Hard Truck Game Review

Hard Truck Game Background

Hard Truck is an exceptionally challenging 2D ragdoll physics obstacle course driving game where players drive a black monster truck along a pink rail, jumping from platform to platform until they reach the pink flag near the checkered finish line.

The “hard” in the game name means difficult more than strong!

This game was published by Maximiliano Demonte’s QKY Game Studio.

How to Play Hard Truck

Press the red PLAY button on the welcome screen to bring up the level select screen.

Press your mouse left click button to accelerate and release to slow down. When you adjust your acceleration the truck can also change its angle, rotating counterclockwise on hard accelerations and rotating clockwise on brakes.

Basic Gameplay Advice

This game features 30 stages which are unlocked sequentially.

Jumping Strategy

You can accelerate in a single sequence or pulse your acceleration to prevent the truck from rolling. When you accelerate all at once there can be a good chance you will roll the truck.

When you need to make a big jump sometimes you have to accelerate a lot while on flat ground so that you have a lot of momentum and only need to pulse your acceleration while climbing ramps. This can allow you to make big jumps without rolling the truck.

Additional Challenges

As tough as the game controls are, the game grows more challenging as you advance through the levels.

• Large bouncing pink balls can throw off your speed and momentum.
• Small boxes require you to plow through them at high speed to maintain momentum, though can cause you to flip when you land.
• Some stages require you to roll backward and fall off platforms before resuming your forward path.
• After you get about a third of the way through the game some platforms move up and down, requiring you to manage your timing crossing them.

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

Frustration

While the aesthetics of this game make it look easy the controls are more than a bit frustrating. What’s more, the bouncing balls, moving platforms, and blocking boxes can add a bit of randomness to the game which frustrate and destroy what otherwise seemed like a clean race.

One way to minimize that frustration is to break the track down into chunks and clear out obstacles before moving onto the next section.

Moving Platforms

Try to catch moving platforms when they are below and moving upward. If the moving platform you are encountering is not visible when you start the race try to run a rather similar start to the stage so that the platform is where you want it to be as you approach it.

Adjust your speed so that you are going the right speed needed to cross the moving platform and land on the next position.

Do not accelerate while the moving platforms fall down from their peak position or else you will likely roll the truck. Similarly, if a moving platform is slanted up and you try to accelerate at the bottom of the path you will likely roll it.

Falling

When intentionally falling off platforms try to have a decent amount of momentum so that both sides of the truck fall off at almost the same time and the truck does not rotate.

When you are rolling backward be away you may have to cycle the acceleration multiple times rather than hit it all at once, or you can cause the truck to roll.

Obstacles

When there is a big stack of crates you can try to smash through them quickly. When there are a few crates on a platform you can measure them and try to bump into them to knock them off, then roll back near the beginning of the platform to build up momentum again.

Giant balls can be used as momentum absorbers. They can also be pushed in order to knock a lot of crates out of your way.

Momentum & Acceleration

In some cases you have to go slower 2 platforms ago so that you can go faster on the prior platform and have more momentum on the current platform.

If you want to maintain momentum try to land your landings at an angle parallel to the ground.

On some platforms after landing you have to roll back toward the beginning of the platform and then accelerate on a long runway to make jumps without rolling the truck.

Educational Aspects

The main thing this game teaches is patience, as it is so hard! There are some physics aspects to it, though it mainly forces players to accept defeat and try again, and again, and again!

Player Age Recommendations

This game is much too difficult for young children. We recommend players in high school grade through adulthood, as young kids will find this game frustrating.