Railgrade
Review
A Sim with Train Puzzles Or A Puzzle With Trains?
by Howie Howard
reviewed on PC
Hitting the tracks
RailGrade is the new train game by developer Minakata Dynamics and publisher Gamera Games. The game was in early access for a while until it was released in its final form recently. RailGrade is billed as being a train resource management sim, but in reality, it isn't - not in the Railroad Tycoon style of train simulation that we've come to know and love. The Tycoon style of traditional railroad building simulations are based on building a thriving railroad empire and then managing it. RailGrade is actually a puzzle game that happens to have trains, at least that's the way it seems. We say that because everything is based on separate missions that contain a time limit. The missions can be as simple as supplying a zeppelin dock with oil, to supplying a growing city needing several different resources.
The game takes place on an off-world industrial colony and the purpose is the harvesting of resources. As administrator, it is the game player's job to oversee industrial production on the planet. Because the setting is an off-world planet then it's easy to assume that it takes place in a Sci-Fi future where technology should be advanced. However, these off-world inhabitants that were transported to this far away planet from an otherwise unknown world apparently have old technology because the movement of resources is accomplished by train! At the beginning of the game the initial train engine propulsion is based on steam. Steam driven trains were in use back in the 1800's, at so it doesn't really make much sense. On this far away world, technology seems to be primitive at best, but it gets better as you progress in the game. Low level technology could be explained away though by saying the resource gathering and production system is in total disrepair which it is in many cases.
Train Management Can Be Very Puzzling at Times
In the more traditional train sims, the trains progressively became more technologically advanced as time passes and when new historical periods are entered. Train stations are upgraded, and the actual movement and actions of the trains appeared more realistic and their behaviour was true to life so to speak. Those game types were based on a sand box style of game play versus the scripted time limited mission completion and level up style of puzzle solving games like RailGrade. That's okay but be aware that RailGrade isn't necessarily a railroad building / management simulation where you are tasked with managing a railroad business with the focus of earning money so the rail empire can be the biggest and best one around! In RailGrade when you finish a mission then you go on to the next mission and you are rewarded according to the finishing time. However, you do keep the earned upgrades and improvements from preceding missions.
There are four-time levels that are used in the game and they are; S, A, B, and C. Finish under the S time limit and you get the maximum reward in vouchers. Each time limit level under S, the reward is lessened accordingly. As you progress through the increasingly more difficult missions, new resources are added, better trains become available and new building types are unlocked. A couple of buildings that become available are a bank where you can take out a loan or start an account where money invested gains interest. Then there's the voucher redemption building which is where you go to redeem saved up vouchers. The vouchers unlock new train technologies and things like different system music and other things. This is what makes finishing under the top time limit be so important.
Here A Puzzle, There A Puzzle, Everywhere A Puzzling Puzzle...
When starting RailGrade for the first time there is a descent tutorial present where the basics are taught and the main theme of needing to gather resources as fast as possible is emphasized. Game controls consist of a mix of mouse and keyboard letter usage. I played on the PC but there are options for the Xbox and PlayStation game consoles if those are your machine of choice.
Since the puzzles progressively get more difficult, I would suggest giving the options a look because there are ways to tone things down a bit. There doesn't seem to be a way to pause the game in order to think things through, so you have to kind of wing it and hope for the best. The 50+ missions do become very difficult, and you will need to micro manage everything. Since the missions are governed by time, and time doesn't stop, then even the smallest delay or mistake can derail your entire plan. Don't worry though because you can go back and replay the failed mission in order to get a better time if you fail and fail you will in the real hard missions. I certainly failed some missions but when you finally get it right it can be very satisfying and that's what it's all about.
Puzzling Trains, Or Train Puzzles Now I'm Really Confused, How Puzzling...
Folks, there is a lot to this game; it might not be a pure railroad / train management simulator, but it has a lot to offer, especially if you like puzzles. Everything runs very smoothly, and I didn't find any bugs. Some of the missions will require you to start from scratch where you need to locate resources, build or rather place the appropriate resource gathering buildings, assign the necessary workers and lay down rails, place stations, set the switches while adding the needed trains and its cars. Other missions might provide a jumbled-up mishmash collection of broken rails that need to be fixed and improved. Every mission will be different from the previous ones.
Don't run out of money because this rail system requires the administrator to use his or her own earned money to purchase the needed infrastructure and trains. I made the mistake of installing too much track and buying too many trains and I let my cash reserve go to zero. When cash is at zero the game doesn't end, progress just stops until the available trains on the map can generate enough money to be able to continue. Keep in mind that there is a bank and loans can be taken out, but bank loans come with a hefty interest payment when the loan is paid back. When the goal of delivered resources or city population is met then the mission abruptly ends. With this said, I'll give RailGrade two thumbs up recommendation and if you love puzzles then all the better because there are a lot of them and they do become very challenging!
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8.0
fun score
Pros
Lots of great puzzles
Cons
Lots of great puzzles
