Railway Empire | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Gaming Minds Studios [lower-alpha 1] |
Publisher(s) | Kalypso Media |
Artist(s) | Bruno Frasca, Daniel Lieske |
Platform(s) | |
Release | Windows, Linux, PS4, Xbox OneNintendo Switch
|
Genre(s) | Construction and management simulation |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Railway Empire is a railroad construction and management simulation game developed by Gaming Minds Studio and published by Kalypso Media. It was announced in early 2017 and released on 26 January 2018 for Linux and Microsoft Windows, 30 January 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, [3] [4] and 14 February 2020 for Nintendo Switch. In Japan, the physical copy of the game was distributed by Ubisoft in May 2018. [5] A sequel, Railway Empire 2, was released in 2023. [6]
Railway Empire's base game takes place in the United States from 1830 to 1930. The player can build a large network of railway lines and buy various locomotives to serve cities and industries - growing cities in the process, and hire railway personnel for both train operations and office positions, all with individual bonuses and personality types. The player can also unlock innovations such as new locomotives or bonuses to revenue. The game has five main game modes: campaign mode, scenario mode, free mode, sandbox mode and challenge mode. [7] [8] [9]
The Campaign mode mainly takes the player through the building of the First transcontinental railroad, the exception being mission four which is based around the American Civil War. In this mode, the player must fulfil tasks as well as competing with AI controlled competitors. In the Scenario mode, these competitors are selectable and playable characters with specific gameplay bonuses. The tasks are also considerably harder in scenario mode. In Free mode, the task list is randomly generated upon start-up, and the tasks given are not compulsory. Players can also choose to toggle different settings, such as how many competitors they face (between 0 and 3), the competitors' difficulty level, or whether snowfall is enabled (thereby slowing down locomotives in winter months). Sandbox mode has no tasks and all locomotives are automatically researched. There are also no competitors and money is infinite. Challenge mode is similar to scenarios and free mode but players compete with other players on an online leaderboard. [8] [10]
As of 7 May 2021 [update] , the game has ten downloadable content (DLC) available. Most DLCs add new Scenarios to the game, new maps for Free Game and Sandbox mode, new engines and tradeable goods. One DLC, Railway Empire - Official Soundtrack, does not add to the base game and instead is the release of the soundtracks of the base game and the DLCs released at that time. [11]
Name | Release date | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Mexico | 8 June 2018 | [12] |
The Great Lakes | 17 August 2018 | [13] |
Crossing the Andes | 19 October 2018 | [14] |
Great Britain & Ireland | 14 December 2018 | [15] |
Germany | 1 March 2019 | [16] |
France | 24 May 2019 | [17] |
Northern Europe | 13 December 2019 | [18] |
Down Under | 8 May 2020 | [19] |
Japan [lower-alpha 2] | 7 May 2021 | [20] |
On 7 August 2020, Kalypso released the 'complete collection', allowing for the purchase of all DLCs available at that time (except the music DLC) together with the base game. [21]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 74/100 [22] PS4: 79/100 [23] XONE: 77/100 [24] NS: 74/100 [25] |
The game has a score of 74 on Metacritic. [22]
In a review of Railway Empire in Black Gate , Bob Byrne said "I've rediscovered my love of railroad simulations with this game. It's just as fun to play as Railroad Tycoon was. I highly recommend this if it's your type of game." [26]
Railway Empire was nominated for four awards by the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2018; [27] it won two: Best German PC/Console Game, and Best German Technical Performance Game. [28]
Startopia is a video game by Mucky Foot Productions and published by Eidos in June 2001, in which the player administers various space stations with the task of developing them into popular hubs. The game has a comical overtone, with lighthearted humour and cartoonish aliens. The game was re-released on GOG.com in September 2012 and was added to the Steam catalogue in October 2013.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a 2004 construction and management simulation video game. It is the third installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, and was developed by Frontier Developments and published by Atari Interactive. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 places players in charge of managing amusement parks; rides can be built or demolished, terrain and scenery can be adjusted, and prices can be controlled to keep visitors or "peeps" happy.
Cities in Motion is a business simulation game developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive.
Sniper Elite V2 is a 2012 third-person tactical shooter stealth video game developed and published by Rebellion Developments. It is the sequel to 2005's Sniper Elite, which takes place in the same timeframe and location—the Battle of Berlin in April and May 1945—but with an altered narrative. The game's story follows an American OSS officer who must eliminate a group of scientists involved in the German V-2 rocket program before the Red Army captures them. A sequel named Sniper Elite III was released in 2014. A remastered version for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One was released on May 14, 2019.
A Hat in Time is a 2017 platform game developed by Danish game studio Gears for Breakfast and published by Humble Bundle. The game was developed using Unreal Engine 3 and funded through a Kickstarter campaign, which nearly doubled its fundraising goals within its first two days. The game was self-published for macOS and Windows in October 2017, and by Humble Bundle for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles two months later. A version for the Nintendo Switch was released in October 2019.
