Hard Truck Apocalypse / Ex Machina

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In Hard Truck Apocalypse / Ex Machina, players navigate a post-apocalyptic wasteland as a truck driver, delivering vital supplies to towns while battling bandits and maintaining their vehicle's condition. The game features intense combat and customization, with the ultimate goal of restoring order to a lawless world. This experience is included in the Ex Machina Gold Edition.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 480 reviews

story37 positive mentions

stability29 negative mentions

Unique blend of vehicular combat and RPG elements, reminiscent of Mad Max and Fallout.
Engaging gameplay with a variety of trucks and weapons to customize and upgrade.
Nostalgic appeal for fans of older games, with a charmingly quirky atmosphere.

Frequent crashes and bugs, particularly when loading saved games or transitioning between areas.
Poor voice acting and awkward translations detract from the overall experience.
Dated graphics and clunky controls can make the game feel frustrating at times.

story
191 mentions
19 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and filled with twists, while others criticize it for being weak, generic, or poorly executed due to bugs and translation issues. Many appreciate the post-apocalyptic setting and the driving mechanics that tie into the narrative, but the linear progression and repetitive fetch quests detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the story offers enough intrigue and choices to keep players invested, with multiple endings and a sense of exploration throughout the expansive world.
- “The story in this game, for me, is very interesting; the story progression has always kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next, and when I failed, I grind hours trading between towns to get that next upgrade that will give me the edge I am looking for in the next mission that I need to do.”
- “The plot is you are a farmer's son who just grew up in a post-apocalyptic world, where the air is poisonous because of an asteroid, and you have to wear a mask to breathe the air.”
- “It's very cool upgrading your truck as you progress through the story.”
- “The story is weak, and all the endings (which there are three) are extremely anticlimactic, but it's a fun game for those who like to upgrade and shoot with a truck.”
- “The game falls down in its characters, dialogue, and story in general.”
- “The plot is nothing new, but it gives a thread to follow, and opens new areas to explore.”
graphics
76 mentions
17 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated, reflecting its 2005 release, with many users noting that they resemble those of early 2000s titles. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and art style, others criticize the basic textures and lack of modern features like widescreen support. Overall, despite the dated visuals, many players find the gameplay enjoyable enough to overlook these aesthetic shortcomings.
- “Amazing game with great graphics, great storyline and clearly ahead of its time.”
- “The visuals, particularly the trucks, are the best aspect of production.”
- “The art style is brilliant and half of the music is divine.”
- “It's a product of its time, so the 2005-era graphics are quite dated; it doesn't have a widescreen mode, and some of the controls feel a little awkward.”
- “The graphics show their age, and the gunplay is okay.”
- “Textured poorly: the graphics generally look like absolute garbage, and I have seen on several occasions patches of grass floating a few feet above the ground.”
gameplay
68 mentions
38 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a solid driving and combat loop set in a post-apocalyptic open world, where players engage in quests, upgrade vehicles, and battle bandits. While many find the mechanics enjoyable and immersive, some criticize the repetitiveness of fetch quests and the lack of depth in mission variety. Overall, the game offers a unique experience with a mix of RPG elements and car combat, though it is marred by bugs and outdated graphics.
- “The gameplay is amazingly fun, but what was that ending!?”
- “The gameplay while seemingly simple at first is very solid and feels good.”
- “Amazing gameplay, fun open world, and you're in a big truck shooting Mad Max-style bandits.”
- “The missions are of the dullest fetch/kill type and there is almost no variety or depth in the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is quite monotone - you drive, look around for respawning bandits, kill 'em all or run from them, collect the loot, sell it and buy some new upgrades.”
- “The gameplay is full of tired and lazy conventions like FedEx quests and tedious backtracking across the world, but cheat codes can help some with overcoming the grueling grindy parts.”
music
41 mentions
46 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising its atmospheric qualities and ability to enhance the post-apocalyptic setting, featuring a blend of rock tunes and soothing melodies. However, some criticize it for being repetitive and bland, suggesting that it can become monotonous over time. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, its effectiveness can vary depending on individual preferences and gameplay context.
- “The music further helps this with different melodies depending on what region you are in and whether or not you are in combat.”
- “Interesting, atmospheric game, with a good soundtrack and interesting gameplay that will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the post-apocalyptic world.”
- “It sports one of the best soundtracks ever, which adds to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere.”
- “The music is bland, the writing and voice acting are terrible.”
- “The game is very monotonous, from repetitive gameplay to soundtrack.”
- “Probably the most intolerable part of the game is that it has the worst music in the history of gaming.”
stability
31 mentions
6 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay, especially on modern systems. Players have noted issues such as soft locks, black screens, and game-breaking glitches that can prevent progress, making it a frustrating experience for those unfamiliar with troubleshooting. While some find enjoyment in its nostalgic charm despite these problems, many agree that the game's instability makes it difficult to recommend without reservations.
- “The only issue I had was that the game wouldn't start up; the only fix for it is to delete all the video files in the video folder, and then the game runs great after that.”
