Developed and published by Saber Interactive, Docked is a port simulation game where you must run your own port and experience what it takes to operate gigantic cranes and other related machinery. The release of Docked comes hot after the launch of Saber’s Roadcraft which is another great simulation game and tackles a unique aspect of machines. Docked, on the other hand, focuses more on narration than on an open-world approach to this genre. While we have seen some port simulation games in the past, none of them have gone into detail about the operations like this one. In this review of the PC Steam version of Docked, we see how the switch from open-world to a narrative-focused switch works out for the genre and operate some gigantic cranes in the process.
Docked starts very strongly as it showcases the magnitude of working on a dock right from the very beginning. Your first day in the game puts you in the shoes of Timmy, the son of the owner of Port Wake, who has just returned to work after a break and a hurricane is about to hit the port. Your goal is to lift some dangerous goods from a ship and you are introduced to an STS crane. As you start climbing its many staircases, going up while performing smaller tasks like turning on lights, lowering beam and finally heading into the control room, you are already awestruck at the sheer size of the machine. But as intimidating the crane is, as you start operating it, you figure out how easy it is actually to control this behemoth.
As you pick up the cargo from the damaged ship and place it down on the dock, you are already hooked. Docked’s gameplay is extremely addictive with simplified controls and easy-to-understand mechanics. At the start, I was skeptical about the learning curve of the game but I was astounded at just how comfortable the game makes you feel in the driving seat of some of the biggest machines in the world. The character animations are great as Timmy opens the doors and uses handles to climb aboard. It feels very satisfying. The game follows a narrative path, leaving very basic choices to make like choosing which job needs to be done and which machine to be assigned to orders.
Apart from these, the rest of the choices are locked behind a linear narrative path which shows that the developer wanted a linear simulator instead of an open-world, sandbox world. You do not get to choose how you want to progress in the game because everything is pre-defined in the form of milestones and orders. As you continue to complete jobs and earn money, you will use it to upgrade your port’s infrastructure and invest in additional machinery. These will allow you to not only take on additional jobs but also oversee additional orders in the management section of your port. You can pick orders here and assign your available fleet to these orders to move containers automatically. Completing orders will grant you a bonus but if you fail to meet the quota, you incur a fine.
The gameplay is where Docked really shines. As soon as you step into a machine, you will be presented with a UI that has all of the information that you need about the current job and the machine that you are controlling. Pressing F1 opens up a list of keys on the left side of the screen, which takes up a big chunk of the screen but this mechanic is handy in the long run, especially when you are operating multiple vehicles and need a reminder on how a certain machine operates. Each vehicle has its own unique controls and tasks but the general function of nearly all machines is the same.
Apart from the huge STS cranes, you get to drive around Reach Stacker, Terminal Tractors, and Mobile Hoppers. You also have multiple crane types like the huge Rail-Mounted Gantry Crane, Rubber-Tired Gantry Crane and the Straddle Carrier. Each vehicle has a different role in the game and you can feel the difference while operating each machine. Despite their differences, it does not take long to get used to each, and this is the best aspect of Docked. Instead of spending time learning complex gameplay mechanics, you spend more time enjoying and actually performing different tasks in the game with a simplified control layout.
The jobs range from picking containers from the ships and moving them to docks, moving goods from trucks to barges and sometimes also moving around debris and opening up blocked paths. Depending on the mission, you either get materials or money as a reward which can be used to improve your facilities. You can perform a limited number of jobs every day, which is normal for dock duty in real life as well, and at the end of the day, you can see how much you spent on your fleet upkeep and your earnings from signed contracts and completed jobs. Given the highly narrative nature of Docked, you do not get to spend the money or materials on your own because you can end up blocking your progress if you fail to meet progression goals.
Visually, Docked is a bliss to look at. Controlling and moving around the dock with a thunderstorm ripping everything apart gives a completely feel to the game. The machines look good, and the overall aesthetic of the game is pretty dark as compared to some of Saber’s previous simulators. Due to the ongoing threat of storms, it makes sense and most of the missions are indeed just repairing the docks and moving around debris so it makes sense. The rain lashing out at your windscreen as trees violently move around you really makes you feel like you are actually in the game. On normal days, the dock looks messy and tattered after the hurricane and the visuals look crisp. The only downside here is that there is not much activity happening around you. It makes it look like you are the only one working on the entire dock.
The lack of any sort of replayability of your playthrough is such a missed opportunity by Saber Interactive for Docked and forcing the player to start a new game or reloading an old save to jump back into their game is just bad game design. Docked features an amazing visual design, operating the machines is satisfying and the campaign is simply one of the best that I have played in any simulator game to date but the game seriously disappoints after you have completed your first playthrough. There is no custom mode or sandbox mode in the game where you can just grab your favorite machine and complete a job or freely roam your dock once you have completed all milestones. You spend all these hours investing in the game buying machinery, upgrading your infrastructure and at the end, you just lose everything.
Technically, Docked is in a good position. During my playthrough of the game, I did not encounter any sort of bugs or glitches. The frames, on the other hand, were not very high. Normally, I get around 60 to 70 frames on average while running on a 5070 laptop but Docked barely crossed 40. This was mostly during scenarios where particle effects were relatively high such as during a thunderstorm. Apart from these framerate dips, I did not encounter any other technical hiccup during my review playthrough. The audio design is on-point as well as you can hear the heavy grumble of cranes and machines in the background and it is amazing how it increases in intensity as you try to lift containers, showing signs of the engine working hard.
Final Verdict:
While Docked is a great single-player game, the lack of a sandbox mode or online gameplay makes it lose an important aspect of any simulator game in today’s age. It will keep you entertained for your current playthrough but the game lacks in replayability, especially when you get tired of playing the same jobs again and again. I really wanted to give Docked a higher score but it loses points based on the fact that all of your invested hours are just locked out at the end. If you love playing simulators, Docked is one of the most unique ones with a brilliant campaign and amazing, huge machines to control. Just don’t expect much of an endgame once you finish the campaign.
Final Score: 7.5/10
Disclaimer: A PC Steam code for Docked was provided by Sandbox Strategies on behalf of Saber Interactive for this review. Read our Review Policy.
