Smashing Success or a Construction Catastrophe?
Sometimes, tearing something down, and smashing it into rubble is better than building something up.
Maybe that’s a reflection of my personality, or maybe that’s what people, especially in games, love doing. I’ll be honest though – it’s very satisfying to take down a crumbling building with a big machine.
Those vibes have moved to the real world too and one of the biggest trends is that of a rage room – 30 minutes to do as much damage as you like, to a room full of breakable things.
Well, in Demolish & Build 3, us gamers get to rid ourselves of some rage. Even if the control scheme in place does threaten to build it all the way back up again.
A Fresh Start, a Familiar Grind
Demolish & Build 3 is the latest in a series of games focusing on the construction industry, put together by the Polish studio, Demolish Game. Sim job games like these are big sellers, however whilst I few hit the mark, many more miss it by the proverbial mile.
This one feels promising from the start. You are starting a construction firm, and the game puts you into a long tutorial where you learn the ropes of the business and the machines you will be using. Story-wise, everything is told through a series of text messages, requesting and describing the job at hand, but there isn’t a whole backstory as to why you got into the industry, nor even a mention of some weird love you may have for construction and machines.
Tedious Controls, Varied Jobs
Gameplay-wise, Demolish & Build 3 gives you different jobs, each of which require a very different set of skills and tools for the job. At one point, you will be driving a machine through an old building, smashing it to pieces and pulling it to the ground. Other times, you will be carefully building something, delicately placing support beams in the correct position. As you finish a job, you will get money, and your experience points increase to open up new jobs and the opportunity to unlock new machinery to use.
It all sounds fine, doesn’t it? Well, it is in principle, but the controls are awful. From the beginning, they don’t feel very easy to use, and placing objects in the right place is nothing short of hard and awkward. Even getting in and starting a machine is overly complicated and annoying. Perhaps the problem lies within the translation from PC to console, but whatever it is Demolish & Build 3 struggles.
Monotony and Missed Opportunities
There are further issues too though and Demolish & Build 3 does, at times, feel boring. Some will find the work interesting, as people tend to do with the most niche of sim games. But I found the work tedious and uninteresting, and that meant the game lost its shine, what with the added annoyance of the controls.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some good moments, like the whole concept of taking on different jobs, which offers a good variety. And I guess there is something weirdly satisfying about completing something, even when it’s frustrated the hell out of you. There is also a good range of machines to unlock and use, and – even though it is far from my area of expertise – all feel accurate and researched enough to allow the job that they are meant to do.
Dated Visuals
Demolish & Build 3 visuals are okay, and it works well with the detail added to the machines, but there is no doubt that this does look like an old-gen game in terms of some textures and lighting. The destruction mechanics work well, but there are times when the crumbling of bricks and mortar feels a bit off.
Audio-wise, the game is pretty good, with some decent ish effects from the destruction and how the tools work. The machines sound fine as well, with some great audio design. There is a soft guitar track playing underneath your work, but you will soon get bored with that and want to play your own playlist.
A Flawed Blueprint for Demolition Fun
I wanted to like Demolish & Build 3 more than I did, and much of that is down to the awful controls. In fact, at times it just feels impossible to use. It’s not helped by a poor tutorial and some aged visuals. If I wasn’t reviewing Demolish & Build 3, I would have switched it off within mere minutes.
Yes, there are a good variety of jobs to be had, and the machines look fine, but Demolish & Build 3 needs much more work.
Important Links
Time for a Total Knockdown – Demolish & Build 3 Finally Arrives on Xbox! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/time-for-a-total-knockdown-demolish-build-3-finally-arrives-on-xbox/
Buy Demolish & Build 3 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/demolish-build-3/9ndsk226hkx7
