Palworld creators sign up to publish cosy horror delivery sim Truckful, in which the forest is entirely safe

Palworld developers Pocketpair have announced their next gig as a fledgling games publisher. They’re palling up with MythicOwl to release the latter’s jaunty delivery sim Truckful, in which absolutely nothing waits for you in the woods. In which there are no ghost trucks. In which “hidden paths, misty wetlands, unforgiving marshes and dusty quicksands [do not] tell the stories of the past, waiting to be discovered”. Here’s a trailer.

At first blush, Truckful is a jolly 3D roadster with boisterous cargo physics, viewed from a slanted side-on perspective. It’s about stacking your flatbed high with loose objects such as pianos and vases, then trying to transport them safely across the rough roads of this idyllic countryside setting.

It reminds me a bit of the village where I grew up, except that there don’t seem to be as many obnoxious middle-aged townies on racing bicycles, though you do encounter a lot of chatty pedestrians, some of whom need a lift. The local forest also reminds me of the scrawny oak copses down the road from my childhood home, except that I don’t recall the roots being big enough to drive up, and I don’t remember the sun ever vanishing like a swallowed candle. Definitely some metsänpeitto going on hereabouts. Ooh, who’s that peering between the boughs? Yeah, best not stop for directions. Focus on delivering the piano.

Having Pocketpair on board as publisher means that MythicOwl have more money to blow on bonus moving parts. “With Pocketpair’s support, you can expect that many great gameplay features we were cooking during past couple months, will make it the game as its development is now fully funded & secure,” explains a Steam post. “We’re testing truckloads (!) of new stuff – locations, quests, characters, upgrades & unlockables – so make sure to stay tuned to our social and community channels for more content!” I will forgive you that whoopee-cushion parenthesis if you’ll forgive me for saying that you should have called this Cormac McCosy’s The Road.

I guess the nearest parallel for this both mood-wise and in terms of the cargo-stacking mechanics is Dredge. Pocketpair’s other publishing joint that I know about is an untitled horror game about the entertainment industry from Surgent Studios, creators of Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU.