Voidtrain Review

There’s something about riding the rails that speaks of adventure and mystery, but the reality is that it’s pretty boring most of the time. However, what if it were in space? Or at least something resembling space. That’s the question HypeTrain Digital’s latest title, Voidtrain, wants to explore. The question is whether this is a journey you should buy a ticket for, or if you are better off getting a taxi.

In Voidtrain, you take the role of an engineer who, after breaking into a shack during a snowstorm, is thrust into a void with the only means of transportation being a train track. It’s up to you to ride the rail, while avoiding the dangers of this strange dimension, to find the scientist whose shack you broke into. However, you’re not the only human here, with a strange group of soldiers hunting you as you travel. 

The plot is fine for what it is, and it does a good job of giving you a constant reason to move forward. Granted, the mystery isn’t the biggest brain scratcher, but there are some nice surprises and, if it isn’t really your thing, you can pretty safely ignore it. What you can’t ignore is your actual train. 

The best parallel I can think of is the game Raft, which had you piloting a small boat while being chased by a giant shark. The difference is that you happen to be on a train, although at the start it’s only a handcart, so you have no real control over where you’re going. In some ways, this is better, as it means you can focus on building and gathering materials. 

When it comes to the latter, you can jump off your train whenever you want to float around the void, grabbing everything you can. These materials can then be used to build forges, workbenches, water collection machines, and more. It does take a while to get going, plus the materials you need to build certain things can be a bit hard to make out at times. It’s a pretty relaxing experience, right up until the wildlife is introduced. 

While I described the void as like “space”, the animals that inhabit it are more akin to what you might see in the ocean; these include the predators that will attack you and your train as you travel. There are also void whales that you can just make out in the distance, but they’re more for aesthetics than a mechanic. Meanwhile, the smaller predators can be shot at, but your options for weapons at the start of the game don’t do much more than scare them off. 

The focus in Voidtrain is to slowly improve your train so that you can both fight off the threats and also collect the most materials. Initially, you can’t go far (nor would you want to), but over time, you find the means to expand your distance, plus you can build houses for creatures that will collect materials from you or fight off the Void Sharks. These creatures will need to be fed and watered, which means you end up focusing more on keeping them happy than gathering stuff in the later game. 

The actual building is pretty easy; you simply select what you want to build and place it on your train. If you don’t have the relevant materials, then only an outline will appear that shows an image of what you need. If you want more options, then you’ll need to research new items and forge new materials. It all works pretty well, but there are some issues.

The biggest problem is that the menus can be a bit confusing. For instance, if you want to create a spring, then you need iron, or you can do it with materials taken from enemies. The result of either is the same spring, but both selections are on different parts of the menu. On top of that, the animation to take your hammer out or put it back on your belt is longer than it should be.

That isn’t to say there’s no combat, as there are enemy soldiers that will happily take you down. These include human enemies that are usually encountered at Depots or in Outposts. The former of these areas, which is also where you’ll find more evidence for where the scientist is, while also allowing you to increase the size and upgrade your train.

Unfortunately, they’re just not that fun to fight, as the actual shooting is barebones. You run around taking potshots, plus the enemy AI isn’t much to write home about. It’s a nice distraction at least, but not the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen. With that being said, the chases, on the other hand, can be a lot of fun, but take a while before they start to occur. 

There are also the Swarm, which are buglike enemies that you’ll find in the Arena sections of the game. Fighting them is a bit more interesting as they have a bit more variety in the types of enemies, but it’s still not the best I’ve ever seen.

Honestly, the best part of the game is the visuals, especially the void itself. It’s alien, and yet the mix of sea and random land feels strangely calming at the same time. Granted, because in the early game you can’t go that far, it does feel a bit like a gilded tunnel; it opens up the more your technology increases. The music is also great, combining a mix of odd yet relaxing elements.

Voidtrain is an interesting game with a fun gameplay loop; however, it’s let down by its less-than-ideal combat. It’s not that it’s terrible, but every time I was in a firefight, I was more looking forward to being back on my train instead of being in the moment.