Home > All Aboard! - Unrailed! Review
Originally published on Nintendo Castle.
Unrailed! fills a niche much like other party games: hectic cooperation towards a greater goal. A train is moving forward, and you have to place the tracks as best you can in front of it. Obstacles, water, and other annoyances (such as your own teammates) block your path. How well does this simple formula hold up in the face of other similarly chaotic games?
Platforms: Steam [Reviewed], PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Developer: Indoor Astronaut
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment GmbH
Release: September 9, 2019
MSRP: $19.99
Unrailed is a methodical game for those who are skilled at its gameplay loop. From checkpoint to checkpoint, coordination is key and it is a true pleasure to learn the mechanics with a fresh crew of 4 people. A game like this requires the basic method of play to be solid to paint a good picture of the rest of the experience. Without a doubt, Unrailed excels at a sort of zen focus that many games strive for.
The music is incredible, fitting the visual art style in an indescribably positive sensory experience. Chopping trees and mining for ore to build your train tracks is a satisfying and rewarding experience from start to finish. Tunes fit certain areas better than most games, not to mention that they are great songs on their own. They are both catchy and varied, allowing for the laser focus of gameplay to take over even at the height of the melody.
Unrailed takes hints from games like Overcooked 1 and 2 by simulating the cooperation of an imaginary team while allowing for small hints of mischief to set in. However, it is much more relaxing to play at all times, which may or may not be a good thing for some. Unrailed is the perfect game for a chill afternoon which may or may not involve cheering in the mix.
Unrailed makes it plain that you are a team, and makes it much harder to get in someone's way. It happens just often enough that all players watch for it, but not enough to cause frustration which is a good balance to strike. Players have hitboxes that stop 1-wide areas from become traffic zones, but this also encourages players to use spare wood to create bridges that make production of tracks easier.
Resources are doled out at a reasonable pace to encourage constant scarcity and production but also make sure players always see a solution. Although your tracks are theoretically only going forward into nothingness, you are accomplishing with every checkpoint reached and every record beaten making this game a great team-building exercise.
The game is simple, elegant, and yet has enough complexity to drive innovation in strategy and upgrade choices. Progression is short but impactful, and every single player will have an opinion on the next step based on their current job. This makes focused conversations a low-impact but high-fun experience.
The game suffers perhaps from the simple artstyle and strange controls, but after 10 minutes of adjustment even the newest of the new players will grasp the controls and the concept. If I had 4 people in a room with nothing to do, I would break out this game without a second thought. This is an addicting social experience and must-have game for anyone with a remote interest in the party game genre.
Pros:
- Excellent visuals
- Addicting and Rhythmic Music
- Satisfying Presentation
- Easy to learn
- Great gameplay loop
- Every action feels impactful
- Methodical, focused, and mind-numbing
- Low-conflict but high fun for parties
Cons:
- Controls are awkward at first
- Artstyle is simplistic
- Certain upgrades are unbalanced
- Bot-based singleplayer is lackluster
Verdict:
Excellent
Excellent games have our official recommendation and are examples of what every game should strive to be. These games feature exciting gameplay, engaging stories (when applicable), intuitive controls and movement, polished and fitting presentations, and good value. Above all else, these games are truly fun to play.
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