Review : Gas Station Simulator Tidal Wave Expansion : Full-Service Fun

I blame the simplistic yet entirely enthralling Power Washer Simulator for making me believe that I could not just handle the art of power washing with a sense of finesse, but also make me believe that I could hand other “simulator” games like Gas Station Simulator. For all intents and purposes, Gas Station Simulator from DRAGO Entertainment is a game whose name sets a particular expectation only if you have played these types of games before. With it’s Tidal Wave DLC, the game offers an interesting twist and turn revolving around the island you find yourself on.

High-Octane Stakes

For those who have never played, Gas Station Simulator has you cleaning up and running a gas station complete with ordering oil, marking parking spots, setting up pumps, and also filling the tanks of those who come by you. In other words, it’s is “customer service: the game” but way less angry people and you can walk away any time you want.

While Gas Station Simulator presents a sense of complexity that slowly becomes easier to mange as you slowly come to grasp with how the multiple systems interact with each other. In a sense, the game embraces its name fully, setting proper expectations this time around, although could seem tedious to those who have yet to actually dive into this genre.

Tidal Wave takes that system and applies a new and rather interesting gameplay element- the volcano. On this tropical island, not only do you have a large plot of land to play around with that happens too find itself by the waters, but you have this looming manifestation to complete catastrophe in the distance. Not only are you a mere, literally washed-up gas station manager, but you are the savior of this island by feeding the volcano various items you come across while you are attempting to run a gas station.

Embracing Absurdity

This juxtaposition between running a gas station and having to appease volcanic gods is absolutely chaotic to me but it brings more to the game than we have come to expect. Now, there is a life or death factor based around the idea of being a gas station manager, that is not only hilarious but makes for some really interesting motivation to continue managing your gas station. Sure, the volcanic threat is a rather big and serious matter, but the fact that you wake up on an island only to slide into the position of running a gas station is the type of insane conceptualization that I thoroughly enjoy. We need less super serious premises, more insane absurdity. I enjoy this type of adventurous design and the more chaotic games like this, who tend to take themselves seriously, the better they are for it.

I don’t have much more to say about how the game handles itself. Chances are, if you were a huge fan of the base game, you’ll find the Tidal Wave DLC to be a great addition to your simulator experience. I really can’t say more about how the gameplay loop attributes itself to the gameplay because managing all the intricate details is the gameplay. Sure, the reward in Gas Station Simulator is in the tasks you complete and the growth of your stations. I can only explain it with the gusto of a father figure who stands with his hands on his hips, breathing in the aroma of a freshly cut lawn.

…which also has it’s own simulation game, but I digress.

Performance

As for general PC performance, we are playing Gas Station Simulator and it’s Tidal Wave DLC on a system with an AMD Ryzen 7 5600G, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, 2TB M.2 SSD, and an AMD RX 7800 XT- specs that meet the mark of performance by a mile. Which is odd to me that the game looks kinda muddy in some cases. Some areas are too dark while others are way too bright. In some cases, I found it difficult to find the necessary pieces of garbage I needed to collect to “clean up the island” and it took me a bit longer than I necessarily want to admit.
At the same time, there are moments where the game does look incredibly beautiful for what is presented. When the sun rises and you see the glow of the sun against the palm trees, and the volcano off in the distance, it perfectly captures that island look. I say this as a man who has watched too many LOST retrospectives on YouTube.

Various effects like motion blurring were predominant but I’ll say this, the game does run smoothly with very little frame skipping or image tearing. I was running at 1440p at 60+ fps, which is more than likely why I was able to pick up on the odd details that just didn’t mesh with me all that well. I can see some future patching in this game’s future and I’m perfectly fine with it because, well, it runs smooth and it’s fun, speaking to me on the most basic of levels.

I find there to be a teetering point, and Gas Station Simulator Tidal Wave DLC hits the mark when we talk about the axis where fun and enjoyment happen to overtake performance. It is a fun game that doesn’t require a beast of a machine to run, but if you have one it is nice. My only major issue is how it doesn’t really have any Steam Deck support. I tried to play around with it during my commute and the game doesn’t really recognize the various control options. If there was ever an update that this game need drastically and immediately, it would be that. I’ll take the muddied graphics for portability any day of the week.

At the end of the day, Gas Station Simulator Tidal Wave is more simulator for the folks who really love these types of games. Tidal Wave is a great addition that offers a neat twist on the already familiar concept. It is like taking a vacation while you maintain your remote job position. Sure, you’re working, but at least you got a beautiful view.

Sincere thanks to DRAGO Entertainment for the review code of Gas Station Simulator: Tidal Wave DLC. You can find Seasoned Gaming’s review policy here.