- “Sadly, it's so buggy it's simply not worth the effort required to make it run.”
- “This game is an unstable, buggy mess.”
- “The unpardonable is it did not update after Windows XP expired: at the beginning, a black screen can appear without any final patch or solution to fix it; when playing, it goes from bad to worse, with bugs and glitches before crashing definitively.”
humor
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its hilariously poor translations and voice acting, which some players find endearing and entertaining. The dialogue and cutscenes often come off as unintentionally funny, contributing to a lighthearted experience despite the game's basic gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the absurdity of certain elements, such as nonsensical character interactions and quirky design choices, which add to the overall comedic charm.
- “The cutscenes and dialogue are hilariously bad, and the gameplay is pretty basic, but it really makes you want to keep going for that bigger, better truck or that one super cool gun that one-hit you before.”
- “Now, I find it funny that every character wears a ghost-of-the-opera-esque mask, and lore-wise they explain they're basically a more ornate and compacted gas mask.”
- “This one is hilarious: your minimap has an 'N' at the top meaning, of course, 'north', but it also has an 'S' at the bottom meaning, of course, 'south'.”
atmosphere
11 mentions
36 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive post-apocalyptic setting, enhanced by a compelling soundtrack that complements the exploration and gameplay. Players appreciate the unique ideas and unpredictable story twists, although some critique the lack of depth in character animation and storytelling. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, drawing players into a richly crafted world filled with tension and intrigue.
- “It's got some really cool ideas, nice atmosphere, the basic gameplay loop is enjoyable, exploration is often rewarded, the story throws you several genuinely unpredictable twists, and there's some good trucking music both hard and mellow.”
- “Interesting, atmospheric game, with a good soundtrack and interesting gameplay that will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the post-apocalyptic world.”
- “Then they proceeded to vaguely explain the story but put emphasis on that everyone wears magic masks that save them from the bad atmosphere, which feels like a rationalization for not bothering to properly animate speaking or give any kind of quality to face construction or color.”
- “It sports one of the best soundtracks ever, which adds to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere.”
- “For the atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic road to nowhere.”
grinding
11 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to excessive backtracking and low rewards for early grinding efforts. The constant random encounters intended to alleviate slow pacing instead contribute to a grindy experience, making gameplay feel stretched without meaningful content. While some players appreciate the variety of weapons and gadgets, the overall sentiment leans towards grinding being a chore rather than an engaging mechanic.
- “The biggest issue is that the game forces you to backtrack multiple times over multiple, fairly big maps, in a tedious waste of the player's time.”
- “The roc tried to fix the slow-paced parts of the original by making the random encounters constant, but it just made the encounters grindy and tedious, especially at the point where the weapons make so much damage that you either die and reload or survive relatively unharmed.”
- “Towards the middle of the game, all the long-range errand-running starts getting tedious, artificially stretching the game without adding content.”
optimization
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally criticized, with users noting a lack of support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, leading to performance issues on newer systems. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable, they report bugs, stuttering, and crashes that detract from the experience, indicating that the game has not been adequately updated for contemporary hardware.
- “You can equip your weapons and other upgrades to improve the vehicle's performance, as well as new components to further strengthen the truck.”
- “+ modifications (visible, performance, combat capabilities)”
- “It's a fun game, but I can't recommend it because it has too many problems due to not being optimized for newer systems.”
- “Pretty good, has many possible endings, a few bugs and mistranslations here and there, some stuttering, but has many fun missions. You do need to delete the 'video' folder to prevent the game from crashing when you try to load a save.”
- “* Acting/bugs/performance issues.”
replayability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's high replay value, praising its engaging gameplay and expansive world, which keep them coming back for more. Despite its 32-bit graphics, many express hope for improvements that could enhance its playability and replayability further.
- “Just an awesome game, drive a truck, load it with guns, and battle your way across an amazing world. I'm really surprised it didn't take off; even after all these years, it's still a quality game with high replay value.”
- “This is a great little game that I hope to see improvements on to make it more playable and replayable.”
emotional
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find the story lacking and boring, others experience deep frustration and heartbreak due to technical issues that disrupt gameplay. Overall, the emotional engagement seems to be heavily influenced by the game's performance and narrative quality.
- “This game is awesome, and it was heart-breaking when I had crash after crash on my Windows 8.1 setup.”
- “Really boring story.”
character development
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is likened to the Wing Commander: Privateer model, featuring an open world and horizontal gameplay that allows players to shape their characters while following a narrative-driven path. This approach offers a blend of freedom and story engagement, enhancing the overall experience.
- “It's very similar to the Wing Commander: Privateer model of a golden path, where you have an open world, horizontal gameplay, and character development with a game story waiting for you to follow.”