Puyo Puyo Tetris is a 2014 puzzle video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. The game is a crossover between the Puyo Puyo series and the Tetris franchise, and features various gameplay modes incorporating both aspects. The game includes characters modeled and named after the seven Tetrominos, which are different puzzle pieces each made of four blocks.
Farming Simulator is a farming simulation video game series developed by GIANTS Software. The locations are based on American and European environments. Players are able to farm, breed livestock, grow crops, and sell assets created from farming.
Super Mega Baseball is a baseball video game series developed by the independent studio Metalhead Software in Victoria, BC, Canada and published by EA Sports.
Mega Man Legacy Collection is a series of video game compilations based on Capcom's Mega Man franchise. Each compilation features several playable video games from one of the Mega Man sub-series and adds new gameplay features and bonus content such as concept artwork. These compilations were developed internally at Capcom and were released between 2015–2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, with the exception of the original Legacy Collection which was developed by Digital Eclipse and also released on Nintendo 3DS.
Portal Knights is an independent survival action role-playing video game developed by Keen Games and published by 505 Games. It was first released on Steam on 18 May 2017 and subsequently released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI is a turn-based strategy 4X video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K. The mobile and Nintendo Switch port was published by Aspyr Media. The latest entry into the Civilization series, it was released on Windows and macOS in October 2016, with later ports for Linux in February 2017, iOS in December 2017, Nintendo Switch in November 2018, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2019, and Android in 2020.
Tropico 6 is a construction, management and political simulation game in the Tropico series, developed by Limbic Entertainment, published by Kalypso Media, and announced at E3 2017. Originally intended for a 2018 release, Tropico 6 was released on Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in March 2019, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September 2019. It was released for the Nintendo Switch in November 2020, and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in March 2022.
Train Valley is a puzzle-strategy train simulator video game developed by Flazm, released on September 16, 2015. It is available for download on Steam and iOS. A sequel, titled Train Valley 2, was released on March 29, 2018. Train Valley: Console Edition was released on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on July 27, 2022.
Jurassic World Evolution is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments. Based on the 2015 film Jurassic World, the game was released in June 2018, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch port of the game was released in November 2020. In the game, players construct a dinosaur park on Las Cinco Muertes Archipelago, a group of five islands also known as the "Five Deaths". The game features more than 40 types of dinosaurs; their genes can be modified to introduce new features. Players are given contracts to fulfill by three divisions, Science, Security and Entertainment, allowing them to progress. A sandbox mode set on Isla Nublar, the setting of the first and fourth films, can be unlocked. It can also be used from the main menu without having to be unlocked.
Dungeons 3 is a video game developed by Realmforge Studios and published by Kalypso Media. It was released on October 13, 2017, for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and for Nintendo Switch on September 15, 2022. It is the sequel to the 2015 video game Dungeons 2 and the third installment of the Dungeons series.
MudRunner is a 2017 off-roading simulation game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was released on October 31, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and is a spin-off/sequel of the 2014 Windows-exclusive Spintires, which was developed by Oovee Game Studios. Similar to Spintires, MudRunner has the player control off-road vehicles as they traverse locations to complete objectives. The game was released in Japan on Nintendo Switch on June 18, 2020. A sequel to MudRunner was released on April 28, 2020 titled SnowRunner.
Cooking Simulator is a simulation cooking game developed by Polish team Big Cheese Studio and published by PlayWay S.A. on 6 June 2019 for Microsoft Windows. The Nintendo Switch version was released on 14 May 2020, published on the system by Forever Entertainment. The Xbox One version was released on 14 August 2020. A mobile port, titled Cooking Simulator Mobile, launched on Android devices on 20 October 2020. It is available on iOS in a few countries, and the worldwide release is available for pre-register by PlayWay S.A. The PlayStation 4 version released on 20 May 2021 exclusively in Europe and Australia, and on 8 June 2021 in North America.
Scribblenauts Showdown is a party game developed by Shiver Entertainment and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in March 2018. The game is the sixth installment in the Scribblenauts franchise, created by 5th Cell. Showdown sees players playing minigames against other players or CPUs.
Gloomhaven is a turn-based strategy role-playing video game, developed by Flaming Fowl Studios and published by Asmodee Digital. It is an adaptation of the tabletop game by the same name. Following two years of early access, Gloomhaven was released for Windows on October 20, 2021 and macOS on November 25, 2021. The game was ported to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2023.
Lego Bricktales is a puzzle adventure game developed by ClockStone Studio and published by Thunderful. Lego Bricktales was released for Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on 12 October 2022, and for Android and iOS on 27 April 2023. A virtual/mixed reality version was released for Meta Quest 2, 3 and Pro on 7 December 2023. Lego Bricktales received generally positive reviews.