Simulation games are all the rage these days, having achieved a real resurgence in popularity over the past few years. Today, simulation game players can enjoy titles that let them run an animal shelter, fight dangerous fires with their crew, or spend some time planting the perfect garden. But back when simulators were just starting to see a resurgence, car-mechanic type games led the way. We reviewed quite a few variations of those starting in about 2018, and even rolled up our sleeves and founded our own garage in a Let’s Play video.
Even with lots of other kinds of simulation games these days, purely mechanic type titles are still extremely popular. And while titles like the one we are reviewing today, Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021, have enjoyed great popularity on Steam and other PC-based platforms, few have made the leap to console. But Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator just did, and we are revving up the engines and fine tuning some powerful bikes on the Nintendo Switch.
First off, you should know that you don’t have to be a motorcycle nut to love Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator. As far as simulator video games go, this one provides wonderful graphics and a vast variety of options that focus on repairing, creating, and improving motorcycles. There is also a heavy emphasis on modifying motorcycles, with players given a lot of options to truly customize each bike.
Despite a lot of good qualities, Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 could have provided crisper graphics for Switch players. Possibly limited by the Switch hardware, the bikes are not quite photo-realistic. But first, let’s talk about an overview of the game.
Players essentially get to simulate what a mechanic does every day. With a first-person interface, you get to fix bikes, buy parts, and even create and modify your own bikes. It’s a game that teaches you the “ins and outs” of fixing bikes, even if you know very little about these machines.
It even teaches players how specific parts of a bike work and what their respective functions are. It also teaches what to do when you need to fix a bike in different scenarios. For example, if a customer emails you that their bike’s engine is malfunctioning, then the title will walk you through the steps needed to diagnose and mitigate that challenge. In addition to just fixing the main problem, players are also able to perform preventative maintenance like doing an oil change or replacing a tire that has become too worn to be used safely. Keep in mind that each motorcycle consists of roughly 400 different parts, so expect a deep dive into the inner workings of these impressive machines.
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 offers all of these features for those who know absolutely nothing about bikes, although those who already know a lot will get more out of it right from the start. For bike mechanic novices, the title starts off with a detailed tutorial from inside a garage which takes them step by step through the process of diagnosing problems and fixing a bike. It also offers a wide variety of different types of bikes to play with, and a main story mode where you just work as an everyday mechanic. In that mode, there is also a meta game where you will need to balance the books, and make sure that your shop is profitable.
As you earn money with the repairs you conduct, the game also lets you upgrade your shop. An upgraded shop is able to take on bigger, more complex jobs, and thus potentially earn more money from clients. And you can even buy new bikes for yourself with the revenue earned at the shop. Like with the repairs, the developers have provided players with a wide variety of motorcycles which can be acquired for their personal collection – and then further customized or modified as they see fit.
As you progress through the game, you earn experience points and resources to use to expand your workshop. Mind you, I know very little about either running my own company or fixing motorcycles. Full confession: I have never even been on a motorcycle. Yet, I found myself enjoying Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021, especially with the ability to test motorcycles, searching for unique parts, and customizing both gear and the garage.
As you work on more motorcycles and complete missions, you gain experience and level up which is great since I have zero experience. Yet I was able to unlock skills that made my job easier, including identifying a number of parts and issues without needing to examine them.
You also gain experience just by doing your job. These passive skills include working and repairing parts much faster, being able to acquire cheaper parts, and even earning money from what sometimes seems like trivial tasks.
Where Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator Gets a Flat
Sadly, I didn’t enjoy every aspect of the Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator. Some orders, for example, require players to identify issues with a specific part of the bike, which might be very deep inside the machine and makes it difficult to locate. Diving that deep into a bike to find and fix some obscure part was just not that interesting for me. And in some cases, the problem was so complex that I stopped trying to find and fix the issue.
Another issue I had, which is much more serious, are the visuals on the track. You can take your bikes out on a track and race them around, either to check to see if a repair has been properly completed or just to have fun with one of your personal bikes. But the graphics for the track part of it are terrible compared to the in-garage sequences. I also experienced some crashing when out on the track – of the game, not my bike. That is something that should not happen with a console title, which should have been fully vetted and tested before being released.
Despite these challenges, I learned a lot about a skill and an art that I knew very little about in real life. And this curiosity about bikes and bike mechanics that Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 created is eventually what won me over. I may soon be joining in on the popular rise of simulation type gaming, because Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 stirred up an interest in what other simulation games can offer, and I can certainly see the appeal as to why so many people are playing them these days.