Review: Gas Station Simulator

Who never dreamed of working at a gas station? And even better, at your own gas station in the middle of the desert?

I don't know about you, but I didn't. But don't worry, because Gas Station Simulator offers more than an unbearable work routine in your free time. It's an unbearable work routine mixed with things like a hell of bugs, break-ins, sandstorms, flying saucers and other stuff you've never seen or will see at a gas station. I hope.

Right at the start, you're in the role of a moron who sold his muscle car to buy a dirty roadside gas station. The business once belonged to someone in the family, and to help get the place back on its feet – seriously, the place is pretty run down – you'll get emails and phone calls from your uncle.

Dumpstore

The crappy gas station has a lot to be done, and the simulator gameplay is enhanced with useless but interesting tasks. The simulator side is quite light, and doesn't even come close to being complex – you won't lose your mind amidst elaborate accounting and inventory, but you will know the furthest distance you threw objects into the dumpster, for example.

Usefulness? None, but why not?

Progress is divided into "missions", always marked and easy to locate, so you don't get lost in the objectives. It's quite intuitive, but also a bit agonizing, since you want to get your hands dirty, do things on your own without waiting to be allowed. The only way - or the right way - is follow the order of the missions as they are presented.

Since it's not that complex, the menus doesn't cause that typical shock of a thousand options. But the tasks themselves will be routine and some problematic.

The first issue of Gas Station Simulator is with the physics, making it more like a Bug Simulator. Don't be surprised if you trip over a cart or other junk and it starts bouncing around. The same goes for the arcade remote control car, which is really hard to control and not at all satisfying.

One of the tasks that is particularly affected by bugs, is working as a cashier. Sometimes objects collide and jump off the counter, causing errors and pissing off the customers. Another problem is with the broom, which you can use to sweep up not only dirt, but also to throw vehicles far away. Laughable.

But it's not just a funny, innocent bug; doing so can ruin the game if the delivery truck, for example, gets stuck somewhere. I've even seen them flying through the air like a rocket, going up and up... If that happens, the only way out is to press the mysterious red button on the gas station's totem (what happens is a surprise).

Bugshow

There were so many bugs, that I didn't quit just because I was stubborn enough. The garbage truck got stuck, cars driving with the driver floating outside, objects that disappeared under the floor, shop customers sliding over their feets as if they were on roller skates, and so on.

Be careful not to save when there are cars stuck in the garage, your save will probably crash the game when you reload. Use the mysterious button first.

Another issued is that, despite the fact that the tasks are very intuitive, it's not recommended to do them before the initial tutorials. If you do things before the game asks you to, you can have serious problems.

For example: I decided to buy a broom and start cleaning everything – well, the floor was dirty as a pigsty, so it was obvious that it would be useful.

Result? When the "mission" to clean the store arrived, I could no longer complete it and progress because... there was no more dirt on the floor. I had to start over from a save point from hours before.

Seriously? No

Can you ignore the bugs? Then don't even think about taking Gas Station Simulator seriously.

When you deal with a kid who draws winged penises on your walls, customers who lose live fishes, and the odd visits from a snake that roams the place, you'll understand that despite the simulator label, it has a lot of fantasy and comedy.

However, the game will get boring after a few hours. It lacks elements that make it captivating and not just exhausting when the excitement wears off. Even after buying trailers and getting some employees, you will have to go through the cash register cycle, fill up the tank, clean up after customers, etc. These activities are repeated ad nauseam, increasing your business, but it's tiring.

I would like to modify the structure of the gas station more. Instead of using the buildings that the game offers, I would like to have wall blocks and make my own place, more or less like buildings in Fallout 4. A better system would greatly multiply the result of the customizations, but it's something well above what is possible – since it is not even possible to align shelves without some difficulty.

To change the structure of the gas station, such as its size, you need to level up. And the conditions are tough, with required limits being like serving 250 customers first or getting 100 tips. In this grindhell ​​with little reward, the routine of opening the gas station, going to the cashier, cleaning the floor, buying things, fixing some cars, buying more things, closing the gas station, repeat, changes from fun to excruciating.

It's not always like this, of course. The first few hours you don't even notice go by.

Expiration date

The first few hours are quite entertaining. But as time goes by, the task cycle becomes boring and the game's validity expires. Everything seems to contribute to this cycle. The graffiti artist, for example, is there to force you to paint the walls. When he shows up to mess with your facade, you'll probably be busy with other things.

Why try to stop him? Better to waste a few seconds covering up the graffiti later. Even if he didn't come, your walls deteriorates quickly. They need paint every 4 or 5 days before looking bad. And the speed at which your floors get filthy and the trash cans full of flies is frightening. It's like a nightmare for a real world gas station worker.

The employee system is not smart. You need to provide facilities for the person (because remember, your station is in the middle of nowhere), pay for the 8-hour shift and define the daily function. But don't think that the "employee" will know their duties. You have to pick them up at the trailer or call them via computer, define the function and only then, they finally will show up for work.

Think about your boss having to call you up every day...

And when the allotted time is up, the employee simply leaves – there is no warning on the screen, nothing. It doesn't matter if the cashier has a line of customers. While you're taking care of your own duties – and the workday is usually intense – you need to keep watching out about their shift. Calculate time, hurry up and take the position (or close the station). Otherwise, the cashier will be empty, with customers complaining, and dirt everywhere.

Employees need to be trained. Only after long hours of a miserable routine, they gain a higher status in their activities. So, the ideal is to have an employee dedicated to a specific function, such as operating the cashier, or working in the garage.

The inventory system does not offer automatic orders and, believe me, you will be doing them frequently because the warehouse is small. The player needs to go to the computer almost every day, choose the products, place the orders (from various sections such as food, fuel and auto parts), then run to the warehouse, receive the truck and unload it.

All this happens while you try to keep the service running smoothly, unless the station is closed. And don't forget to close the warehouse, unless you want to get robbed. But that's not all: you'll have to go to the shelves yourself and restock.

That will be your routine for 20, 30 hours... Better you like it.

The graphics are simple, but surprisingly pleasant. The portrayal of the place in a deserted region is perfect, with the native minimalism helping to keep everything sober. The human models lack care and the animations and collisions are not at all careful. Nothing breaks the game, but it is not pleasant to watch.

It is strange, because despite the level of evolution, it seems like a solo project taken too far, or a promising beta version. If you are the type of person who stays engaged for a long time and loves repetitive, almost obsessive activities and a frenetic pace, you may like it, especially the first few hours.

After that, tiredness will overcome you. Because there is enough work in real life.

In this article

Gas Station Simulator