A Bumpy Ride

There is a very, very small population of people who want to get into Train Simulator but don't find it gamified, or simplified, enough. There is a similarly small population (maybe even rarer) who particularly enjoyed the Legend of Zelda: Spirit Track's train system. And a few lucky folks are both. I am one of those few, and this game felt made for me. Control a small, adorable train in a world peopled by small, adorable animal people, whom you shuttle between different stations. As you progress through the short campaign, accomplishing objectives at your leisure, you unlock new areas to explore and towns to serve. And I do mean explore: a short cutscene starts the game with your engineer losing their map, and you're forced to redraw it by traveling on the rails. Keep your travelers happy with fast service and by obeying rail rules, and you get money you can spend on skins (that have no effect, but there are plenty of them) or upgrades, like better brakes or a first class car. You can also unlock employees who confer bonuses for a delayed cost, and they work like equipable bonuses. Overall, I find it a brilliantly conceived and delivered game. Graphics are clearly inspired by the Nintendo DS, and are friendly and fun to interact with. Controls feel good, and it has got that "just one more day" addictive energy. Complete the campaign (it took me 6 hours) and you unlock a sort of Endless Mode that you feel like the entire game could have been and still been fun! So: kudos. I love it.

Definitely a worthy entry into the "cozy train game" genre. It's best played a day or two at a time in small bits. There's a nice progression of unlocking areas and cosmetics, but the progress is a bit uneven in terms of how fast you unlock things. You'll need to have the patience to just appreciate some stretches where you're just rolling on the tracks without much else going on. The characters are cute and the low pixel art style is fitting. Expect to get about 8-10 hours of content out of it if you want to see the full game but not necessarily try to unlock everything.

It's pretty good reminds of Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

This game is an absolute gem. it's well polished, no real bugs that I can see, and it's absolutely stuffed with charm. My only complaint? That there's not enough here. The developer absolutely should contemplate post-launch content drops. because something tells me I'm not the only one who finds the ride rather...short.

I'd play Spirit tracks all the time on my DS, just doing passenger and freight runs for the exclusive purpose of justifying playing my virtual cartoon trainset anywhere i went as a kid this is all that. again. more! and only the train bits. but this time, i have a gay pride flag. two! im begging you make dlc. also let me use the mountain engine. its long and cool. give it to me, thank you.

This is a game that strikes an incredibly rare balance for a train sim to achieve, having just enough realism to be engaging and convincing, while being simple enough to not be burdensome to those who just want to have a cozy gaming experience. The world the developers have created is incredibly immersive and fun, filled with its own little lore, humor, and tons of character, that make the hours easily passable, and incentivize exploration. And if you're into railroad history, there's tons of details to look out for, including the design of locomotives and scenic assets that were inspired by their real-life counterparts. The sound design and original soundtrack are also incredible, and one could be forgiven for believing it was the work of the dedicated team of a AAA studio. Gameplay is addicting, as you'll find yourself experimenting with various combinations of unlockable upgrades to try to shave more time of your schedule, and encountering different challenges associated with each type of freight, and passenger, that get in the way of staying on-time. Even after opening up the entire map, and unlocking all achievements, there's still enough variation in each day to give it strong replay value, especially for anyone just looking to unwind with a dynamic, yet relaxing experience. Overall, this is a 10/10 experience, and you can tell this team are true masters of their craft. I greatly look forward to this studio's future work!

I like to put on Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM and imagine I am listening to the radio while driving my train across the country. 10/10

yea dude choo choo

Right; so this game is essentially "what if Crazy Taxi, but with trains?" Good concept, fun gameplay, casual without being *too* casual. My primary complaint is that it feels under-embellished. There could be more unlocks (that affect the game- there are plenty of cosmetics); there could be a non-cosmetic difference between engineers and/or engines, there could be more cars, either resulting in longer trains or having to pick which you'll be hitching up that day, there could be more commodities, and there could even be the ability to take multiple gondolas (and therefore multiple freight deliveries at once), but most important of all- the map could be bigger, more intricate, and even more populated by rival trains, but particularly the part about it being bigger and more intricate- and just as important: there could be more quests. Right now, the last quest is "finish opening the map" meaning once you've unlocked the whole map, you've essentially beaten the game before you even explore the new section. Once all the content is unlocked there's still replay value, but there's no reason to continue playing beyond that, which feels like a waste. I think what I'm *really* getting at here is I've enjoyed myself playing this game, and I hope the devs see their way clear to making a bigger, better sequel, because they're definitely on to something here.

bumpy ride is a cozy but entertaining game, its simple peaceful and occasionally stressful but all and all a great time