Ranger’s Path National Park Simulator, developed by To-Go Games and published by astragon Entertainment, is now available in early access on Steam.
Have you ever wanted to run your own National Park as a Ranger in America? Now you can! Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator does what it says on the tin. Your duties involve having to maintain trails, assist visitors, check permits and respond to emergencies. You’ll also be able to explore a diverse biome and observe animal behaviours. Being a park ranger is no easy task; you’ll be called out for a lot of different things. After all, it’s your job to keep the park as safe as possible. It all comes with rewards by levelling up your ranger, which opens up new opportunities as you progress. Exploring this beautifully crafted world will throw all sorts of situations at you in which you must decide how to act.
Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator is quite a captivating game. At first glance, some may feel it is just another simulator, but it goes far beyond that. Exploring these well-crafted environments and renovating them for hikers and visitors is addictive. Each task, such as fixing a notice board, removing a tree from the path, or picking up litter, has its own mini-game. My favourite task was clearing up the trails and maintaining them, which, before playing this, I would have thought sounded boring. Still, Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator makes all the tasks within the game enjoyable.
On my journey through the National Park, I refused a lot of side tasks, which angered the boss on the other side of the walkie. You could tell how passive-aggressive she was getting with each denial. I was busy, OKAY! I do understand her anger a little… There was an incident where a hiker needed a rescue. Now, usually I’d accept that task and jump right on it, no question. However, on the other end of the park, I was busy chasing a pesky group of raccoons who were destroying my bins and trails. I felt my priorities were correct at the time… My boss did not.
Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator is not only a fun game, but it looks beautiful. The National Park spans far and wide, each part of which looks unique. When exploring the trails, I found myself loving the journey around them, taking in the fauna and flora along the way. The developers here have created a wonderful place that you’ll often want to snap a picture in, and luckily, there is a photomode included, which works great. Unfortunately, there isn’t a wide variety of animals at this time, but they are planning to add more as the early access progresses. As of this moment, Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator runs pretty well with the odd stutter with graphics maximised on a 3080ti RTX; however, it is getting better with each update.
The audio could be improved in some places, but for the parts that matter most, it does its job well. Where it shines is in the park coming to life, you’ll hear the animals making their calls, the wind blowing through the trees, it’s just perfect. Where it isn’t so great is the NPC dialogue, your boss is fine, however its the visitors that sometimes sound a little off, but it doesn’t detract from the experience.
Verdict
Overall, Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator is a fun time. I was hooked, exploring the wonderfully crafted biomes. Not only was it a joy, but I lost myself within its world. It may sound quite simple at first glance, but when you delve into it and take each task in your stride, hours have passed. I can recommend this game to anyone who wants a quiet, peaceful game to lose hours into. The early access roadmap for the game is extensive and plans to add different activities, animals, multiplayer and more. It’s available on Steam right now for a low price. I suggest you go check it out!
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