CarGo! is more than a creative play-on-words. It is a frantic, single-screened action puzzle game best played with local co-op partners about hauling cargo, get it, car-go?
As a quick comparison, CarGo! is almost like Overcooked, that multiplayer cooking game, but with cars. Instead of walking back and forth in a kitchen to pick up and cook ingredients, players control tiny cars where you need to gather materials, drop them off for processing, then deliver them to their destination as quickly as possible. The isometric view also controls similarly to Super Sprint as one button is the accelerator and the other a break. However, speed and approachability are always at the forefront since the environment is filled with hazards and traffic, but you cannot die. At worst, you might fall off the track and need to respawn a couple seconds later. Even with all the drama happening on screen, you always can move forward like in Crazy Taxi. In fact, taking a turn at high speeds to see your car tilt on its side but never flip over is part of the fun.
There is a tiny learning curve when first starting but everything is understood by the end of the first stage. Like in Overcooked, each player needs to drive to the origin point to pick up a box of materials, then haul it to a refinery for processing, then pick up that material and drop it off at the final delivery location. The kicker though, all these things might be in the different corners of the map and the player needs to hit a certain score before the time expires. Traffic. Objects to avoid. Bridges that raise/lower. Construction spots just appear randomly. There is always something to avoid which makes each second frantically count.
Although playable solo, this game is ideally played with at least one more driver. Some maps get compilated too. So dividing an conquering often works better than one player trying to drive in circles throughout the track, doing it all. By the third track, multiplayer is almost mandatory as reaching a higher score in the chaotic streets is quite challenging when venturing alone.
My only complaint mostly comes from the soundtrack. It isn’t anything special and it wouldn’t have hurt to include a few more multiplayer modes.
CarGo! is also currently available on PC and scheduled to release on the other consoles in 2025. While there is enjoyment playing solo, the game truly shines when hitting the arcadey road with a friend or three at your side. The cartoony visuals fit the lighthearted nature of the gameplay, making this a solid party game to try at the next family game night.
SCORE: 8/10
Also Play: You Suck At Parking
Better Than: trying to learn how to drift
Wait For It: a new Crazy Taxi sequel
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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