Hard Truck Apocalypse
Hard Truck: Apocalypse (Ex Machina) is a vehicular combat post-apocalyptic science fiction video game developed by Russian game developer Targem Games. It is a Privateer-like game on vehicles instead of spaceships set in a post-apocalyptic Europe. The player controls an armored truck and roams between settlements trading with locals, completing quests and fighting numerous enemies to upgrade his truck and acquire better weapons to progress through the main storyline.
| Hard Truck: Apocalypse | |
|---|---|
 Box art | |
| Developer(s) | Targem Games |
| Publisher(s) | Buka Entertainment |
| Engine | m3d engine |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | December 8, 2005
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| Genre(s) | Vehicular combat, business simulation, post-apocalyptic science fiction |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Plot
The story showcases the Earth of the future, after a crash of an unidentified object named The Cataclysm, it destroys the world. After the crash, the atmosphere becomes poisonous. Due to the invention of a special mask by an unknown genius, people manage to survive. Due to The Cataclysm, government law and order has completely vanished and the people unite. Causing Gangs to roam the Earth. People start doing various activities like exploring, farming, trading, manufacturing and so on. They start living in small villages or settlements and make their unions or their clans.[1]
Ivan Go, the great explorer and discoverer, goes to another journey and gives the responsibility of his child to Peter, his friend. The child later grows up and a time comes when he is old enough that Peter allows him to ride his truck alone and to do a small job. The young man is amused, and goes riding alone.
During his journey, he meets a girl named Alice, which he later meets again in the story line. He faces the local gang, and refuses to pay money to the gang. While he returns home, he finds out that his village has been attacked, there is fire everywhere and no one is alive. He becomes enraged and wants to take revenge for this. He suspects the local gang to have done it, he discovers that it wasn't them. He feels that Alice must have seen all that so he goes for a long journey to find out Alice.
When he meets Alice, she tells him that it must be a huge gang leader, who lives in an area named Argen. He tracks him down and finally defeats the leader, he discovers again that it wasn't him who had destroyed his village.
Later they meet the Oracle, who helps them find that the attackers were no one else but the monsters from the Desert Of Death, who had lost control on their minds, and were mentally impaired.
The player thinks that it is no use to kill those people. He then goes to find his father, but comes to know that he was already dead. He comes to know the source of the poisonous air in the environment, and he comes in contract some Aliens who tell him that if he destroys it, all the survivors die but have found an alternative, a device that will slowly clear the poisonous air. The Oracle tries to stop him from doing so and warns Ivan that he is being used to finish a plan to Terraform Earth and will destroy Humanity regardless, Ivan fights The Oracle and destroys him. The player then finally installs the device and begins to clear the source of the poison.
Gameplay
Format
The player has to go for a long journey to avenge his father. He earns coins, by doing trade, selling loot and doing others NPC's jobs. He can buy various weapons and gadgets, and can buy better vehicles. He has to save himself from the attack by raiders.
Reception
Hard Truck: Apocalypse received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic.[1]
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Add-ons
Hard Truck Apocalypse: Rise of the Clans (Ex Machina: meridian 113)
The official standalone expansion to Hard Truck Apocalypse, also developed by Targem Games. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of North America. The player controls a vagrant who is searching for the mythical city of Edmonton.
The game reuses a lot of material from HTA; most of the vehicles, weapons, and enemies are the same. However, there are four brand new zones and a whole new storyline.
Crossout
The well known universe of Hard Truck Apocalypse expanded with its spiritual heir post-apocalyptic free-to-play MMO-action game Crossout, also developed by Targem Games in cooperation with Gaijin Entertainment.
Crossout is set in 2047 after a mysterious viral epidemic known as the ‘Crossout’ which has laid waste to most of the population on Earth. The road warriors that survived must now battle for precious resources using deadly vehicles crafted from millions of possible permutations (body shape, armor, weapons, support systems and cosmetic enhancements).[3]
Crossout is available on PC, Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
References
- "Hard Truck: Apocalypse". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/927546-hard-truck-apocalypse/index.html
- "Crossout - Free to Play MMO action gameNews". crossout.net. Retrieved 2017-05-25.