As Bon Jovi taught us, Tommy used to work on the docks. But what they didn’t elaborate on though was his life after this. Luckily, Saber Interactive is here to fill in the gaps for us with their latest title, Docked, which follows longshoreman Tommy’s return home to Port Wake just as Storm Wendy hits, as you pilot colossal industrial machines and get stuck into running the family business.
I really like the Saber Interactive approach of taking a work simulator and fleshing it out with a narrative through line and supporting characters. Let’s be honest, the story in Docked isn’t much more than an excuse to let you get behind the wheel of some big machines, and I won’t be trying to convince the team that Tommy is 2026’s best new character when we do the GOTY podcasts later this year, but I still appreciate that Docked gives you some level of narrative reason to engage with the game.
There’s plenty of game to get stuck into, too. When I wrote my Docked preview last year I was curious how they’d manage to stretch out dock work into an entire campaign, especially after getting to dabble in a bit of everything, including crane operation, in Roadcraft. I’m pleased to say though that there’s plenty of variety in Docked too, and while a lot of the time is spent moving things from point A to point B, the process of doing so is always engaging and it’s all underpinned by some surprisingly robust business management mechanics.
You’ll spend most of the game in Tommy’s boots, down on the ground in Port Wake, using an array of machines I’d never heard of before to move shipping containers or clear up debris in the wake of Storm Wendy. The scale of some of these machines is really impressive and it’s immediately apparent on starting the game that using them isn’t just a case of hopping in and driving off. Your first introduction to the life of a dockworker is using an STS Crane to move some damaged shipping containers. Simply getting into the cockpit is a mission in and of itself: you don’t just tap X to enter the vehicle, it’s a multi-level process that involves powering up the crane, and moving and navigating a series of walkways before you can climb into the cockpit and get started.
Considering the size of the behemoth you’re piloting, it’s surprisingly nimble and intuitive to move around, and picking up containers is a simple process aided by some smart on-screen HUD elements that help you position yourself before attempting to lock in. You’ll also notice an intrusively long list of controls pinned to the left side of the screen, a rather inelegant solution to the ream of additional controls each vehicle will inevitably require you to use at some point. These offer everything from enhanced control of your grabber (tilting and rolling to pick up awkwardly positioned containers), to controls for switching to a cable mode that lets you tether your crane to an item. There’s honestly a lot, and while they retain some level of intuitiveness by maintaining the same principles across vehicles, I often found myself referring back to that control cheat sheet. It’s just a shame that it takes up so much screen real estate, but I appreciate that it’s a necessity and that you can minimise it with the touch of a button.
There are a number of other vehicles on offer other than the STS Crane. The Reach Stacker took me back to my teenage days of stacking shelves in Sainsbury’s, albeit at a much larger scale. You’ll be picking containers up from one section of the port and whizzing them across to another, or placing them on a truck before sending them off on their merry way. Despite being one of the less “exciting” vehicles (you’re down on ground level rather than suspended up high), it’s still good fun to use and using those advanced controls mentioned above I soon found myself quietly proud of my ability to manoeuvre containers in and out of tight spots.
One of my favourites was the Straddle Crane, which as the name suggests, has you straddling shipping containers to pick them up. Despite looking like a greyhound cosplaying as an AT-AT, it’s surprisingly nimble and there’s something incredibly satisfying about picking up a container, raising it 3 storeys high and then carefully moving it further down the line, watching as the bottom of it passes above other containers with just a few centimetres of clearance before you pop it safely down.
As with all the most immersive work sims, Docked is best played entirely in first person where possible. Between the handy on-screen HUD to help with positioning yourself to the clever ways it plays with perspective as you look down from 120m in the air, you almost always feel like you can carry out your jobs as you look through Tommy’s eyes. Rarely did I need to move to third person mode, with the one exception being the Straddle Crane. Due to the way it moves, I found it quite difficult to keep track of my wheels while driving in first person so I often had to switch to ensure I didn’t crash.
Regardless of the vehicle you’re using, you’ll likely be moving containers or clearing up debris from Port Wake. While there’s plenty of variety in the job system, I did find myself having to repeat a few of them to earn extra cash. It’s not the end of the world but some are clearly worth more than others, which means you gravitate towards repeating those rather than any of the others.
When you’re not in the driver’s seat though you’ll be helping your dad keep money flowing into the port by using Docked’s business management system. It’s a cool system, and not one I’ve seen elsewhere: you take on contracts to move containers through one of your hubs, such as shipping or trucking, and then you need to assign vehicles to that hub and ensure they’re moving enough containers to meet your contractual obligations. It’s akin to managing a production line: you need to keep containers flowing otherwise you won’t complete the contract and earn the money. That money is vital for repairing and upgrading Port Wake through the in-game map, which opens up more opportunities to use your vehicles or new hubs for selling through.
One of the reasons I love this type of game is the immersion, and visuals play a huge part in that. I played on medium settings on my Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the game is a stunner: there’s plenty of detail on your machines which makes them feel chunky and tactile, while every surface in the port glistens with the fallout of Storm Wendy. It’s gorgeous, and one I’d definitely like to try again on my PS5 to see how that stacks up (pun intended). There’s not much to write about in terms of audio, I often find these games have nice but non-descript country music playing in the background and this is no exception.
You’ll be surprised at how much variety Docked manages to squeeze out of a single setting. Between the array of behemoths you’ll be piloting and the business management that keeps Port Wake running you’ll always have something to do, and if you want an immersive video game take on being a crane operator then you’ll enjoy your time in Docked.
