Maitetsu
Pros
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Very cute and long if you stop to listen to all voiced lines. Even if you just read it’s still farily long.
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The characters are animated so it’s not just a standing picture.
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If you get the patch, the h-scenes are also animated and they are interactive if you access them from the menu. Since I was confused what “interactive scenes” meant when I read about it, it’s so you can make the characters' pose, expression and such change at will. It’s not “interactive” in a sense of you click here and there and “things happen”.
– Real player with 115.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cute Casual Games.
I don’t really care about this whole loli thing but whatever.
Well, it’s a VN about trains and the rejuvenation of a small city in present day alternate-universe Kyushu, except you also get romance thrown in. I think the underlying story has a message to it that makes me feel like I’ve learned something valuable, like most good VNs do. The train stuff is pretty interesting, too. You’re given a whole bunch of details on how steam trains work, a bit on some non-steam trains, and things relating to steam trains (like coal mines), from the main character “Raillord”, Hachiroku. However, the romance is not what you might expect. It seems more for comic relief than for actual dating sim content, which is fair game. It definitely felt empty, but that made some of the romance-related scenes kind of exciting in a cringy way, if that makes sense. I don’t hate it, but it made the ending of the first route I finished (Hibiki) feel very lame.
– Real player with 101.5 hrs in game
Train Train Train
Fairly simple game, fun artstyle and gameplay. Difficult at some points but you can overcome these problems over time.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cute Casual Games.
A lovely cute relaxing puzzle game, that requires building and management of several train station and tracks while also paying attention to not run over any animals.
Great game to pop in and relax for a bit by playing a couple levels.
Theres also a custom editor, so you can create a cute looking hell trainstation for all your friends to “enjoy”.
Looking forward to the sequel ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Also: I like trains :)
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
Cosmic Express
If this game appeals to you, chances are you’ll like it. It’s a delightful puzzle game. I like games like Divide by Sheep and Dungeon Warfare, and this scratches a similar itch.
WARNING: The puzzles are not unlocked in order of difficulty. You’ll have easy puzzles and impossible ones right next to each other as if they’re on the same level. This can be disheartening if you get stuck because you feel like the puzzles are only going to get harder and that’s not the case.
My suggestion is to forget about any particular puzzle that’s pissing you off and move on. Don’t spend hours on one puzzle or you’ll start getting upset with the game. For example, Andromeda 14 is one of the earlier puzzles that gets unlocked, so it seems like you should be able to beat it in the beginning. IT IS THE HARDEST PUZZLE! At least it was for me and lots of other people online (which I found out when I looked up the solution; something that killed me inside but I had to move on with my life because I was having dreams about that damn level).
– Real player with 160.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cute Puzzle Games.
I think I have to give a thumbs down (Though itd probably be a neutral), because of some of the later levels.
Id get stuck on them for hours, I tried literally thousands of paths, worked on the logic of which routes could or could not work, and finally had to get an answer to the level in the game I simply couldnt do.
So I guess Im doing this out of spite? Well, I thought about that, but I dont think so. I believe its because ultimately there was no trick. There was nothing special going on, no deeper logic I was missing, I looked at the solution I put in and there was nothing at all in there that gave me any idea of what Id been missing for all that time, it was just a raw path finding task which is inherently tough to complete if you cant just pluck it out.
– Real player with 100.6 hrs in game
Locomotion
Locomotion perfectly scratches that puzzleing itch. Difficulty curve is just right, new elements are introduced gradually and the combination of these elements is neatly done. Most puzzles have simple solutions but they are not always easy to find. On top of that there are nice visuals and fitting music.
It took me about six hours to finish all 52 levels of the game. However, one to two hours of that went into three or four puzzles that really had me dumbfounded.
All in all, Locomotion is a really well designed railway puzzler. Definite recommendation from me (even for 8,15 €).
– Real player with 22.1 hrs in game
in locomotion you guide a train to the exit, ideally picking up all the gold scattered around the levels while you’re at it. there’s also a narrative to unfold with some unexpected twists. don’t expect too much, but it’s fine for a puzzle game.
– Real player with 9.1 hrs in game
Loopomotive
Surprisingly challenging! Every map feels unique. The music is catchy and the sloths are adorable.
– Real player with 5.6 hrs in game
CHOO CHOO MFKER
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game
Soko Loco Deluxe
I’ve looked at quite a bit of the games that sok pop has put out, but I think this one gives you the most bang for your buck. If you really enjoyed messing around with toy trains as a kid or like a simplistic resource manager time waster I think this game is good for you. Several levels, difficult challenge modes that force you to understand all of the games mechanics. My only complaints are the inability to move the camera around in a 360 degree view, along with some of the very challenging flag mode stages. I just wish the developers put more time into this game to flesh it out even more with more feature and maybe a story.
