Here’s Train Valley 2 by Flazm Interactive Entertainment, a Lithuanian indie team. The title launched in April 2019 and is a swoon-worthy hybrid of puzzles, strategy, and simulation.
There are many trains in this one. A bit like Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009) it’s a casual take on this mode of transport, with a relaxed approach to your resource management… but with some added choo choo challenges.
The Charms and Tracks of Train Valley 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvz-8y8zyC4&ab_channel=TrainValley2Official
Right, in Train Valley 2 you work your way across levels in various stages of human history.
That begins with the steam age, working through industrialisation, and then the game jumps ahead into a futuristic space age setting.
Across each level you need to meet the demand of certain goods (such as planks of wood, workers, cattle, iron ore etc.) and you complete the stage once you’ve met those demands.
You ferry those goods around via trains, which you have to manage to avoid them slamming into each other and whatnot (generally something that’s bad for business).
As you can see, things can get pretty hectic once you have various trains hurtling around the place. The chillaxed vibes are great, but brace yourself for a challenge when it arrives.
Flazm manages that side expertly, as you can actually just pause the game at any moment to stock of your surroundings. So you’re never overwhelmed and can take a moment to relax whenever you need it.
That’s a welcome addition to the gameplay in a strategy genre that can push your limits sometimes. This is more of an ISLANDERS (2019) fun time of it than that.
However, some of the levels here can take up much of your time. Half an hour or so to, for example, work your way around a mountain of garbage.
Train Valley 2 is a lot of fun. No denying its charm offensive here as it’s a welcome mix of soothing and moderately demanding as and when you need it to be.
It generally flows very well, but laying the train tracks down can get a bit fiddly at times. Unnecessarily so, but a bit of patience and you’ll get over that hurdle.
Visually it’s fabulous—low poly and minimalistic. It reminds us a bit of Dorfromantik (2021) with its cell-shaded appearance.
The soundtrack from Alexander Ahura offers a peaceful time of it to complement the gameplay, too, with some melodic highlights along the way.
Given the strategic nature of the game there’s a lot of gameplay time here if you want to fully immerse yourself into it.
Many, many hours worth. 27+ hours or so if you want a full on experience.
It’s hard to fault Train Valley 2 for what it is. There are trains. It’s charming. We like the music. Plus, we had fun getting everything around without smashing locomotives up into a massive pile-up.
In other words, if you want a relaxing strategy sim… this could be ideal for you.
