There is something calming about trains, whether it’s riding or watching them. I’ve personally had a fascination with them since I was a child. So, when Train Valley Origins Demo came across my desk, I was excited.
For those who have never played a Train Valley game, the premise is simple. The main focus is level-based puzzles forcing players to lay down tracks. The difficulty comes from making a railroad that can accommodate each train with paths to each station. This can get hectic very fast, but it’s quite satisfying to do your job as a manager.
Start Small
As a railroad manager, you will need to build lines and ensure no accidents. To do this, you will need to schedule and direct trains. This will be done by clicking on the station to send the train out. While moving the cargo, tracks will have directions that players will click to send trains down a separate path.
This is the main gameplay loop, and I found it satisfying while offering a decent amount of challenge. This challenge mainly arises from stars, which you will have to earn while completing each level. These star challenges will vary from earning money to never letting the game schedule a train for you.
From my time with this preview, I found the star mechanics to be what made the gameplay compelling. After all, scheduling trains without a clear goal can be boring for those not heavily invested in them. So, providing these challenges to tackle add each level is perfect, adding a solid amount of difficulty. This is even more true since you will have little reason to edit your tracks after laying them.
In this demo, the final mechanic you will need to manage is upgrading your trains. This is deceptively tricky as upgrading a train is a big money investment. Additionally, each train upgrade makes that train faster. Simple right? Well, if a faster train catches up to a slower train, they will both explode in a crash. This is bad as not only does it waste time, but a crash loses money that could have been used to upgrade a train. Some challenges involve not letting a train explode at all. You will need to keep your head on straight and plan routes ahead of time if you wish to avoid any unwanted explosions!
Bringing it Home
Train Valley Origins is a fantastic time for those who love management sims. There is a lot of zen in setting down tracks and delivering goods. However, there is more than just zen in this game. The challenges can get very difficult at times. Even though the demo I had access to was supposed to be short, I ended up playing for over two hours and never completed all of the levels. This is honestly great for those looking for a challenge and the fact that even the demo provided it is awesome.
I came into Train Valley expecting a cute game. I got that and even more than I bargained for. I can’t wait to find out when the full game launches. In the meantime, I will be playing the first three games in the series to get better and prepare myself for this one!
If you are interested in checking Train Valley Origins out for yourself, this demo is now live on Steam!
