River-Simulator 2012 is a simulation game from Astragon, available in a trial version. This casual boating experience focuses on major waterways in Germany as you explore the rivers of the Main and Rhine. You get to choose from a wide assortment of ships and just sail down, accomplishing missions or just strolling around and appreciating the scenery.

With an added emphasis on visual quality and smooth gameplay, River-Simulator 2012 can still hold up against similar games such as Ship Simulator or European Ship Simulator. Of course, there are still a couple of restrictions such as ship selection and mission difficulty.

Sail down Europe in style

In River-Simulator 2012, you can accomplish different missions depending on the type of vessel you have. For example, there are passenger ferries that move people between two points and there are cargo ships designed for transporting large volumes of goods across farther distances. Also, there are other water transports designed for more inland waterways while some are intended for larger thoroughfares.

As mentioned, a strong selling point of the game is its visuals aimed at realism. With the available technology at the time of release, this game surprisingly holds up well. The waters, forests, and even the man-made structure in-game look believable at a distance. Zooming the game in, however, reveals the lack of texture that shows just how dated the game has become.

Other than that, the game runs surprisingly well with no issues regarding lagging or crashing randomly. The main issue in this game is the content restrictions. One, certain missions take too long without anything else to do, particularly with the cargo ship objectives. The game could also use other variants of marine transport, like a rescue boat or a cruise ship.

Gateway to the ship sim subgenre

Although not technically a part of the Ship Simulator series, River-Simulator 2012 is a surprisingly fun entry in the ship sim subgenre. Its focus on visual accuracy leads to a relaxing experience. Difficulty-wise, only a few missions can be considered challenging or tiring. Aside from a few content restrictions, this game remains fun and enjoyable for a game released several years ago.