When it comes to simulators on platforms, there are plenty, but none with the premise of Docked. Players use various machines, such as cranes and Reach Stackers. You go from a kid helping out the family business to creating a mega port to help supply all. It’s a unique approach for Saber Interactive, and on the surface, it’s got some great gameplay and a simple story. But with its performance issues and relatively complex mechanics, it loses some of its charm. More so with the simulator titles that launched before Docked set sail this month.
A part of the family business
In Docked, you play as Tommy, pausing his dream as a singer. Instead, you come back to Port Wake to help your family rebuild the family shipping port. Along the way, you slowly mend relationships with your family and friends. All the while, working on different jobs for the port. Essentially, this is a story about rebuilding in more ways than one.
The story of the game is rather simple. Almost like something out of a Hallmark movie (not that it’s a bad thing). Tommy comes back to help out with his family’s port and begins to mend the relationships around him. It’s kind of an endearing thing, even if it is the secondary part of the game — and very surface-level at that. But in times when various stories are dark or dreadful, Docked is about perseverance and hope. And for the first entry by Saber Interactive to do a narrative in their simulators, it really isn’t that bad.
This dock doesn’t have a sandbox to play in
When it comes to the standard gameplay loop, it’s straightforward. Players take on missions at the dock, starting with two for each in-game day. But you can move it up to five with upgrades. However, rather than it being an open-world style of mission work, it’s quite linear, allowing you to work within the areas of the shipping port where the job takes place. This is different from titles like Snowrunner.
The missions themselves are quite fun to do. Each one feels like a puzzle that needs to be solved. Whether it’s stacking containers on the cargo ship or repairing machinery — it just hit that part of my brain perfectly. Even something as simple as placing containers on the ship is really satisfying and casual, while giving your brain a small workout.
However, what is disappointing is that after completing the campaign of the game, there is nothing to do. There is no sandbox mode where you can do port work or anything. You essentially have to restart the campaign over again or wait for the DLC to release (as it instructs you). Something that felt like not a great placement when you have nothing else to do in the game. Even with something like Snowrunner, players get to experience New Game Plus. But with Docked, you are left just shelving the game until new content arrives.
Machines for you and I
Docked features over eight different machines for players to use to help the port. Massive hulking cranes like the STS (ship-to-shore) Crane or Straddle Carrier are a blast to use. Seeing the sheer volume of weight and movement you cover is incredible. Plus, the their sizes are eye-opening to see when you walk around on them.
Moreover, the smaller vehicles like the Reach Stacker are more nimble and serve their own purpose. The game forces you to use each of the vehicles to get an experience of what they all do. It’s a great way for players to get a taste of the full longshoreman lifestyle, rather than just picking one machine for every use.
Adding to this is the mechanic of needing to do missions to repair the vehicles. I had to scan the machine with a tool to find the problem. Then, when I began fixing the issue, there was a minigame that you had to complete, such as a reflex game of shooting a pin through gaps to lock them in place. Or turning different knobs on and off to create a specific amount of pressure in the part. While I was sad that they were focused on being in missions only, they are still a fun idea.
Processing & upgrades don’t carry their weight
One of the new mechanics in the game is Processing where players need to match the amount of TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit). The feature becomes a puzzle to get the vehicles that allot these units to fill up to the daily amount of TEU handled. And honestly, the system feels like a mess to deal with. Even after re-reading the tips on how to do the Processing, it just felt confusing. And with profits continually decreasing, it can leave you feeling lost. While you can use AI to help you fill what you have available, it costs in-game currency, leaving you at more of a loss if you need assistance.
This leads to an upgrade system for the game related to the shipping port. Players need to do jobs to earn materials and money to upgrade different areas. From adding Trucking Lanes to Fuel Stations and more. However, all it does is just add more vehicles to allow you to max out more of the Processing feature. Instead of portioning out the TEU points, you have more options to make sure you hit your daily amount. But that’s all that upgrading does, with the end result of just having the port stay in positive profit gains each day.
While these features work in unison, they feel like an afterthought. I was expecting the upgrades to provide some sort of benefits. For example, having the containers take less damage. But instead, it’s just to earn more profit. And when the upgrades are done, the result is still the same. The port continues to earn more, and you progress through milestones, which are basically story points for the game.
Good graphics with rocky performance
Let me get right down to the graphics for Docked. They look good — to the details of the water when driving around to the views in the cockpit camera for all the machinery. Saber does well at making you feel like you’re right there operating it. While the buttons can seem overwhelming, they seem to be portrayed accurately in those of real-life machines. Obviously, with a game like this, the primary focus you see is the environment around you and the machines you use.
But there is a big downside to the visuals in the form of performance. I was running the game on PS5, expecting smooth sailing (pun absolutely intended) when it came to framerate. However, I was sorely mistaken. It’s all over the place, with major dips down to what had to be 15, up to 35 FPS. I had plenty of times where the gameplay felt like it was chugging and struggling. And to see it in a simulator on a current-generation console is not great. More so with the fact that previous titles like Snowrunner and Expeditions run just fine at 60 FPS.
If it were a locked frame rate that was lower, it wouldn’t be as bad. But the constant jumps can be really jarring to deal with, something that is really noticeable in areas such as the outside of machinery. More specifically, when ascending or descending the crane equipment.
Portside audio that works well
Concerning the audio side of Docked, the game sounds good. Vehicle sounds feel different when operating each of them — the deep grovel, tractor-like noise of the Reach Stacker or the rail-movement and noticeable beeps of the ship-to-shore cranes. It seems to show that Saber is doing their research when it comes to the machines, thereby making sure that they are accurate and each have their own identity.
The atmospheric audio is something that was nailed as well. When receiving the audio calls from other characters, you can hear the difference in sound. It’s comparably different when both in the cockpit view and outside of the machines, with the former sounding more like it’s directly from the radio. This was an attention to detail that was great to see in this game and brought some extra immersion.
Docked is a container with some dents in it
Docked gives players a glance into a unique line of work. Working at the port in the game is great, and seeing the different machines and how they work is fun to learn. Furthermore, while the story is simple, it’s a good change to see a narrative present in a simulator, a welcome change from previous titles from Saber for sure. Even if the gameplay is indeed the primary focus, having a narrative feels fresh.
However, the new features of Processing are complex. The work being put into it feels useless when players can’t opt to use AI solving. And the upgrading of Port Wake, being pre-determined takes away from the magic of making the port feel like your own. With the struggling performance of the graphics, Docked feels lacking, more so when you match it against its predecessors on the same generation.
If you are looking for a decent, new simulator, then Docked is an option on the table. However, the performance issues paired with odd mechanic choices and no sandbox/post-game do limit the experience for players. And while there are various experiences with the machines, plus being able to fix them, it all feels limited. Saber Interactive has much experience perfecting its simulators. But with Docked, it feels like a couple of steps backwards.
Docked is out now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
