Hold My Cargo is a first-person smuggling simulation and adventure game set across multiple planets where players manage a small trade ship. The core loop involves purchasing goods at low prices on one world and transporting them to markets where demand drives higher returns. Legal shipments cover basic operating costs while hidden contraband generates the real profit needed to expand the operation. Developed by the three-person Favera Studio team, the title emphasizes physical interaction and risk management over abstract menus or spreadsheets.
Gameplay
Players handle every crate as a tangible object in the first-person view. Each box must be lifted, carried across landing pads, and loaded into the ship's hold. Contraband requires careful placement into hidden compartments such as spaces behind cooling units, under cockpit flooring, or within crew quarters. Nothing can protrude visibly when authorities approach. Customs officers vary in behavior, ranging from strict rule-followers to those open to bribes or susceptible to well-timed bluffs. A declaration form must be completed before each inspection, forcing decisions on what to declare and what to conceal. Three failed inspections end the career. Additional systems include perishable living cargo that can spoil, pirates who seize marked crates when payments fail, and a heat meter that tracks prior actions across visits. Ship upgrades range from defensive deck guns to cruise boosters, cold storage units, and scanner-shielding stash modifications.
Game Modes
The experience supports solo play and sessions with up to three additional participants. In cooperative sessions, roles can be divided so one player engages the officer at the terminal while others reposition crates or adjust stashes. Teams may also split across a planet's surface, with individuals visiting trade offices, black markets, or local taverns to gather price rumors for the next cycle. No separate competitive or versus modes exist; the focus remains on shared smuggling runs and coordinated evasion of inspections.
Ships and Progression
Three hull sizes become available through earnings: the entry-level SPAWN, the intermediate CRANK, and the larger two-deck BELL that offers expanded cargo space and nine distinct stash locations. Modules attach to improve capabilities against threats or to preserve sensitive goods. Successful jumps to new galaxies introduce fresh planets, different legal environments, and increased targets while preserving the ship, installed modules, and accumulated reputation from prior systems.
Is It Worth Playing?
Hold My Cargo suits players who enjoy deliberate, hands-on simulation mechanics combined with light social coordination in co-op. The physical crate handling and inspection negotiations create a distinctive loop that rewards preparation and quick thinking under pressure. Those seeking abstract trading systems or high-action combat will find less to engage with here. The small-team development approach keeps the scope focused on core smuggling tension rather than expansive side content. Availability is limited to PC, and the title stands as an independent experience without reliance on prior entries in any series.
