Islands & Trains

I am impressed with the things Islands & Trains manages to achieve, despite being a small game. You have multiple biomes, lots of building tools, a cozy environment and a wonderful railroad-building experience. Yes, it won’t surpass Train Valley or any other train management titles. But it doesn’t even try to do that. Instead, it blends railroad building with a cozy sandbox experience. It’s fun, beautiful in its own right, and with a good soundtrack. There’s no stress, no anxiety, just a cozy place where you can unwind and have a great time. I’ve spent quite a bit of time creating my own railroads over 3 different maps, and I am still coming back to it. Plus, it seems the game will continue getting more updates, and I am keeping my hopes up for a map sharing feature. But despite that, I think it’s one of the better cozy sandbox games, and one that can help cheer you up, while also letting your creativity run loose.