Have you ever wandered around a train station, utterly bemused about where to go? Or been stuck with endless delays, lugging a heavy bag around crowds in the search of a bagel? You’ve probably thought that you could do a better job of organising a train station; no one could do it worse, right? Well, dream of dreams, your opportunity is here. May we introduce Train Station Simulator.
Train Station Simulator is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
There aren’t many remaining subjects that don’t have a simulator to their name, and we can cross train stations from that list now. But Train Station Simulator stands out by virtue of picking a topic that’s got a lot of depth – organising trains and a station sounds like a big ask – and its presentation, which isn’t your usual personality-less attempt to produce a 1:1 of the real thing.
What you get is a colourful pixel-art interpretation of a train station, zoomed out to a large degree so that you can take in every platform. We’re not the game’s target demographic, but it looks like Train Station Simulator is looking to widen its appeal by offering something with at least some colour.
The feature list shows the depth at which you can engage with Train Station Simulator. From the colour of the floor tiles to the hiring and firing of personnel, it seems that you have incredible micro-management opportunities here. You will be thinking in terms of transport links, as you connect your station to bus, taxi and other networks, as well as timetabling your trains and working out the price of stuff in shops. As someone who lived and breathed Sim City, Theme Park, Planet Coaster: Console Edition and Two Point Hospital: JUMBO Edition, this is a degree of management that’s way beyond the expected.
There are 25 scenarios to complete, and free modes are also available if you just want to mess around with the price of a baguette and stick cones in front of public conveniences. If the timetables work in our favour, we will have a review with you soon, so keep a train-spotter’s eye out.
Train Station Simulator is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £17.99 from the Xbox Store.
Game Description:
Train Station Simulator is a station builder and manager game. Create and maintain your dream station! Ride the rails and operate your ultimate grand central empire! Train Station Simulator is a station builder and manager game. Be a creative engineer by planning flooring tiles, building walls and creating emergency routes. Install ticketing machines, monitors, appliances, place benches and dozens of other public space related objects. Hire your staff for a more reliable operating ecosystem. The demand for rail travel is evident: setup the complete timetable for your central station and deploy all local and national bus, tram and taxi connections. Ride the rails and operate your ultimate grand central empire!
