Frostrain

About

Frostrain is a single player strategy game. It was developed by nemonan and was released on January 10, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Roam the frozen world Climate change has turned the world white and frozen, and the only thing moving on the planet is you, your passengers, and your train. It's a dead world, but ironically, it's all the more fascinating for it. A vivid landscape awaits you to explore.Keep your passengers happy The passengers on your train will work diligently at your command, but be careful: if you don't manage …

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,087 reviews

gameplay49 positive mentions

Fun and engaging gameplay with a unique train management concept.
Great atmosphere and art style, reminiscent of Snowpiercer.
Good replayability with various strategies and combinations to explore.

Lacks depth and can become repetitive after a few runs.
Some mechanics and synergies are poorly explained, leading to confusion.
The game is currently a demo, which may leave players wanting more content.

gameplay
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
64%
7%
The gameplay is a blend of roguelike deckbuilding and auto-chess mechanics, featuring a unique train management system where players combine and upgrade train cars to optimize their runs. While the core loop is engaging and offers a smooth learning curve, many players find the mechanics lack clarity and depth, often requiring trial and error to fully understand. Overall, the game provides a fun and challenging experience, though it could benefit from better tutorials and more diverse gameplay elements to enhance replayability.
- “The gameplay consists of merging the same train cars to upgrade them and creating sets of different wagons with matching traits for progressively stronger set bonuses.”
- “The core gameplay loop is fun and feels new and fresh compared to many Slay the Spire-esque games we have now.”
- “Absolutely lovely take on the roguelike genre; it took me about 3 or 4 runs to finally get to the promised land, but each and every one of them was time well spent, learning the mechanics and experimenting with different synergies.”
- “The tutorial was too short and not informative about these details, which made it a frustrating first few tries to understand the mechanics.”
- “Unfortunately, this is just a shallow autobattler that doesn't explain any of its game mechanics to you, is RNG-heavy, has AI-generated visuals, and has horrible optimization.”
- “The mechanics are barely explained, there's a lot of randomness and a lot of waiting, at least during the short time I played it.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming art style and thematic consistency, effectively capturing a snowy apocalypse aesthetic with muted colors and clean visuals. However, some users noted issues with optimization, repetitive designs, and the use of AI-generated art, which detracted from the overall experience. While the UI is user-friendly and the atmosphere is enjoyable, there are calls for better resolution options and more distinct visual elements to enhance gameplay clarity.
- “It nails the theme, visuals, and music of a snowy apocalypse.”
- “ Grim, frozen aesthetic – the muted blues, grays, and harsh lighting drive home the hopelessness of a frozen earth.”
- “Stunning graphics for such a simplistic game, also surprisingly challenging.”
- “The graphics appear to be a direct copy of Tiny Rails, a mobile game available on the Play Store, but with a better color palette and map.”
- “It's a thing a lot of modern indie games fall into, actually, and it's not really the fault of AI, but the game's art style is inconsistent from the face in the corner, though the train to the background and the AI-generated landscape. Every piece of this game appears like it was made by a person with a different vision for the style of the look.”
- “Unfortunately, this is just a shallow autobattler that doesn't explain any of its game mechanics to you, is RNG-heavy, has AI-generated visuals, and a horrible optimization (avg 20fps on a PC with specs similar to the ones they presented as 'minimum'). This is still unacceptable because games with this kind of graphics should be able to work on Intel HD 3000.”
replayability
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
45%
8%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as high, particularly due to its roguelite elements and strategic potential, though some players note limitations stemming from a lack of randomized maps and a single effective strategy. While many appreciate the fun mechanics and the ability to experiment with different builds, there are calls for additional content, such as new maps and factions, to enhance long-term replay value. Overall, it offers a satisfying experience for short play sessions, especially considering its free price point.
- “Mostly luck-based but there is great strategy potential, and infinite replayability.”
- “Gameplay is a 9/10, slow starting (almost too slow) but snowballs into an intense game with high replayability... and free?”
- “Lots of replayability for such a simple game and surely so much scope to expand this or create DLCs (more conductors/new maps/new card sets?).”
- “Maybe permanent upgrades for winning the game under different setups could add more replayability to this game and give the players a reason to play it without going for the specific layouts required to win.”
- “The map is the same every time, so the only real replay value comes from the three different conductors (who each have slightly different abilities) and the achievements, but it's a free game, so even if you only play it for five hours, you really can't complain about the price.”
- “Seems to have a single meta build to win, not much variety of strategies that are effective...99 different strategies will all fail while one always works, not leaving much replay value.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
10%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively complementing the snowy apocalypse theme with haunting, synth-heavy tracks. While some players find the soundtrack repetitive or serviceable, many appreciate its ability to enhance the gameplay experience without being intrusive. Overall, the music is described as relaxing and fitting, contributing positively to the game's ambiance, though there are suggestions for more dynamic or varied compositions in the future.
- “Amazing visuals and soundtrack.”
- “Lovely design and chill ambient music helps your brain focus and fully enjoy.”
- “The soundtrack is haunting — synth-heavy, low-tempo, and perfect for staring into the white void while you decide who lives or dies.”
- “Only - is that the soundtrack is annoying/repetitive.”
- “I'll be charitable and call the music 'inoffensive' and not 'boring'.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The game's story is described as subtle yet impactful, drawing players into an apocalyptic narrative reminiscent of "Snowpiercer," with opportunities for rich storytelling through events and lore. While some players appreciate the depth and immersive elements, others criticize the narrative for being simplistic and lacking coherence, suggesting that it could benefit from a more dynamic and fleshed-out storyline. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, which is engaging but leaves room for improvement in terms of content and complexity.
