Preparing for the Unexpected on the Tracks
I was reminded, while playing the latest entry in the Train Sim World franchise, of a bygone era of travel, a time when I didn’t board a train armed with a preloaded playlist or a film to watch on my phone. There were no portable consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 to while away the hours, just perhaps a paperback book and a puzzle mag you might have bought in the station for 10p. Most of the time, you would simply glance out of the window for hours on end, wondering about the places and the lives you’d see pass by in the flash of an eye.
I had that same feeling when playing Train Sim World 6, as I opted to detach my view, floating around my train and just watching the world go by. So, just like Christmas, the yearly event on the tracks has arrived. Let’s see what’s new in our stockings this time.
Three New Tracks, Three Unique Experiences
It’s fair to say there have been many incremental improvements since the franchise first started with the iconic, original, Train Sim World. If you’ve been collecting all the tracks and DLC over the years, you will find yourself with a massive bunch of the world to travel around. This year’s entry adds three brand-new routes to that collection: the Leipzig to Dresden line in Germany, the Morristown Line in New Jersey, USA, and my personal favourite, the Riviera Line, which runs through beautiful Devon in the UK.
Each of these new routes comes with its own story arc and scenarios, but they also feature this year’s headline addition, a new system where you have to “prepare for the unexpected.”
Randomness on the Rails
This introduces a dynamic random events system to your gameplay, designed to keep you on your toes. This could manifest as a sudden, unscheduled change in the speed limits on the line that you have to react to quickly, forcing you to keep your wits about you. It could also mean trains breaking down further up the line, causing significant delays and forcing you to adapt your timetable on the hoof. It’s a genuinely nice addition that adds a layer of unpredictability and keeps you fully engaged, as you never know what sudden change might be just around the next bend.
In the Cab: Training and Immersion
As always, starting with the comprehensive training centre is a good idea. It’s the best place to get a feel for operating all the different types of trains included, learning the nuances of how they start, stop, and handle. Here, you’ll get a solid grounding in procedures like swapping ends, changing signals manually, and using the conductor mode that was introduced last year with Train Sim World 5. When you start a scenario, you can always opt for a guided experience with plenty of on-screen help.
However, for the more hardcore and immersive train drivers amongst you, the ability to turn all of these guides off and go for a completely raw driving experience is readily available.
Route Diversity
The three new routes offer a wonderfully diverse experience, each set in a distinct environment. There are a ton of new missions and timetables to work through for each track, which will certainly keep you busy for quite a while. The American New Jersey track, the Morristown Line, feels pleasingly old-fashioned and is primarily a commuter run. In this mode, a lot of things go wrong with the railway service, showcasing the new random events system. The trains themselves feel clunky and authentically American old-school; so much so that you can almost smell the diesel fumes.
In complete contrast, the German Dresden line represents the high-tech world of modern railways, featuring trains that tilt at high speed on the curves to combat G-force. Operating these feels like being on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, and they are probably the simplest trains to use.
But, being from the UK, it was an absolute delight to operate the Riviera Line. This route is famous for its scenery, and the game captures how it can suddenly turn from lush green fields to stunning seaside vistas, which is always a delight to witness.
Visual Fidelity and Authentic Sound Design
Beyond the “scripted” scenarios and timetables, you can also dive into the free-roam mode. Here, you have the freedom to adapt the route of any of the lines you own, adding in your own parameters such as dynamic weather conditions and the overall length of the journey. The livery editor also returns, allowing you to design custom train decals, if that’s your sort of thing.
There is certainly a lot of content here, but does it offer enough new value to justify a completely new entry in the series? I am not so sure. Yes, Train Sim World 6 is probably the best train sim game out there, but perhaps there needs to be one more really shiny, headline feature this year to make it truly stand out from its predecessors.
Visually, Train Sim World is always very impressive and seems to get better with each passing year. I particularly enjoy controlling the train from an external camera, and just watching the world go by. However, for the most immersive experience, you will want to be inside the cabs. The attention to detail in the layouts of the different trains is phenomenal, with every button, lever, and dial painstakingly recreated. However, I did encounter some visual bugs, such as floating textures or occasional pop-in, but hopefully, these will be ironed out in patches to come.
The sound design is brilliant as always, with every clank, whistle, and horn sounding completely authentic. I wouldn’t profess to know exactly how these specific trains sound in real life, but they certainly sound very good here. Live announcements in stations feel like a new, immersive addition, as does the ambient noise when you walk into a passenger carriage; instead of dead silence, passengers sneeze, grumble, and cough, which adds a lot of life. The music is fine, and the voice actors who give you directions are superb – so clear and professional that I would trust them with my life.
The Best Sim Yet, But Is it Enough?
Dovetail Games continues to do an excellent job with its Train Sim World series. But I suppose the perennial question is, do we really need a new game every single year? The counterargument, of course, would be that I will always buy the latest football game every year because that’s what I love, so why should it be any different for dedicated train fans?
Whatever, in Train Sim World 6 I liked the new random events, even though after a while I saw the same things appearing, and the new tracks and trains are always appreciated. But I am looking forward to seeing what the next entry will, hopefully truly pushing the franchise forward in a more significant way.
Important Links
Expect the Unexpected – Train Sim World 6 is PLAYABLE NOW – https://www.thexboxhub.com/expect-the-unexpected-train-sim-world-6-is-playable-now/
Train Sim World 6 Announced with Random Events, a September Release Date & Early Access – https://www.thexboxhub.com/train-sim-world-6-announced-with-random-events-a-september-release-date-early-access/
Buy Train Sim World 6 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/train-sim-world-6-standard-edition/9pjj15jr1zwk
Get a Deluxe Edition – http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/train-sim-world-6-deluxe-edition/9NP29N1H0G4G/0010
There’s a Special Edition too – http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/train-sim-world-6-special-edition/9P9RC6080VKN/0010
