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Over the years, mobile gaming has become a real ocean where few titles manage to stand out and survive their own success. This is where he applies the idea of ”one hit wonder” to call what is a phenomenon one day and part of the past on the other. However, there are video games capable of staying in this highly competitive world and taking a step towards consoles thanks to their well-designed, executed and presented proposals. The summer season has seen, precisely, the arrival of one of them: Train Valley: Console Edition.
Video: Train Valley: Console Edition – launch trailer
The train puzzle you didn’t know you needed
Train Valley: Console Edition, excuse the redundancy, is the console version of the franchise developed by Flazm that later had the support of Blitworks and debuted in 2015 with a puzzle proposal inspired by the railway industry. After 7 years of standing out on mobile and receiving praise from critics and users, the installment arrives on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. It is precisely the version of the Nintendo hybrid that is the subject of this review.
In a simple way, Train Valley: Console Edition is a strategy and puzzle game whose objective is to build, develop and manage a railway network in a given space. As a strategy game, we are subjected to the passage of time, the payment of taxes and the management of a budget, since it is necessary to invest to build roads and their respective connections, and the only way to recover the investment and obtain profits is by seeking the optimal operation of our network, since the arrival of each train ensures the entry of money. As a puzzle, we are faced with a series of difficulties, starting with the type of territory on which to build, intelligent decisions regarding the lines and the proper management of times and changes to avoid accidents and delays.
A journey through different eras in the railway industry
Starting as a mobile proposal adapted to consoles, Train Valley: Console Edition shows a simple design, but with identity. Believe it or not, its main mode is the story mode, which puts us in front of a series of riddles that occur in different eras and give an account of the history of this industry. Our lines and success or failure as railway strategists will take place in Europe from 1830 to 1980, the United States from 1840 to 1960, Russia and its Soviet period from 1880 to 1980, Japan from 1900 to 2020, and Germany from 1830 to 2020. and its periods are reflected sometimes in details, sometimes in abstract expressions, as the case may be, and by appealing to important historical facts.
“The main mode is the story mode and it puts us in front of a series of puzzles that take place in different eras that account for the history of this industry”
Although at its launch Train Valley: Console Edition leaned towards the use of a controller -something questionable because these types of games can become a nightmare when they reach consoles-, the development team had the right idea to take advantage of the touch technology of the Nintendo Switch. I think on this platform you get the experience that the studio wanted.
It is worth mentioning that adjustments are needed, because at the time of writing this review, the same movement can generate different results in terms of the construction of routes, and just when you think that there is already a connection, it turns out that the system took the movement of your finger as a command to place a curve, not a straight line. Also, the top down view and the size of the fingers are a bad combination, since the screen shows shapes and data that you need to consult immediately, but they are below what you are touching.
The mechanics and commands are basic, nothing complex or with endless menus or extensive tutorials. Of course, everything has a cost, regardless of the options you prefer to build lines, destroy to correct or demolish parts of the environment to have better build paths. You can also select the station from which each train will leave, add trains once you have the path built and even stop them or assign them to the opposite direction for strategy or emergency.
Each historical period has chapters, the difficulty curve progresses through each one and is defined by a series of objectives. It is here where Train Valley: Console Edition, from the first moment, it leaves its curious side as a “train game” to become a challenging and addictive experience. No matter how angry or frustrated you are, you will always come back for more, and the riddles, if you are a fan of this type of proposal, will stay in your mind where you will devise the most convenient type of lines and crossings.
At the beginning, everything is simple: a couple of connected lines, the same number of trains, everything flows smoothly. However, the passage of time brings development and the new stations require us to comply with the new demands in terms of transportation.
With more lines and more trains, the challenge begins, since it becomes necessary to contemplate the future immediately, thinking and executing the best decisions that guarantee that each train arrives at the indicated station in the shortest possible time and, especially, without accidents. The madness is present because you have to be attentive to the changes of tracks that we create, the speeds and the itineraries. Worse yet, the system often plays tricks on us because the trains we leave on hold are not like this forever, because there comes a time when they start on their own and take their course while we think about new connections or repair the wake of disaster left by our terrible management.
“With more lines and more trains, the challenge begins, because you have to immediately contemplate the future, thinking and executing the best decisions that guarantee that each train arrives at the indicated station in the shortest possible time and without crashing”
The difficulty is balanced and although at times everything becomes complicated, the system rewards or punishes to the same extent, so that it does not feel unfair and the collapse of your great work usually happens due to lack of attention and not because a train started out of nowhere at a bad time.
Train Valley: Console Edition It has 2 modes, the one we exposed before and a sandbox without budget limits or missions. Although it is unattractive and there is little reason to get lost in it, it is worth the opportunity to learn about the mechanics and the type of railway lines that are more efficient in all respects. This is important, because although the scenarios are the same, the initial tracks and stations are different in each session; do not forget that it is a puzzle.
In the end, Train Valley: Console Edition It correctly fulfills its mission of transferring an experience from mobile to console, especially on Nintendo Switch. Its proposal is addictive and it is easy to return again and again, as it is designed for short sessions. Without a doubt, and despite its limitations and some details, it is a fun proposal that fans of puzzles and romantics of the railway industry will like.
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