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Lately, the simulators have really started getting on my nerves; every other game is a simulator, and it has become just ridiculous. And as is usually the case, when you hate something, be sure it will find its way to you somehow, so the port simulator called 'Docked' ended up in my email inbox one morning.
It's an understatement to say I wasn't really keen on it. Why? I didn't know; I only didn't like the idea of playing one of those 'stupid' simulator games. However, once again, the old saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover' came forth to punch me in the teeth, because not only did I genuinely like Docked, but this game also managed to keep me glued to my controller, burning hours of my time like it was nothing.
More Than Just Cargo
Sim games usually don't have a story, or they have one to keep the entire thing together and give you some sort of explanation on why you are here and what exactly you are doing. However, Docked managed to rise above its genre in this segment too, showcasing the story that actually makes a lot of sense.
You play as Tommy, a son who has been called by his father after many years of silence to help him with the family business of managing a seaside port. You'll arrive just after a devastating hurricane took a toll on the port, and your father will ask you to assess the damage and start helping rebuild the business.
This will serve as an introduction to the story. I sincerely expected the story to reach its limit then and there, but no. As the missions you're taking part in progress, you'll gradually uncover the past and everything that happened to this family and how it came to the point that a son decided to suddenly walk away from such a promising family business.
I was genuinely surprised by the quality of writing on one hand and very good voice acting on the other, even though the characters and their conversations are deliberately limited to talks over the radio. The writing and the voice acting are so well done in Docked that you'll really care for the characters and their backstories, which is an amazing feat for a sim game.
Surprisingly, the game will let you control Tommy from the first-person perspective, even though this feature could easily be completely left out of the game. However, there are a lot of sections where you'll be prompted to reach some machinery with Tommy, and those moments will let you get close to him and help you feel what he feels.
I say again, the story isn't something you'll remember from any simulation game, but it is always good to be well acquainted with the characters and know their stories and such, even though it's far from the most important segment of the game. Nice job, devs.
Heavy Machinery, Heavier Responsibility
As much as the story in a simulation game is irrelevant, that much the gameplay is crucial, and Docked can really brag about the mechanics and the gameplay in general that will make you feel like you're actually working in some faraway seaside port rather than playing a video game. If it is a simulation, it is a real simulation, hands down.
Docked has a very simple yet highly engaging and effective gameplay loop. You'll arrive at the port to see the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, and your first mission will be to salvage what is salvageable and try to get the business back on its feet. You'll be first introduced to a real behemoth of a machine, the STS (ship-to-shore) crane, where you'll be tasked simply to pick up and relocate some containers.
As the game progresses, you'll get more sophisticated missions and handle more precise and sophisticated machines. You'll strive to get every job done as clearly as possible, meaning with less damage taken while operating cargo. Your job will mostly be to transport huge containers from ships to shore and then to trucks to earn money.
Of course, not all cargo will be left in clear space, and you'll have to operate machines with high precision to avoid doing damage to it. In doing this, you'll be helped by very precise controls, where you'll be able to operate cranes or other machines using highly precise operations. Every machine will have a different set of controls that you'll be able to pull up on your screen by the press of a single button, and if they are taking too much space, simply click the button, and they will disappear.
Controlling machines will take some getting used to, but once you master it, you'll feel like a veteran in business. Every new job will give you two sorts of rewards: money or upgrade materials. Money will be used to keep your port up and running, for machine upkeep, and for buying new machines, of course, while the upgrade materials will be used, well, to upgrade existing machines and for some repairs.
All the time while playing, you'll try to balance between earned money and money spent on port upkeep, like in a real-time business, and this segment is where the game really nailed it. You'll have a tab called 'economy', where you'll be signing different orders and buying new machines. Doing several jobs will let you reach new milestones, which will unlock more profitable and also more difficult jobs.
After several tasks, you'll end the day and see what your daily profit was. The entire system is designed to keep pulling you into doing one more job, reaching a new milestone, or buying a new vehicle, and before you know it, you'll find yourself burning more time behind the screen than you originally planned, and in my books, those are the highs every game should aim to achieve.
Stormy Skies, Stunning Sights
One more surprise that hit me hard in Docked is how beautiful and amazing it looks. Again, I'd never expect such fidelity from a game that is 'just a simulation', but Docked looks really stunning. The port, the machines, the containers – everything is depicted in a very genuine-looking way. I was really impressed, and I must say, very positively surprised.
The rain and wind effects, especially if you choose a first-person camera while operating machines during the rain, are just beautiful and very realistic-looking. Since you're doing most of the jobs after or during the rain and storm, you'll come across a lot of water ponds, and reflections on those look very nice.
In general, the game looks very nice, and from the graphical point of view, it can go shoulder to shoulder with some AAA titles with zero problems. However, this graphical fidelity doesn't come without cost, and here, it is a locked framerate at 30 FPS. Inside the graphical options, there is no way to switch to performance mode; you can tamper with some graphical options, but sadly, whatever you choose, the FPS stays at 30.
Also, the loading screens last forever. I don't know if it is due to a bad optimisation or something else, but each new mission will load for a minute or so, which is, for the standards of PlayStation 5, way too long.
Regarding sound design, I can highlight the very convenient DualSense support, where many sounds, like beeping when going backwards or radio static, will be sent through the DualSense's speaker. Not something groundbreaking, but still a nice touch. The other sounds are just okay and not worth any praise or critique.
Final Verdict
In the end, Docked turned out to be the exact opposite of what I expected. What I initially dismissed as “just another simulator” ended up being a surprisingly interesting experience, backed by strong writing, solid voice acting, and a gameplay loop that is dangerously addictive. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it adds to it with care, offering a meaningful sense of progression and responsibility that makes every successful job feel earned.
However, the locked 30 FPS and unusually long loading times on PlayStation 5 can be a bit of a nuisance. Even so, Docked proves that sometimes the genres we think we’re tired of still have the power to surprise us. Against my better judgment, this simulator completely won me over, and I’m glad it did.
The Good
Surprisingly good story- Deep and precise machinery controls
- Addictive and rewarding gameplay loop
- Solid economy and progression system
- Impressive visuals and weather effects
The Bad
Locked at 30 FPS on PlayStation 5- Long loading times
