Snowrunner DLC - Kola Peninsula - Lake Kovd and Imandra
In the game Snowrunner, I've logged over 100 hours, and I’m still not sure what keeps me so hooked :-) All the main tasks have been completed, though. After some deliberation, I purchased the Snowrunner Pass during a sale for four years, since I’m unsure what else on PlayStation would keep me as entertained. I'm also keeping the successor, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, in my wishlist for later. Here are a few of my experiences with the first DLC - Kola Peninsula, which includes the maps Lake Kovd and Imandra.
Unfortunately, my initial experiences on the map with Lake Kovd were mostly negative and often frustrating. Nothing comes easy here; you have to endure the start until you get the lay of the land – rushing is definitely not recommended. Even my favorite and nearly unstoppable machine, the Azov 5319, struggles in this landscape, and even the TUZ 420 Tatarin has a hard time. The lack of a garage on the Imandra map also complicates things. Here, you’ll face obstacles like rocks, ice on the road, and deep snowdrifts that stop almost everything without a winch. And as if that wasn't enough, there are also some very tricky bugs – but more on that later... To my surprise, the old Tatra 805 performs exceptionally well here, though it can't carry much and is best suited for exploration and refueling.
After this rather chilly reception, I started regretting my purchase of the DLC. But over time, I concluded that this is probably for more experienced drivers. It forced me to act more realistically, to use multiple vehicles on the map strategically, and to plan my moves more carefully. For example, I now keep a recovery vehicle stationed at a snowdrift and other vehicles outfitted with a service module for repairs or fuel refills placed around the map as needed.
Frustrating Bugs
The Price of Victory
In the mission The Price of Victory, you're tasked with finding a metal detector and scanning for two BA-20 vehicles, which you then have to transport to the airport. This mission is quite challenging because it’s in a remote area without fuel or repair options unless you've brought along a suitable support vehicle.
The bug is this – the game becomes unbeatable unless you complete it in one go or cleverly position vehicles in specific locations. If you return to a saved game, you’ll get an error that the mission was reset. So, each time, you’re prompted to restart: find the detector, scan, then pick up the two BA-20 vehicles.
Once, I managed to tow both BA-20s all the way to the airport, and the game accepted it. But after saving and returning, I was shocked to find the mission had reset again, requiring both BA-20s to be transported once more! It’s incredibly frustrating and demotivating!!!
I solved this by positioning one vehicle on the map where the metal detector needed to be found, another vehicle with the detector at the scanning location, and a third vehicle with a crane for the final transport of the BA-20s.
I ended up spending several hours on this mission, and I’m sure I’ll never want to replay it....
And as a final twist, just 20 meters from the fuel tanker and 50 meters from the drop-off point, I ran out of fuel :-D
Forgotten Prototype
In this mission, the game recommends using a scout vehicle. So, I selected my scout vehicle, struggled to reach the location (filled with obstacles), and found that the trailer could not be attached to my scout vehicle! I tried dragging the trailer with a winch, but my scout ended up stuck beyond recovery. Fantastic, so back to the garage I went and redid the whole mission with a classic large crane vehicle, which worked successfully this time.
The lesson learned is: trust no one and rely on your own judgment...
Despite all of this, I still enjoy Snowrunner and continue playing it. It’s truly a challenge...
