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Dark Train

Dark Train has broken the mold when it comes to puzzle games and created a very dark and engaging experience, despite not having a storyline. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a puzzle game that does not hold your hand.
Dark Train Game Cover
72%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
71% User Score Based on 93 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 2 reviews

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PCMac OSXboxWindows
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Dark Train Game Cover

About Dark Train

Dark Train is a single player puzzle game with mystery and science fiction themes. It was developed by Paperash Studio and was released on October 25, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

DARK TRAIN is a 2D atmospheric adventure with mechanical squid ANN 2.35f tied to a railroad tamagotchi. The road is non-textual and made of paper.

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Dark Train screenshot
Dark Train screenshot
Dark Train screenshot
Dark Train screenshot
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Reviews

71%Audience ScoreBased on 93 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
grinding1 negative mentions
  • Unique, handcrafted paper-cutout art style with a dark gothic steampunk atmosphere that is visually stunning and immersive.
  • Intriguing, non-traditional puzzle gameplay encouraging discovery, experimentation, and player-driven interpretation without hand-holding.
  • Rich and enigmatic worldbuilding conveyed through environmental storytelling and sound design, creating a mysterious and memorable experience.
  • Controls are often clunky, floaty, and imprecise, causing frustration especially during puzzles requiring pixel-perfect interactions.
  • Lack of tutorials, guidance, or hints makes puzzles very obtuse and unintuitive, leading to prolonged trial-and-error and reliance on walkthroughs.
  • Gameplay can feel uneven and grindy with repetitive tasks, poor UI design, and some players finding the experience opaque or inaccessible.

  • gameplay

    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    15% positive mentions, 74% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    Dark Train offers a visually stunning and atmospheric puzzle adventure centered on exploration and environmental interaction, but its gameplay is often hindered by inconsistent mechanics, clunky controls, and a lack of clear instructions, requiring trial and error to progress. While some players find its intellectual and original puzzle design rewarding, others are frustrated by obscure objectives and finicky controls. Overall, the game presents a unique and intriguing experience, particularly appealing to those who appreciate challenging, lore-rich, and unconventional gameplay despite its flaws.

    • “Gameplay is structured around puzzle solving, resource management, and environmental interaction, but Dark Train refuses to explain itself.”
    • “Much of the time spent as a mechanical squid will be flailing around pixel hunting for interaction points with a literally swimming cursor.”
    • “Physics brought another layer to whole gameplay, because not only you have to figure out what you should do in puzzles, executing your actions is challenge too.”
    • “The droid picks up things and interacts with objects, but the mechanics are inconsistent.”
    • “The game requires you to constantly stumble into one-shot mechanics by mere chance.”
    • “There is almost no instruction on the mechanics of this game, involving a lot of trial and error.”

  • graphics

    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    45% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The game features a distinctive and stunning 2D art style that resembles handcrafted paper cutout visuals, creating a unique and immersive atmosphere praised by many as a visual masterpiece. While the graphics excel in aesthetic quality and mood-setting, they remain simplistic with limited resolution scaling, and some reviewers note a disconnect between the art and the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are widely regarded as the game's highlight, celebrated for originality and craftsmanship despite minimal graphical customization options.

    • “I love how materiality of the game shows itself - torn/crumpled paper, thin/thick paper, paper layers actively used as a design vehicle, it is not just about art style, it's at the core of gameplay.”
    • “The visuals make this game incredible because everything looks like it was made from... paper!”
    • “I have immediately connected such handmade animation to the great Czech tradition in animated films; it reminded me of Švankmajer and Trnka artworks.”
    • “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
    • “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lacklustre 2D visuals.”
    • “- of course the graphics.”

  • story

    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 65% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions

    The game's story is conveyed primarily through environmental details and visual cues without traditional narrative elements or dialogue, resulting in an ambiguous and interpretative experience. While some players appreciate the unique, atmospheric storytelling and mysterious lore, others find the lack of explicit narrative confusing or disengaging, especially since external resources are needed for fuller understanding. Overall, the story is praised as innovative and artful but criticized for its subtlety and limited integration with gameplay.

    • “The story is told through the environment and blueprints you discover while playing.”
    • “The storytelling is unique and makes you want to put storylines where there may not be any storylines, but regardless you feel empowered by just how intelligent it makes you feel.”
    • “There is absolutely no backline story, or story at all (at least until the part I've played so far); even if there is, it brings no interest to me.”
    • “There are no tutorials, no dialogue, and no traditional storytelling devices—everything must be interpreted through visual cues, environmental shifts, and the train’s ever-changing state.”
    • “Here we have four problems: 1) players are not supposed to search for external resources in order to understand and get involved with the game experience; 2) it's better avoiding frustrating, not so clear, and annoying gameplay; 3) if a game artist has something to express, he must be able to express it through the artwork itself, no need to explain gameplay, story, or contents outside the artwork; 4) form and content, gameplay and story, have to be coherent and well integrated.”

  • atmosphere

    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    73% positive mentions, 22% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, immersive, and unsettling qualities, enhanced by metallic sounds, eerie ambience, and stunning visuals. It creates a haunting, dreamlike experience that deeply engages players through its unique worldbuilding and experimental narrative style. Fans of atmospheric puzzle and indie games find it rare, captivating, and worth multiple playthroughs.

    • “For fans of atmospheric indie titles, experimental narrative structure, and games that treat worldbuilding as art rather than exposition, Dark Train offers a rare and rewarding journey.”
    • “It was stuck in my head with its original design and puzzles, great sounds, and dark industrial atmosphere.”
    • “It's worth playing Dark Train simply to absorb the delicious atmosphere; Dark Train is replayable simply for that experience.”

  • music

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music is highly praised for its eerie, immersive quality that perfectly complements the game's gothic noir steampunk atmosphere, making the soundtrack a standout feature highly recommended for purchase.

    • “The art is complemented by an eerie soundtrack that enhances the gothic noir steampunk setting.”
    • “Buying the soundtrack is highly recommended!”
    • “The art and music/sound are very immersive.”

  • replayability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    Replayability for the game is modest once its mysteries are uncovered, but the rich atmosphere provides enough appeal to encourage additional playthroughs.

    • “It's worth playing Dark Train simply to absorb the delicious atmosphere; Dark Train is replayable simply for that experience.”
    • “And because the experience is heavily driven by discovery, replay value is modest once its mysteries have been solved.”

  • emotional

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game evokes a strong sense of emotional discovery, akin to exploring a forgotten art installation and uncovering untold stories. Players were pleasantly surprised by its impactful emotional moments, enhancing their overall appreciation of the experience.

    • “It evokes the sensation of wandering through an abandoned art installation, touching objects not meant to be touched, and discovering stories never formally written.”
    • “It had a few emotional moments, which surprised me and made me think more highly of the game right away.”

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users find grinding in the game challenging but manageable, with certain areas like the tornado room serving as a notable final hurdle for extended grinding sessions.

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Critic Reviews

77%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dark Train is a puzzle game with mystery and science fiction themes. Common tags for Dark Train include indie, trading, 2d, exploration, atmospheric and others.

Dark Train is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Xbox.

Dark Train was released on October 25, 2016.

Dark Train was developed by Paperash Studio.

Dark Train has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Dark Train for its gameplay but disliked it for its replayability.

Dark Train is a single player game.

Similar games include Papetura, The Dream Machine, Nauticrawl, Ether One, Violett Remastered and others.