Deliver At All Costs [PlayStation 5] | REVIEW

It won’t take long after you start playing Deliver At All Costs to realize that this is NOT your average delivery sim, and believe me, it’s certainly not shy to express its absurdity in a ton of bombastic ways. And sure, it might not always deliver on some of its biggest ideas, but what it does bring to the table is a chaotic, creative, and often hilarious ride that’ll keep a big smile on players’ faces throughout.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Set in an alternate post-war America dripping in Cold War paranoia and retro flair, the game throws players behind the wheel of Winston Green – an average guy with a not-so-average job. The story kicks off with Winston living a quiet life on the fictional St. Monique Island, but there’s a problem: he’s broke, behind on rent, and desperate for work. Enter We Deliver, a suspiciously enthusiastic delivery company promising purpose, pay, and plenty of odd jobs to tackle along the way. But of course, this is a video game, so what begins as a simple courier gig soon escalates into a conspiracy-laced narrative that’s zany, fast-paced, and utterly unpredictable.

While the premise is grounded in the mundane (move object A to location B), the execution is anything but. Whilst you’re making deliveries, the packages you’re handling are often ridiculous, whilst there are plenty over-the-top obstacles that constantly cause chaos across your route. Just look at the screenshots… it’s crazy. With each new objective, the game leans further into its own insanity, ensuring that it’s constantly entertaining even when the gameplay loop can start to feel a little familiar.

One of Deliver At All Costs’ most unique features is its emphasis on physics-based gameplay and environmental destruction. Buildings crumble, fences splinter, and roads give way as Winston smashes through town with very little concern for property damage. It’s not just for show either – many missions actually benefit from players taking the most destructive (and often direct) route to their destination, so you’re encouraged to cause chaos along the way. It’s a game that understands its players want to break things, and it never really punishes you for doing so.

“Deliver At All Costs delivers high-energy fun, memorable missions, and a wonderfully destructive playground to mess around in.“

There’s also an ever-growing list of delivery vehicle upgrades and tools, from time-slowing tech to gadgets that let you fling your car doors at pedestrians. While many of these add variety, some feel like gimmicks or end up a little underutilised, with it easy to finish the game without ever using several of them. Still, they add to the game’s manic nature perfectly and will certainly satisfy those who just like driving around for fun and causing chaos, so it’s easy to appreciate their inclusion (even if you won’t necessarily benefit from it).

Gameplay is split into main missions, side deliveries, and exploratory challenges scattered across the three main regions of the game. The majority of your time is spent completing delivery tasks, which start off fairly simple before they descend into delightful absurdity. Each mission is full of comic energy, and though they do follow a basic structure, there’s enough variety in how they’re presented to keep things fresh for most of the game. The side tasks and challenges can be equally enjoyable, whilst the controls are tight enough to ensure exploration is satisfying.

There’s also a crafting system, which allows players to collect parts and build quirky tools for Winston’s truck. Blueprints for items like window-smashing horns or magnetized grabbers can be found by exploring rooftops, smashing crates, or completing optional objectives, so those who venture off the beaten path or take in all that the game has to offer do get rewarded. As noted, some of these upgrades do feel more like a novelty than a necessity, but it does add some light resource management to the game that some players are sure to appreciate.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Visually, the game embraces a cartoonish, B-movie aesthetic that fits the setting well. St. Monique and its surrounding districts are full of retro diners, colourful billboards, and post-war optimism hiding a much darker underbelly, ensuring the setting feels unique when compared to similar titles in the genre. The isometric camera angle keeps things clean and readable in an old-school style manner too, with the tilted perspective personally standing out as one of my favourite things about the game. The cutscenes, though? They were a mixed bag, with some iffy voice acting and stilted animations often hurting the game’s cinematic presence. There were a few loading scenes that could hurt the flow of the game too, and whilst they weren’t a gamebreaker, they did feel noticeable at times.

Deliver At All Costs clearly aspires to be more than a wacky courier sim, and beneath the chaos is a plot full of conspiracy, betrayal, and hidden motives. Unfortunately, while the game hints at a deeper narrative, it doesn’t always stick the landing. The second act in particular feels rushed, and there’s a noticeable tonal shift that feels out of sync with the game’s earlier light-hearted tone. It’s not that the story is bad at all, but it isn’t consistent in the delivery and showcases elements that can just feel a little rushed.

That said, Deliver At All Costs doesn’t overstay its welcome, so some of the narrative quirks are easier to look past. The main campaign can be completed in around 7 hours or so, with some extra time available for side missions, collectible hunting, and light exploration if you want to see everything. It does feel like a missed opportunity that there isn’t a grading system for missions (especially with the possibilities of causing chaos or saving time through destructive driving), but at its lower price, you certainly won’t feel shortchanged by Deliver At All Costs.

Developer: Far Out Games
Publisher: Konami
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC
Website: https://www.deliveratallcosts.com/