Name: PC Building Simulator
Developer: Claudiu Kiss, The Irregular Corporation
Publisher: The Irregular Corporation
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
Early Access Released: March 2018
Initial Release Date: 13.08.2019
Acquired: A copy of this game was provided from a publisher for review purpose
Oh, the wonderful world of PC gaming, it is so easy and approachable don’t you think? It’s just to pick a computer and start to play, well it isn’t that easy, that is safe to say. While the console buys, plug and play, and every game you buy for that console will have no problems running it (except if the developers have made some mistakes) But with PC you could just buy it from a store pre-built and play of course, but at one point games will maybe start to have problems running them. What makes PC gaming easier in those situations is that every part can be switched out to better the performance. However, for many of us console has been the go-to, to play games on. So when stepping into the life of “PC master race” it can be overwhelming with options of parts. There are endless possibilities, but also restrictions on what parts that fit together and how they work together. When I decided to get myself a computer to play my games on, I used a lot of time trying to find out what parts I need and should buy for my use. If only I had PC Building Simulator at that time. Ironically, I review this game on PS4.
So before this gets too long, let’s get into what PC Building Simulator is.
Simply answered the name says it all, the gameplay is all about building and fixing computers. You play as a guy that just has inherited his uncle’s computer shop, So with your expertise, you start to help people with their problems.
The Good
What they have done a really good job with, and also an important thing is the number of parts you have at your disposal. With real manufactures everything from Razer, Intel, AMD, Cooler Master, Corsair and many more. Even more, is being added later so the shear amount is amazing. The campaign I think works well as a tutorial of how the game work, starting with easy tasks as cleaning for dust, upgrades and fix errors. It gradually gets more complex where you will have to find what faulty parts that give problems. But the star of the show for me is the free-build mode. Where you can build whatever you want, where every part is available for you to build your dream setup. This is what I see as the most important tool of the game, where it can use as a tool to help you build a computer for real. It won’t show you deep details of how per sé, but at what order parts should be assembled and how they should be wired. But the most important part, compatibility with each other. What CPU is compatible with what motherboard and what type of fans and how they are set up can I use in that case. It removes a lot of insecurity you might meet when you want to build your own computer.
The Bad
Is PC Building Simulator perfect? No, but it ain’t much that ruins the experience. I played it both on PC and PS4, and some of the complaints are only aimed at one of them. Firstly controls, it’s simple and easy to learn on both, only on the console the menu navigation was at times tricky using a mouse cursor with a joystick, while on PC that comes as a no brainer and isn’t a problem. Then there are the graphics, while the game itself looks good, the lighting is a bit blurry, not giving the bright colors of computer lights justice. Being a big fan of having a party of lights on my own computer, it is sad that it does work as well as it could.
Verdict
PC Building Simulator is by far one of the best games or rather a tool to give us noobs an insight into PC building. It is not something I would trust to buy parts and set it up by myself, but it could be used to check out compatibility with parts. Putting that aside, it is a game I can easily use hours to make the most awesome computer I manage. Using the most unique cases and play around with water cooling, trying to make the most insane looking and most powerful rig RGB everywhere and having a blast. It was the definition of irony playing it on PS4, but it didn’t take away the fun at all.
Overall
9/10
Pros
- Amount of parts
- Free build
- Its capabilities as a tool
Cons
- Lighting
- A small amount of stutter