- “There’s a story here, too — subtle but strong, told through events, lore, and choices.”
- “Not only allowing you to immerse yourself into the story of the train, the conductor, and the passengers themselves, but the story of the setting as a whole, revealing the mystery of what the world used to be like before it froze over.”
- “I know I have written a bunch here, but I really love this game for how it is related to 'Snowpiercer' and its story concept, and I am glad a game like this is becoming a reality.”
- “The lore doesn't make any sense whatsoever (why would drones deliver train cars when you visit a settlement? why would there be a maintained train track after an apocalypse?), and the story is just a basic 'desperate people migrating to the promised land' trope.”
- “People are right to compare this to Snowpiercer; either the devs just coincidentally copied 90% of the base plot by accident, or they have seen Snowpiercer.”
- “There's no simulation in this game, many lacks, and it's a waste of the story that makes me confused about how people praised this game.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
12%
13%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its bleak yet captivating aesthetic, enhanced by minimalistic design and a chill soundtrack that complements the snowy train theme. Players appreciate the immersive soundscapes and art direction, which create a charming and engaging environment, despite some noting a lack of deep immersion. Overall, the atmospheric elements significantly contribute to the game's appeal, making it a standout in its genre.
- “The atmosphere is breathtaking, gameplay is medium to learn, hard to master.”
- “Great game, interesting mechanics and the atmosphere is impeccable!”
- “Love the atmospheric music/sounds and the chance aspect of trying to build successful card combos as you try to build happiness before you get too far to fix it.”
- “There is a certain atmosphere here of riding a train across endless snowy landscapes.”
- “As an avid fan of Frostpunk-inspired games, I've noticed that many titles in this genre tend to emulate only the mood and atmosphere.”
- “Frostrain is minimalistic in design but dripping in atmosphere.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware, resulting in low frame rates even on capable PCs. While there are elements of map optimization and ongoing efforts from developers to address these issues, many users feel that the game requires further optimization and adjustable graphics settings to improve overall performance.
- “It's a great game; there have been some issues on any 2GHz graphics cards (basically any low-end laptop), but the game itself is solid and the devs are working on the optimization issues.”
- “Decent game, but it needs optimization, or at least some graphics settings. How is this thing maxing out a GPU that runs Cyberpunk on medium at 60 FPS?”
- “My PC is pretty good in terms of performance, and if it can stutter, then I can say the game might need some more optimization for the graphics.”
- “Unfortunately, this is just a shallow autobattler that doesn't explain any of its game mechanics to you, is RNG-heavy, has AI-generated visuals, and has horrible optimization (avg 20fps on a PC with specs similar to the ones they presented as 'minimum', which is still unacceptable because games with this kind of graphics should be able to work on Intel HD 3000).”
- “Decent game but it needs optimization, or at least some graphics settings. How is this thing maxing out a GPU that runs Cyberpunk on medium 60 fps?”
- “It's a great game, but there have been some issues on any 2GHz graphics cards (basically any crappy laptop), but the game itself is solid and the devs are working on the optimization issues.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most users reporting it as mostly bug-free and enjoyable, despite some minor issues like graphical glitches and interface problems. While there are some bugs present, they do not significantly detract from the gameplay experience.
- “It's pretty bug-free.”
- “Overall, it's pretty fun, runs great, and has a nice art style.”
- “The game is pretty buggy; the bugs are minor, such as snow in a snowless tunnel and the inability to click task icons.”
- “You can enjoy the game for what it is, but it's lacking because it was made in a short period of time. It's not like it's buggy or unplayable.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its clever and amusing strategies, particularly in the late-game challenges, which players find both entertaining and frustrating. The comedic elements often arise from the difficulty of achieving certain goals, such as upgrading supplies, adding a lighthearted twist to the gameplay experience.
- “Academy is pretty funny.”
- “There is a funny strategy.”
- “Supply - I find it impossible to reach 6. It's very late game with the executive branch, but upgrading the other 5 is kind of hilarious as it's hard to get a 2nd supply of happiness. Get 3 early game if you can.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The game is praised for its monetization model, being completely free of charge with no ads or microtransactions, and avoiding pay-to-win mechanics. Players appreciate the focus on gameplay and atmosphere without the distraction of monetization tactics.
- “No ads, no microtransactions, which makes for a more enjoyable gaming experience.”
- “The game offers numerous different combinations you can run with the card deck, enhancing replayability without the pressure of monetization.”
- “The simple but nice atmosphere, along with a chill soundtrack and ambience, allows players to focus on the game rather than being distracted by monetization tactics.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the grinding aspect to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling like past decisions lead to insurmountable challenges. However, the inclusion of a fast-forward feature for successful runs is appreciated, as it alleviates some of the time-consuming nature of repeated attempts on a static map.
- “It also gives you fast forward speed when you finish a successful run, so subsequent runs aren't tediously time-consuming, which I appreciated, as the map is set and doesn't change between runs.”
- “Kinda tedious and often feels like watching a sinking boat, like a decision you made 5 towns ago has made it impossible to win through seemingly no fault of your own.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers suggest that "frostrain" aims for an atmospheric experience but could enhance its emotional impact by incorporating more dynamic and emotionally resonant music that aligns with the game's train setups and environments.
- “Frostrain feels like it is trying to be very atmospheric, and incorporating more emotional music that dynamically changes with train setups or the environment could be a great long-term goal.”