
It takes for everyone
Note globale
Difficult to talk about this DLC without comparing it to the previous ones. Opinions are divided. On the one hand American Wilds gives a little new blood with colorful and well-crafted maps. And on the other hand, the ease of overcoming it may frustrate seasoned players. The newcomers will find their account anyway with a denser content and a sufficient lifespan to wait until the next opus.