– Real player with 36.6 hrs in game
One of the most entertaining games ever! I’m a fan of 2D strategy/puzzle experiences like Into The Breach or Rimworld, and this game clicked with me in a similar way. It is well balanced and designed. For me it is like a hidden gem! Mechanics are simple, but complex enough to engage for days. Only drawback - sometimes pixelart UI elements are hard to understand, but one can get used to it after first few missions, otherwise it is a very elegant game, worth trying! I had to write this, I spent 16 hours in this game and I have it for like 2 days. It was hard to turn it off to leave this review. OK, now I need to get some sleep it’s 4am where I live… :D
– Real player with 34.5 hrs in game
CorePiercer
This game is well balanced, well done, the gameplay is really cool.
The idea of drilling the basement is very nice to me. No crash or bug when I play but sometimes a little trouble stopping my train in the station lol. I love to control my machine with the mouse !!
Note: 8/10 therefore
After I played this game for 23 hours : I just can’t stop playing it .. Going deeper and deeper ! !
– Real player with 549.0 hrs in game
An interesting experiment. The player will take on the role of the driver of a huge drill. The whole point of the game is to go down as low as possible, get a certain amount of resources, return to the surface and improve your drill.
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
100 hidden cats 2
As usual, this was easy enough until the last few cats, and it took most of my time playing trying to find that last elusive feline. If you like object-finding puzzles like this, you need to get it so it can drive you up the wall with its cheerful boppy music, challenge you with the amazing graphics, and you can get sidetracked with the incredible imagination of the artist, and kick yourself when you do finally discover that last remaining cat, thats sitting just in front of your nose! 10/10.
– Real player with 0.7 hrs in game
Pros and Cons are written first. Overall review is posted below that.
~ SIDE NOTE ~ It is rare when I don’t suggest games, and is actually the first time I have disliked a game. ~
First things first, ONLY BUY THIS GAME ON SALE (when it’s literally only 86 cents - NOT worth it on full price)
pros:
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cute game for cat lovers
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some cats are actually kind of difficult to find
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moving objects add for more difficulty in finding cats
cons:
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there’s only one board / puzzle to play
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puzzle doesn’t reset after completion (yes, u can reset achievements, but after that, its super easy to find all cats again… the board needs to regenerate at random for more fun)
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game
Bloody trains
Ask for tickets, check for bombs, clean the train, Do all sorts of other duties - sometimes people die, sometimes you die. Bit of a mind boggle of a game with crazy unique art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICqXG6yALS0
– Real player with 10.2 hrs in game
How to make heads or rails of Bloody Trains…?
I purchased this software on artistic merit alone, feeling an instant affinity towards the aesthetic. i fell aboard blindly, ready to chugga chugga woo woo. The controls are simple — the instructions are non-existent — you’ll scratch your head, it will blood, and you will like it. Although confusing, the lack of direction is not a setback. The simple controls allow for intuitive gameplay, and the smartly designed symbols and signage within the game do unfold with meaning as you progress. This is the perfect game for anyone who likes to think and frown before figuring out a satisfactory gotcha or aha! It may not be for you if you prefer to be spoon fed.
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
Tiny Rails
STEER CLEAR!
Update: The game is idle. Idle money making is bugged and has been for more than two years. It doesn’t seem like the devs are even trying to fix it.
There are so many issues with this game.
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All train cars come from the gum ball machine, and you may need one that’s quite rare
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You need said car because: The more passenger slots you have, the more you need to please them
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If you find a cart that gives the stats you need, it will also have space for passengers, increasing the amount you need to please them
– Real player with 455.0 hrs in game
This game doesn’t have many reviews so I felt the need to write one out.
Graphics
Good lord the graphics are impressive! And as a fellow artist I heavily appreciate the “proper” use of pixel art. I noticed some games that use pixel art don’t use it the way it was supposed to be done and took me right out of the game. So this is a big bonus for me. The trains are all gorgeously done and many of the cars are really unique, or even easter eggs. I really appreciate we have the option to stick to more “realistic” cars and don’t have to use the ones that purposely look silly. All of the background assets are a joy to look at and I can’t imagine how much time was spent working on everything individually and also have it all fit together so well in a scene. Honestly if you’re a pixelart buff I’d just recommend the game to gawk at the graphics!
– Real player with 315.8 hrs in game