PC Building Simulator 2 is here and if you are someone who is even remotely interested in building a custom PC, then this game is a toy-box that is well worth exploring.
If you have built your own custom PC in the last two years real life, then you may be wondering what it was like to purchase parts that are actually available as and when you need them, without having to join a waiting list and set multiple alarms on your phone so as not to miss the moment that they go on sale. Well, PC Building Simulator 2 may be the closest thing to that which you’ll get to experience over the next few years.
PC Building Simulator 2 is out now and is available to purchase on the Epic Games Store.
The game is an evolution of everything which was attempted in the first PC Building Simulator game. The level of detail present in the game is incredible. The scale of the objects to one another is spot on. The precise position of individual screws in each of the game’s impressive roster of real-life cases and graphics cards is accurate to a tee.
All of this precision across the various elements which make up PC Building Simulator 2 work together to forge an experience that is as close as you can get to the real thing without actually doing it. In that sense, the game is extremely impressive and pushes it past a simulation game meant for fun, to a legitimate educational tool which could greatly help someone building a PC for the first time.
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If the PC building aesthetic is stripped away from the game, what is left is essentially a point-and-click puzzle game, which incorporates resource management. For the most part, the gameplay is well balanced; just as things are starting to feel stale, another factor is introduced to the process to keep things interesting.
Something worth bearing in mind is that PC Building Simulator 2 is an Epic Games exclusive and the game has no controller support. Essentially because the game can only be played via the Epic launcher, there is no way around the lack of controller support and therefore the game must be played using a mouse and keyboard.
This is only an issue depending on your personal preference, however as someone who uses a controller for gaming regardless of platform, I found this disappointing. It also limits the game’s accessibility for certain people who may not be able to use a mouse and keyboard, which is also a bummer.
As you might expect, there isn’t much plot to speak of in the game, barring a few post-it notes which can be found stuck to desks and monitors, along with the emails received which contain the various jobs you are tasked with completing. With that being said, the writing within these notes and emails is somewhat witty and engaging.
Along with the game’s “story missions,” PC Building Simulator 2 also contains a free-build mode. This mode proved to be extremely helpful to me, as I have recently purchased an AIO cooling system for my own rig in real life and have yet to install it.
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Because the game contains real life components, my case, my new AIO cooler, my CPU, GPU and all of my other parts existed within the game’s inventory. Therefore, I was able to complete a semi-realistic practice run of my upgrade, without ever having to remove the side panel of my PC or untangle any of my chaotic cable management lurking within.
Overall, PC Building Simulator 2 isn’t likely to blow any minds with insane levels of creativity and experimentation. However, it is a simulation game, so if you are looking for these elements in a game like this, then you are probably looking in the wrong place. PC Building Simulator 2 does what it says on the tin and it does it well.
8/10
PC Building Simulator 2 was reviewed on PC, with a review code provided by Honest PR.
