Chris Sawyer's Locomotion

Transportation networks are the heartbeat of every big city. In Locomotion, it's up to you to keep them goingand in the process, build a shipping empire. Although the emphasis is on rail, you'll also use trucking, buses, cargo ships, and even airplanes as the game progresses from the year 1900

80%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

stability, replayability

85% User Score Based on 401 reviews

Critic Score 65%Based on 2 reviews

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About

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a single player and multiplayer economy strategy game with economy and business themes. It was developed by Chris Sawyer and was released on March 17, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Chris Sawyer's Locomotion" is a transportation simulation game that challenges players to build a successful transportation empire across multiple decades. Construct and manage railway, road, air, and sea routes to meet the needs of growing cities, while outperforming ruthless competitors. Offering various difficulty levels and world scenarios, the game lets you control and shape the world of transportation to your liking from 1900 to 2000 and beyond.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 401 reviews

graphics13 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Locomotion offers a nostalgic experience for fans of Transport Tycoon, with engaging gameplay that allows players to build and manage a vast transportation network.
The game features a variety of transport options, including trains, buses, ships, and planes, providing players with multiple strategies to tackle challenges.
Despite its age, the game still has a dedicated community that creates mods and scenarios, enhancing replayability and keeping the experience fresh.

The graphics and interface feel outdated, making it difficult for new players to navigate and enjoy the game without frustration.
The AI can be problematic, often leading to inefficient routes and behaviors that detract from the overall experience.
The game suffers from stability issues, including crashes and color glitches on modern systems, which can hinder gameplay and enjoyment.

