Ultra Off-Road Simulator 2019: Alaska (Nintendo Switch) Review

The basic controls are easy to understand for even casual driving game players, with the more complex info about the car better suited to those who are experienced with. This reviewer, for instance, is a casual car admirer, whose appreciation goes as far as the colour and shape of the car, and how easy it is to move. Now, moving it is simple enough. It responds to button input quickly and no lag is noticed. Plus, the way supplies pop up on the track provide somewhere to aim for to keep going.

That would all be well and good, if the game was playable, which isn't. The main issue is the camera. It swings around like a hyperactive toddler, never staying still despite not being touched during the attempt at the tutorial. Adjusting camera sensitivity to various levels didn't make a difference. A driving game is nearly useless when you can't go fast because the camera has a mind of its own, meaning you can't see where you are going.

When an overhead camera viewpoint was established, this was playable for a few seconds with both the car and the upcoming obstacles clearly visible. With no input by the Joycon, the camera independently decides to zoom into the car, obscuring the view of the road, resulting in the vehicle colliding into obstacles, and no decent speed being built up.

It has to be said that once the camera issues were discovered, a ridiculous amount of fun was had seeing how much damage this poor piece of machinery could sustain. Making it roll over onto its roof provided whoops of joy, and bashing the doomed vehicle into trees and cliffs so hard it caused various parts of the car to set on fire became an unintentional challenge in the first level. Sadly that was as far as the game could be played - and enjoyed - due to the ill-fated camera idiosyncrasies.