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Lionel Trains: On Track (DS)

Status: Stopped playing - Got frustrated
I started playing this game on Sunday 4 September, 2022  //  I stopped playing this game on: Monday 5 September, 2022
Current opinion of this game
No comment, yet.

September 5, 2022 06:43:13 PM
Oh, wow.
This game is not what I was expecting. I didn't even look at the back of the box before putting it in (because I do often enjoy the surprise of going into a game completely blind).

I wish the game had a tutorial - it's essentially a "large" scale economic simulation game where you own and run multiple train lines that travel between cities on rail lines you must build. You must also pay attention to the demand for goods at each city and what the supply is such that you can pay the costs of running that train and make some money along the way.

It's not quite a game that's all that easy to play on the DS - there's a map you need to scroll around on and the lack of tutorial meant that I spent way too long trying to understand how to lay down rails and what all the many, many icons meant. To be fair, I still don't. I was able to make a right mess of the second mission in the campaign. So. Big fail on my part.

I thought I'd check the manual - but it was not helpful (also in French, I don't know why - English one got lost probably?).

All that to say that this was a real surprise - a hardcore economic train sim camouflaged as what I assumed was a kid's train game (I used to have a Lionel trains set when I was much younger).


 
kudos for original design to Rodrigo Barria