True to its name, this speedy time management game entails ferrying cargo around in a bustling city. The tutorial doesn’t do much to arouse the senses, merely involving a truck carrying iron ore to a smelter before dropping off girders at a delivery point. Thankfully, this isn’t the most creative use of cargo hauling the developers could muster, as it isn’t long until you’re helping keep sugar levels high by transporting ingredients intended for cookies and apple pies.
Sixteen isometrically viewed stages feature, either with a 3- or 4-minute time limit, and each has a three-star rating to earn that’s mainly dependent on the monetary value of hauled goods. You’re presented with a physics-enabled vehicle that teeters around corners and can potentially spin out of control, and must grab raw materials, drop them off at the appropriate factory, and deliver the finished products at a delivery point. A ticker at the top of the screen displays orders, with bonuses to bag for speedy deliveries. All the while, you’re forced to contend with traffic, rising bridges and narrow roads, with each stage having a different layout. Earn enough stars and the next stage unlocks, with the map screen featuring a boat playfully darting around islands.
Each stage also adds something new, be it a different vehicle – which range from a 4×4 to a sports car – or a new type of hazard such as snow. Later stages have trains that block several roads at once, refusing to budge until two bags of coal are dropped off at the station. These stages also feature tunnels that’ll transport your vehicle from one side of the map to the other, offering a workaround.
Power-ups are another feature, although they do feel surplus. Perhaps that’s a good thing, considering their small icon size makes them easy to overlook.
Gaining a one or two-star rating isn’t too difficult, usually achievable on the first try. Success mostly boils down to finding the best routes through traffic and paying attention to the ticker to fulfil the most lucrative orders. This can eat into the time provided – your vehicle can only carry two items at once, and some factories require three different items to start manufacturing goods – but you’ll get a big payoff as a result of your toil. Upon crashing into a roadblock there’s a 5-second delay in respawning; crash several times, and you may as well restart. With most rounds only lasting three minutes, restarting is never too costly in terms of progress. Sometimes the traffic can be vexing too, creating a tailback that’ll have your vehicle smashing into buildings and tumbling off bridges.
Visually CarGo! is appealing enough, sporting flat shaded polygons and liberal use of pastel colors. The action is accompanied by an ‘80s style smooth jazz soundtrack that’s strangely fitting but did grow tiresome over time.
Luckily, this isn’t something that outstays its welcome. The sixteen stages culminate in around a two-hour playtime, and that’s taking retries into account. If you aim for three-star ratings across the board, you may be able to squeeze another hour out of it, and there’s a four-player co-op mode to tackle. The final 2-3 stages are appropriately tricky, yet it can feel like luck plays a part. You may get lucky and have several lucrative orders at once, or be unlucky and face road closures that shut off the best routes.
While it’s difficult to imagine this becoming somebody’s next obsession in the same way as Overcooked or Moving Out, it’s still a decent enough package – one with an extra layer of depth for those with three friends. If you’re looking for a diversion between major new releases, keep CarGo! in mind for a potential go-to.
CarGo! is developed by Memory Leak Games/Cleversan Games. Published on Xbox One by Ultimate Games. PS5, PS4 and Switch versions are coming soon.