Station to Station Preview – Trains Plotting (Demo)
Station to Station by Galaxy Grove
The goal of Station to Station is to efficiently connect stations together via railways and connecting train stations. Each level had a list of goals. I had to connect structures via train stations to complete each level. These structures included places like wheat farms, milk farms, mills, and towns.
As an example, I had to connect a mill to a wheat farm, then connect that to a bakery to make bread. I also had to connect a dairy farm to a cheesery to produce cheese. Later I had to connect these places to towns.
On the Rails
The mechanic of dropping down railways are seamless. Dragging the mouse from a station places railways automatically. It also creates bridges automatically when going over cliffs or crossing over other railways.
There is a good amount of player freedom here; it’s a game that requires some thought. The main goal of Station to Station seems simple, but the game throws money management and tricky terrain to make this a bit more challenging.
Dropping down rails to connect the stations together requires money, which is gained with each successful resource connection. Connecting multiple resources at once produces bonus cash.
What’s in the Cards?
On top of that, Station to Station doles out cards, which offer bonuses. For example, cards might make the next set of rails you drop cost half as much or reduce the expense of costly bridges. Another card offered a bonus to resources gained when connections are formed.
These cards do an awesome job of adding some strategy to the game. I’d often hold onto the cards to use when I had a particularly tricky terrain to traverse or a large distance to cover.
I’m curious to see if the developers add more cards for additional extra bonuses or challenge because they are a rewarding addition to the game’s core mechanics.
When the Difficulty Curve becomes a Cliff
Another important mechanic is the game’s tricky land layouts. Each level contains cliffs that make creating rails more costly by requiring bridges. Some stations require long distances, making connecting stations a bit more complex.
Things like cliffs and proper rail placement require some thought. It adds a great amount of strategy; I had to restart the last level of the preview to manage my money balance better.
These restarts play into what may be an issue for some. These three preview levels weren’t that long, but they demand enough thought that it can take around 10 or 15 minutes on average to complete.
I had one instance in this preview build where I simply ran out of money. I couldn’t sell anything, and there is no undo button, so I had to restart the level over again. This is probably by design to really make players think critically about their railway placement, but I can see some players becoming annoyed by this aspect of the game especially if levels get to become more and more complex.
I didn’t have a problem with the restarting levels because of the overall short level length, nor did I feel like I wasted my time because I learned from my prior mistakes. It also helped that the moment-to-moment gameplay is fun.
Sight-seeing and Trainspotting
Visually the game incorporates a colorful voxel style that reminds me of thickly-coated landscape paintings. It’s a great look that sells an almost miniature train diorama style.
This whimsical style is also aided immensely by its charming music. A mix of harps, flutes, and melodic violins makes for a more chill experience. It’s a wonderfully executed atmosphere and art style.
Station to Station is shaping up to be a fun little simulation game well worth your time. The mechanics in place are fun and offer just enough challenge to make things interesting, all wrapped up in a nice, cozy atmosphere.
It looks like it’s going to be a great game when it releases, so if this is your cup of tea, check it out.
Station to Station will be available via Steam.
Check out the official trailer for Station to Station below:
