I wanted to throw in this review as this is one of my top simulation games in which I still play today. The game itself and the replayability has me constantly craving to randomly boot it up and to do another car with a full rebuild.

Overview

Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 is a detailed, immersive simulation game that appeals to both car enthusiasts and fans of management and simulation titles. Released in August 2021, the game builds upon its predecessors, offering a more refined and expansive experience.

Gameplay and Mechanics

The game puts you in the shoes of a car mechanic managing a shop. The main objective is to repair, restore, and customize a wide range of vehicles. You’ll receive jobs from clients, ranging from basic tune-ups to complex engine rebuilds, and you earn money and experience based on the work you complete. Really this is simply where the game begins. There is a story mode that has thirty missions for you to complete ranging in difficulty and complexity.

The gameplay loop consists of diagnosing issues using various tools, disassembling parts, replacing them, and reassembling the vehicle. Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 does a fantastic job of simulating the process with realistic parts and gameplay mechanics (not to be confused with the player who is a literal mechanic), which can be both challenging and satisfying for those who enjoy hands-on, detail-oriented work. I am, by no means a car mechanic or do I pretend to know how accurate this game truly is to an actual car. What I do know, is that this is a fantastic simulation of what I believe a car repair shop should be in a game format. Obviously there a parts that are un-true, such as getting a nearly broken part and repairing it back to brand new simply by playing a quick reaction based mini-game. This is just to make it more convenient and enjoyable for the player. I firmly believe both players who know of cars and those who do not will both equally enjoy this irrelevant of background knowledge beforehand. And who knows, maybe it will spark a passion of car repair to someone and begin there path to a new branch of functional knowledge.

1. Replayability: I briefly mentioned this earlier, but even once the player completes the story and has a ridiculous amount of fund there is still much more to do. Want to keep doing orders for the puzzle aspect? Very cool keep going then. Want to fully restore and sell car that was found in a junkyard? or an abandoned barn? Go crazy, that sounds like fun. Maybe start a car collecting of perfectly restored cars? Awesome, do it. There is so much this game offers in such a simple concept. I can not say this enough.
2. Car List: The game offers over 100 cars, including classic and modern models, which you can repair and restore. Each car has a detailed engine bay, suspension, transmission, and more depending on the vehicle, hopefully all contributing to the authenticity. This list is constantly being expanded upon by actual car DLC, from new EV cars, to Ford, to actual name-brand classic models.
3. Car Racing: Now that the player has access to all these cars and tuning capabilities, what can be done? The obvious answer is, take them to the track, test them out. While this mechanic is relatively simple and is not the best of the best of car driving experience. It is most definitely enough for what it needs to be. Which is an experience to test all these cars and what effort has been put into them. A simple, yet fundamental, part of an car building game.
4. Money And XP: The player takes orders and once completed through varying tasks, it will grant both money and XP. Money opens up a lot of avenues for car repairing and restoration. From the first tasks of filling op fluids of a car to almost complete engine rebuilds, a lot of what the player does depends on how much they can invest into a job. Parts are not free and without some upgrades it can be difficult to save. XP increases the player’s level and gives skill points which they can use to upgrade their garages and skills.
5. Garage Expansion And Upgrades: Players can expand their garages by adding new workstations, painting booths, car wash area, etc. All of these further the player’s ability to repair and what jobs they can do. Not only can the garage be upgraded, but the player themselves can be as well. These upgrades include, faster screws, cheaper parts, quicker scanning, etc. This progression system keeps the game engaging as you gradually transform your workshop into a car-repair empire.

Graphics and Sound

Graphics is definitely something I like to touch upon when I review games. While in a simulation game the graphics do not have to be mind-blowing there is still a solid need to accomplish what is needed for this game. And for a car mechanic simulator this is clearly: the cars and the parts. If I am spending two hours into fully restoring and investing tens of thousand of in-game money into a “Chieftan Bandit” I found at the junkyard, I want the car to look incredible. While the game does this well there is always room to improve on this. The sheen can be sharper, the internals more detailed, the rims to reflect, always room to make it feel like more.

The music in this was actually not bad. In a lot of simulation games I would lower the in game music as it is mind numbing but this one I did not. It was not too boring and not noticable enough where it took away from focus.

One thing a player can get slightly sick of is the car noises. I am not talking about the beautiful hum of an completed engine, I am talking about hearing the same noise to unscrew/screw something THOUSANDS OF TIMES. The only saving grace from this is the upgrades to do this faster and hear it slightly less.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Realistic and immersive car repair mechanics
• Expansive car list with detailed models
• Engaging business management and focus on making good financial decisions
• Absolutely amazing replayability

Cons:

• BOLT/SCREW NOISES
• Beginning boredom of doing jobs to save up money to do better jobs
• DLC are nice to be constantly added but they are steeply priced

Verdict

Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 is a well-crafted simulation game that offers a deep and authentic car repair experience. It’s a must-play for car enthusiasts or those who love detailed, hands-on simulation games. While the repetitive sounds and slow beginning might not appeal to everyone, its attention to detail, immersive mechanics, and options for replayability make it a standout in the genre.