Railway Empire

Railway Empire is a good combination of simulation and managerial that, unfortunately, falls on "important" aspects such as the ability to view the game data in the way most congenial to us.

An entertaining tycoon which has a trouble with the confused build-up and, above all, the confusing interface, which come up especially in later stages of the game. But its core is incredibly entertaining and carefully tuned.

The economy model in Railway Empire is so simple that it's practically impossible to ruin it. On the other hand, laying tracks and managing trains is the best part of the game.

The core of the game is sound, it just needs to be more upfront with the player about what it’s doing. It’s really frustrating for me because I keep booting it up and I keep playing it, but eventually tangled web of systems gets the better of me and I’ve got to close it in a rage. It pains me because with the easily identified issues to the interface this is a game which would comfortably clamber up to 8.5, perhaps even 9 out of 10. Who knows, a few patches down the line, maybe Railway Empire will get there. After all, no train arrives quite on time.

This is a very enjoyable and thorough train management simulator, but if you happen to be a Spanish-speaking player, keep in mind the translation is not the best, to the point of making some missions only beatable through trial and error.

Despite slightly unintuitive controls, Railway Empire offers just enough depth and detail to make it worth a play. We can't help wishing for a much more encompassing railway management sim though.

Railway Empire is a satisfying enough experience for any strategy fan with even the remotest interest in trains -- or train fans with a passing interest in strategy. It offers campaign and scenarios with tasks and objectives alongside a sandbox mode that allows one to build the network of their dreams, catering to most players. While the lack of a single level going from 1830 to 1930 might displease some, the end product is a capable and accessible title in a very scant genre, and Railway Empire comes off as a passionate -- if not exactly flawless -- title.

Railway Empire is a good management game, interesting, deep and complex. But it is clearly not for beginners despite its presence on PS4 and Xbox One. The tutorial is too frail and we often end up going around in circles before finding the solution which make a run extremely time-consuming and artificially long. Despite that, this title has many interesting game mechanics, in particular the economy system which is a perfect representation of modern capitalism and what the history of the American railway might have been.

The dynamic trading system provides variety and the handling is very comfortable.

It feels like interface was developed by a saboteur, while another one was in charge of the tutorial: it barely covers the basics before dumping you right into a sink or swim situation. And even if you do manage to swim, you’ll face a myriad of annoyances. [Issue#227, p.50]