'Deliver At All Costs' is almost the 'Simpsons: Hit & Run' successor I've always wanted
It's already been a jam-packed year for gaming, and that's why I think Deliver At All Costs won't get nearly as much attention as the other big titles that already launched in 2025 (as well as those to come). Flanked on either side by the releases of Doom: The Dark Ages and Elden Ring Nightreign, it feels like Far Out Games' Konami-published debut is destined to be overshadowed. And while I don't think that Deliver At All Costs is some diamond in the rough that will overcome this summer's stacked release calendar, I do think it's well worth a weekend playthrough.
Deliver At All Costs is messy but undeniable fun.
The setup
Set in a fictional and embellished version of 1950s America, Deliver At All costs puts you in the shoes of Winston Green, a man on the run from his mysterious past and the newest courier at Amazon-adjacent shipping company We Deliver. Through unconventional, quirky cargo deliveries and pickups that leave the game's eccentric open world in disarray (and in some cases, literal shambles), you'll uncover Winston's secrets and a sinister corporate conspiracy.
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Chaos, but the good kind
On several occasions, Deliver At All Costs reminded me of playing through classics like The Simpsons: Hit & Run and early Grand Theft Auto when I was a kid, and I mean that as a massive compliment. The game's overall wackiness and dynamism brought me back to those cherished gaming moments, except this time, I got to experience them with a way fresher coat of paint and a modern physics system that provided me with hours of gleeful mayhem.
Over the course of Deliver At All Costs' 20 missions, I encountered a cast of zany characters who all needed my help completing some truly wild tasks. Each one has its own unique mechanic that wildly changes how you approach each delivery. One of my favorites saw me transporting an assortment of balloons to would-be customers, but each time my car hit a small bump in the road, I'd go soaring through the air with no control, Up-style. Another involved hauling a live marlin across the city to the local fish market while the massive sea creature thrashed around in my trunk, throwing the vehicle off course at every turn. Some of these errands fall flat, though — a few are far too easy, while others presented a sharp difficulty spike. It's a shame that the most disappointing ones happen towards the game's conclusion, ending everything on a bit of a sour note. Still, the highs of this collection of missions outweigh the lows.
The absolutely ludicrous physics system is another high point that really enhances the fun. Deliver's detailed open world takes you across three distinctive areas, all of them completely destructible down to their last brick. Every home, storefront, and high-rise can be reduced to rubble, sending debris (and sometimes civilians — don't worry, they get back up) flying in the process. The destruction is mostly just for fun — you can go the whole game without intentionally causing any damage — but you'd be robbing yourself of most of the excitement that the game has to offer. There are consequences to toppling too many structures, though, as the police will begin to pursue you if you get too carried away. I think this system could've been cut, though, because it's way too easy to lose the heat once they're on you're tail, making it more of a quick chore than an exhilarating chase.
Each area is also littered with collectibles, secret vehicles, side missions, and challenges to break up the pace, but unfortunately, not many of them are worth going out of your way to experience. The only time I felt that exploration was rewarding was when I hopped out of my vehicle to look at the game's many vista points, which brings you down to Winston's level to admire the carefully crafted environments that the devs worked so hard to bring to life. Sadly, those on-foot sections are a bit dull and stiff-feeling, which isn't helped by the game's dual-angle isometric view — I failed platforming sections over and over again simply because I couldn't get a handle on where my character was facing at a given moment, which became frustrating. The POV works way better while driving, which is why I basically stopped exiting my car.
I'd also be remiss not to mention the well-realized 1950s aesthetic of the world, from the clothing, to the cars, to the score — I even found myself humming along to a few of the tunes while I wreaked havoc across town. I kind of got Destroy All Humans vibes from the game's world, but overall, I liked this better
A serious case of losing the plot
Deliver At All Costs' most notable weakness is its narrative. It's all over the place, filled with reckless genre hopping and jarring tone switches that left me feeling hollow at the end of it all. Starting as an amusing and lighthearted workplace comedy, the game quickly devolves into a disjointed tale of corporate conspiracy, to... well, I won't spoil it for you, but it goes completely off the rails.
The story's sharp turns create a huge problem for the actual gameplay, too. There are multiple instances within the narrative where the game's characters experience harmful consequences, including violence and, in some cases, even death. Now, on its face, that's not a problem, but in a game where you can comedically ragdoll a pedestrian with a truck, only for them to say "Ow!" and get up and go on with their day, those moments feel pretty dissonant. It's like if a Benny Hill Show sketch was sandwiched between scenes from Michael Clayton. It just doesn't work. Deliver At All Costs is at its best when it's embracing its own absurdity, and I think that Far Out Games made a mistake by not following that wacky spirit all the way through.
With Deliver At All Costs, Far Out Games has certainly shown that it has the technical prowess to make a game that's fun and unique. Hopefully, with their next at-bat, they can build on what they've learned in their debut and come up with a narrative, as well as supplementary content, to match their genuinely enjoyable gameplay.
Deliver At All Costs is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Epic Games, and GOG.
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Topics Gaming Video Games
Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, laptops, fitness, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.
