Dark Train
- October 24, 2016
- Paperash Studio
Get on SteamIn Dark Train, you explore a mysterious, mechanical world aboard a massive, sentient locomotive. Solve puzzles, discover secrets, and interact with the machine's unique inhabitants as you journey through a beautifully bizarre landscape. This atmospheric adventure game showcases a distinctive art style and immersive audio, offering a truly unique gaming experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- Dark Train features a unique and captivating art style, utilizing paper cut-out visuals that create an immersive atmosphere.
- The game offers a sense of discovery and exploration, with innovative puzzles that challenge players to think outside the box.
- Players who enjoy atmospheric and unconventional puzzle games will find Dark Train to be a rewarding experience, filled with charm and creativity.
- The game lacks clear instructions or guidance, making it difficult for players to understand the mechanics and objectives.
- Controls can be clunky and frustrating, leading to issues with precision during puzzle-solving.
- Many players find the puzzles to be overly cryptic and unintuitive, resulting in a reliance on external guides to progress.
- gameplay23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay primarily revolves around navigating various "worlds" within cargo crates on a train, where players control a mechanical squid to solve puzzles in a dark, steampunk environment. While the game features innovative mechanics and beautiful visuals, it suffers from a lack of clear instructions and clunky controls, leading to a steep learning curve that requires trial and error. Despite these challenges, players who enjoy exploration-based and logic-driven gameplay may find the experience rewarding and unique.
“Unique in its kind, fun to play, unique gameplay, beautiful visuals and I look forward to more of this.”
“Dark Train shows a definite and solid understanding of exploration-based gameplay.”
“At the beginning, it was tough to get the mechanics, but there are hints about what to do; you just need to know where to look.”
“There is almost no instruction on the mechanics of this game; it involves a lot of trial and error.”
“It isn't clear what to do and how the basic game mechanics work (there's no tutorial either).”
“Some of the gameplay is innovative, but controls tend to get clunky, making it frustrating at times.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and aesthetically pleasing paper cutout art style, which creates an immersive atmosphere and enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the visuals as a standout feature, noting their originality and ability to evoke the right mood, making the game visually captivating. Overall, the graphics are considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.
“The world is interesting and aesthetically pleasing.”
“Fascinating art style and certainly an original concept.”
“The visuals make this game incredible because everything looks like it was made from... paper!”
“The graphics feel like paper cutout artwork.”
“The visuals are very poorly made and do not create the right mood.”
“The graphics are done in unconventional ways, but they lack polish and detail.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players praising it as great and engaging, while others find it average or lacking clarity. The narrative is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and collectibles, but some players feel it lacks discernible objectives or depth. Overall, the experience varies significantly depending on individual player engagement with the story elements.
“The story is told through the environment and blueprints you discover while playing.”
“You immediately get thrown into the story.”
“Apparently it is some sort of fantastical allegorical metaphor, but I am still at a loss to describe the backstory.”
“There is no story at all nor any discernible objectives (though I didn't play long).”
“I completed the main storyline in about 5 hours...”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its superb quality and immersive soundscape, making it a standout experience that players find worth revisiting. Described as a unique and brilliant hidden-object puzzle adventure, it appeals strongly to fans of atmospheric gaming.
“It has a superb atmosphere and matching soundscape.”
“In terms of ideas, style, and atmosphere, it's brilliant.”
“It's worth playing Dark Train simply to absorb the delicious atmosphere; Dark Train is replayable simply for that experience.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game is characterized by an eerie soundtrack that complements its gothic noir steampunk aesthetic, contributing to an immersive overall experience.
“The art and music/sound is very immersive.”
“The art sure is nice with a sort of gothic noir steampunk setting and an eerie soundtrack.”
“The art is nice with a sort of gothic noir steampunk setting, but the music feels repetitive and uninspired.”
“While the visuals are impressive, the soundtrack lacks variety and fails to enhance the overall experience.”
“The eerie soundtrack is intriguing at first, but it quickly becomes monotonous and detracts from the gameplay.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features several unexpected emotional moments that resonate with players, enhancing their overall perception and appreciation of the experience.
“It had a few emotional moments, which surprised me and made me think higher of the game right away.”
“The story's depth and character development really tugged at my heartstrings, leaving a lasting impact.”
“I found myself genuinely moved by the characters' struggles and triumphs, which made the experience unforgettable.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express a sense of determination in overcoming challenging sections, such as the tornado room, but also acknowledge that the grinding required to succeed can be exhausting and may lead to a feeling of finality in their efforts.
“The tornado room, however... well, I passed it, obstinately, yet I knew, grinding it, that it would be the last.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find "Dark Train" highly replayable due to its captivating atmosphere, making each playthrough a unique experience worth revisiting.
“The variety of choices and paths in the game makes each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
“With multiple endings and hidden secrets, I find myself coming back to explore every possibility.”
“It's worth playing Dark Train simply to absorb the delicious atmosphere; Dark Train is replayable simply for that experience.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the story, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