graphics
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
66%
11%
The graphics of "Locomotion" are often described as dated, with many reviewers noting that they resemble those of early 2000s titles like "RollerCoaster Tycoon 2." While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and sprite work, others criticize the visuals for being grainy and lacking modern polish, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its graphical shortcomings, the game's art style and interface evoke a sense of nostalgia, appealing to fans of classic transport simulators.
- “The graphics still hold up with amazing sprite work.”
- “Wonderful art style, easy to get into, nostalgic.”
- “Building a transport empire can be incredibly satisfying, and the out-of-date graphics/art style now works as a pleasantly retro vibe.”
- “Overall, Locomotion is an okay game, with better graphics compared to the previous title, but it runs poorly on modern PCs with crashes and bugs.”
- “The visuals were tired, even by 2004 standards, and despite a lot of the original Transport Tycoon annoyances being addressed, it had somehow picked up a load of new glitches along the same lines.”
- “The graphics are so poor that you can't tell what the hell you are terraforming.”
gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and charm, appealing to both nostalgic players and newcomers with its easy mechanics and addictive core loop. While it offers a variety of challenges and a satisfying experience, some players find certain mechanics clunky or unintuitive, particularly regarding city growth and vehicle obsolescence. Overall, it retains a legacy as a classic tycoon game, though it may feel shallow compared to modern titles.
- “Great gameplay with a variety of challenges.”
- “This game is fantastic - a satisfying gameplay loop with enough variable challenge to keep things interesting across various scenarios.”
- “Almost non-existent learning curve, easy mechanics, simple yet fun-to-watch animations, and hours upon hours of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is completely unintuitive and quickly bogs down into a frustrating mess.”
- “Main complaint: the in-game tutorials are too simple and don't explain enough of the game mechanics or tools.”
- “In this game, there are some annoying mechanics that are 90s quality and not the good kinds.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
57%
12%
The music in the game is widely praised for its period accuracy and ability to evoke nostalgia, with many players enjoying the catchy and immersive soundtrack that complements the gameplay. However, some users noted that the repetitive nature of certain tracks, particularly the default settings that play decade-specific songs, can become annoying over time. Overall, the music is considered one of the standout features, enhancing the gaming experience despite some minor criticisms.
- “The soundtrack I love, and I remember it even after not playing for a few months.”
- “It's a beautiful game and the music is just amazing.”
- “This game is worth buying just for the soundtrack and diverse gameplay!”
- “Only rag I can give to this game is that the music's default setting automatically plays the songs of that specific decade, and you will want to murder Brimble after hearing 'Solace' for the 20th time.”
- “Music can get repetitive.”
- “But the music and sound effects are really bad!”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game lacks a cohesive narrative or campaign, focusing instead on individual missions that vary in difficulty and can feel nearly impossible at times. Despite the absence of a traditional story, players still find enjoyment in both mission-based gameplay and free play options.
- “Beating every mission is unique, and some seem almost impossible.”
- “There's no real campaign, just 'missions', but it's still fun even if you don't play with the missions and just 'free play'.”
- “There's no story to speak of, so let's get down to brass tacks.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted and whimsical approach, with players enjoying the amusing concept of building quirky trains while engaging in capitalist themes. Despite its simplicity, the game remains addictive and entertaining, with nostalgic elements that resonate with long-time fans.
- “Fun game, you make funny little trains and make lots of money, capitalism at its finest.”
- “The game is a bit simple but still addictive and funny.”
- “Funny things is: I installed this game a week ago from a CD I have since 2006, and now it's on Steam.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on Windows, while others have successfully resolved these problems and enjoyed the game. Despite initial challenges, many players found the game worth the low price, especially after addressing optimization concerns. Overall, effective optimization is crucial for a smoother gameplay experience, particularly in competitive scenarios.
- “This game was a dollar and some change, with the negative reviews mainly geared towards Windows performance. I got 20+ hours in this game and only paid a little over a dollar... worth it.”
- “So I am no longer having any performance issues with this game, and I can say it's great.”
- “Isn't easy to play against 7 CPU-controlled rival companies when you have to reach a 90% performance index.”
- “However, be warned that optimization is key, which bites me in the rear as I've always been a form-over-function kind of guy in these games.”
- “Isn't it easy to play against 7 CPU-controlled rival companies when you have to reach a 90% performance index?”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs that render ships and vehicles ineffective, such as circling endlessly or getting stuck in various scenarios. Despite some improvements over previous versions, new glitches have emerged, including trains misrouting and vehicles jamming, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game's stability issues significantly detract from its playability.
- “Ships are bugged and useless; they eventually find a buggy spot and start circling around themselves forever.”
- “The visuals were tired, even by 2004 standards, and despite a lot of the original annoyances being addressed, it had somehow picked up a load of new glitches along the same lines (trains using the wrong route, getting stuck on the wrong bit of track, running scared from red lights, vehicles jamming in loading bays, trams getting stuck, etc.). When I saw it on sale recently, I decided to give it a go once more.”
- “There are some weird glitches, for example.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's exceptional replayability, driven by a diverse range of scenarios and a user-friendly scenario editor that allows for custom map creation. This variety fosters experimentation and ensures that the game remains engaging, even years after its initial release.
- “This variety helps maintain a sense of experimentation, and the included scenario editor extends replayability by letting players design their own maps and conditions.”
- “The main thing this game has going for it nowadays is its infinite replay value. Even back in 2005, I felt it was overwhelming, with dozens of developer-made scenarios and a scenario editor that's impressively user-friendly. Even 4-year-old me managed to make fairly decent-looking stuff there!”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that grinding in the game can become tedious, particularly when managing a sizable business or replacing old vehicles over extended play sessions. This repetitive aspect detracts from the overall enjoyment and pacing of the game.
- “Unfortunately, the game becomes tedious once you have any sort of sizable business.”
- “Replacing old vehicles in long games is very tedious.”

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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews

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12h Median play time

8h Average play time

1-15h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a economy strategy game with economy and business themes.

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Chris Sawyer's Locomotion.

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion was released on March 17, 2015.

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion was developed by Chris Sawyer.

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its stability.

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Train Fever, Transport Fever 2, Sid Meier's Railroads!, Transport Fever, Railroad Tycoon II Platinum and others.

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion

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Locomotion

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