It was delisted on Steam during this time. Buckle up: it used to be called “Spintires”, but the game’s creator Pavel Zagrebelny and publisher Oovee had a remarkable public falling out, with a few accusations and counter-accusations flying about, stalling development for a time while payment trouble and messy patching was worked out. If you’re wondering why it’s being pitched as the incredibly clunky “SnowRunner – A MudRunner Game”, we do have some insight. 15 larger maps, some up to four times the size of MudRunner’s levels, will be the playground for the game’s fleet of licensed utility vehicles (Pacific, Navistar).
The challenges are simple enough: deliver the cargo on time and without flipping over. Wetness is rendered in near-atomic detail, causing you to have to fight every bump and turn when you’re in the cab. MudRunner’s much-lauded mud still looks like it grabs tires in a wet bearhug, but with the added complication of snowdrifts and ice bogging you down. You’re tasked with setting up a transportation company, creating a supply network in both the US and Russia. SnowRunner is a bigger, wetter, and colder addition to the surprisingly successful sim series. It did so well that we’re here once again, this time with snow chains wrapped around the tires and a flask of warm tea on the passenger seat. Spintires: MudRunner is a cludgy delight of a thing, somehow turning the nightmare of getting a vehicle snared in sodden dirt into a puzzle game.