Aramatsu Bowhead T30 review

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The Aramatsu Bowhead T30 is no longer just for those who pre-ordered RoadCraft – here is what you need to know about the paid DLC and whether it is worth buying.

If there is one thing you will move a lot of in RoadCraft, it is sand. Unfortunately for those who did not pre-order the latest Saber Interactive title, that meant using the leaky butt Baikal 65-206. One of my absolute least favourite vehicles in the game.

Fortunately, said pre-order gift of the Aramatsu Bowhead T30 is now available to purchase, but before we get into that, a word from our sponsor. Instant Gaming is the website for those who want games in an instant, whether on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation or Xbox.

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Bye, Baikal

I digress. The Aramatsu Bowhead T30 is better than the Baikal in almost every way bar sheer sand capacity. It can carry 20 tons compared with the Baikal’s 40 tons. Not 30 tons, as the name suggests. I suspect for game balancing reasons, or maybe someone cannot read numbers.

Except, unlike the Baikal, it can drive over paper and not spill it out an annoying folding door – that the developers have said will be fixed. The T30 Bowhead is actually an impressive off-roader, except on rocks and, even worse, wet rocks.

One of its most impressive party tricks, currently unique in RoadCraft, is that it can rotate the cargo bed 360 degrees. Though this can be confusing when it comes to driving, it does mean you can dump sand without having to reverse and potentially fall into day-ending craters.

Being able to dump sand in front of you while moving forward really can be useful, as can the fact that its lengthy rotating cargo bed can help push you up slopes, out of sticky situations and generally help you get where you need to go.

Take my strong sand

Helping justify its £3.49, US$3.99 or equivalent in your currency price is the fact that the Aramatsu Bowhead T30 can share its load with other dump trucks. Think of it as the Deliveroo or Uber Eats of sand, except without the cold food.

In co-op, Paul and I repaired one of the worst roads in all of RoadCraft much faster because he was running back and forth to the nearest refill area while I was filling in the mountainous holes. With four players, you could build Spaghetti Junction in about ten minutes. Probably.

So what is the catch? I guess you could argue it might be annoying to pick mud out of its caterpillar tracks and that it does not have the digital display of a Tesla. I suspect ride comfort would not be great either.

Tracked vehicles are typically slower to turn than ones with wheels, so there is that. It is not the fastest vehicle either, though it has plenty of torque, works well in soft terrain and rarely lets up even when carrying sand.

Then there is the aforementioned reverse dumping action, which works well until you dump too much and it gets caught on the bed overhang. Or you dump too fast and get launched into the air – which sounds painful and, if it happens to you, go see a doctor.

Cargo creativity

What if you want to lug around other cargo? Well, RoadCraft is flexible in this regard so – unless a task specifically requires you to unload an item (hello, blue icon) – you can use it to deliver small vehicles, concrete slabs, metal beams and anything else you can crane in there.

Due to its impressive stability and cargo bed depth, you would really have to try to make things fall out. It is definitely not a one-trick-pony, especially as its rotating bed and off-road prowess can also make it a pretty decent rescue and scout vehicle.

All in all, the Aramatsu Bowhead T30 makes sand delivery and deployment enjoyable. Which is the opposite of the Baikal 23-605. The fact it can perform numerous other roles competently makes it the easiest truck DLC to recommend, as things stand.

Unless, of course, you are one of those angry players who thought it came with the separate Rebuild Expansion. In which case, let us hope Saber Interactive fixes the leaky butt Baikal soon.

On that note, subscribe, like and comment anything I missed about the Aramatsu Bowhead T30.