All Aboard the Tramau Tram!
Want some tram facts? No? Well tough because you’re going to get them anyways, mostly as I need a way to set up this review of City Transport Simulator: Tram on Xbox.
First up and the word ‘tram’ actually comes from the wagons used to pull coal in the Scottish mines. And the city with the most working trams? That would be Prague, even if the very first electric tram in the UK rolled out in Blackpool, way back in 1885.
Had enough tram news? Great, but it’s not going to stop there as we now have City Transport Simulator: Tram available on Xbox, put together by the good sim folks at Dovetail Games.
It’s not the first tram game on the market either – I’ve played and reviewed both Tram Simulator: Urban Transit and TramSim: Console Edition previously – and I don’t think it will be the last.
Welcome to Tramau
Jump into City Transport Simulator: Tram and you’ll find a brief introduction to the game, something that works very much like a tourist information video. It shows the city of Tramau; a fictional city that resembles Vienna. Tramau, in its glorious past, was one of the cities that embraced tram tech but now those days have faded. Luckily a new mayor has brought loads of trams in from Europe and entrusted you to revitalise the industry. Can you do it? As for a story that’s pretty much it.
Entering the career mode and the first thing to do is get you moving and working on the trams. Now if you’ve played any of the Train Sim World games and love that level of detail and work you have to take in to get a train moving, you will be slightly shocked here. You see, this time around it is a case of indicate, close the doors and accelerate. Then you’re off.
Riding the Rails
Driving a tram is a very simple thing. You have a route to follow which you can choose from the city map, and the time of day you want to travel in. You press a button to accelerate and a button to brake. The tram is electric, super responsive, so braking is pretty much instant if you want it to be – the same goes for acceleration. You have a speed limit that changes constantly that you need to adhere to, and, as you may expect to hear, if you go over that, you get fewer experience points.
The idea of the game is to work the route that you select. That means going to each stop and carefully braking and stopping the tram. You open the doors, let in new customers and drop off old ones. Then it’s onto the next stop and so on. You know the drill. There is a timetable to keep to, with a counter on the screen telling you if you are on schedule or not.
But of course, you’ll need to ensure you stop at red lights and use your indicators. At the end of each route, you get experience points for you to level up.
Building Your Tram Business
There is a business model as well, one that lets you make the most of your well-earned experience points. Here you buy a whole range of new trams to use around the city, showing off a bit to the citizens of the world. There is also the opportunity to create new routes and drive them, but it all feels a bit too basic, especially for most sim fans, and I think that can be applied to the actual driving as well.
You can add in the Sandbox mode too, ridding the world of the pressure of timetables, passengers, and any worry about the creation of new routes or signaling. You can just drive around the city, take in the sights, maybe take some photos and get a virtual coffee.
City Transport Simulator: Tram’s Visuals and Audio
The city found in City Transport Simulator: Tram is a pleasant place to be. You can switch cameras to get a cockpit view, or take in one from the passenger’s view point and outside the tram itself. The buildings, shops, parks and churches have that European feel to them but, as is the case with many games of this ilk, whilst the passengers look okay, there are a lot of twins and triplets running around in Tramau; that in itself is worrying.
Aside from that though, the tram effects are fine, but you may wish to bring some music along for the ride because you will certainly need something to listen to after the tenth journey. But seriously, I have appreciated the fact that when the tram doors open, the sounds of the city flood in, like a school playground at one point that adds an authentic feel.
A Simple But Satisfying Tram Sim with Room for Improvement
There is a ton of DLC available for City Transport Simulator: Tram, but even with all that, is this a game that will fulfil your tram sim needs? Well, maybe. The simple nature of driving a tram across a city is fine, but the career mode feels lacking, and I would have preferred some more of the business model included, adding depth like a Train Sim World.
But that said, if you fancy driving around Tramau, trying to help a city prosper, then City Transport Simulator: Tram could well be your preferred method of travel.
Important Links
All Aboard! City Transport Simulator: Tram Delivers a Tram-tastic Experience on Xbox and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/all-aboard-city-transport-simulator-tram-delivers-a-tram-tastic-experience-on-xbox-and-pc/
Buy City Transport Simulator: Tram on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/city-transport-simulator-tram/9NTGSM7V7VBM
Take in a Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/city-transport-simulator-tram-deluxe-edition/9N903CH01ZSB/0010
Or maybe even the Collector’s Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/city-transport-simulator-tram-collectors-edition/9NQKSSKR16BT/0010
