Railroad Corporation

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"Railroad Corporation is a tycoon-style game that lets you build your own railroad empire across 19th century North America. Develop new technologies, complete missions based on historic rail networks, and strategize to outmaneuver competitors. Construct tracks, dig tunnels, and manage resources to connect settlements and establish new industries."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 796 reviews

story16 positive mentions

stability27 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic railroad tycoon games, with engaging mechanics for managing trains and resources.
The graphics and sound design are appealing, creating an immersive atmosphere for players who enjoy train management simulations.
The campaign mode provides a variety of challenges that require strategic planning and resource management, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.

The game suffers from significant bugs, including issues with train pathfinding and AI behavior, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The user interface is clunky and lacks essential features like manual signaling and the ability to manage multiple trains effectively, which detracts from the overall experience.
The campaign missions can feel overly restrictive and punishing, with tight time limits and a lack of meaningful choices, making it less enjoyable for players seeking a more relaxed gameplay experience.

story
190 mentions
8 % positive mentions
87 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally perceived as lacking depth, with minor narrative elements introduced at the beginning and end of missions. Players find the campaign missions to be a mix of challenging and tedious, often requiring significant time investment to complete, while also expressing frustration over bugs and the lack of replayability for side objectives. Overall, the missions serve more as tutorials for gameplay mechanics rather than a compelling narrative experience, leaving many players wanting a stronger storyline and more engaging content.
- “The campaign has a very likable storyline that flows through the game.”
- “The missions are open-ended and allow you to explore different strategies if you ignore the time bonuses.”
- “It's like you play a story-driven game, instead of a bunch of independent maps.”
- “The campaign mode is a waste of time.”
- “The missions in the game are very short in comparison to other games in the sim/management category.”
- “The biggest flaw which is quite frustrating is trains are constantly taking the wrong cargo between missions and cause you to fail the mission.”
gameplay
120 mentions
31 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging mechanics and rewarding challenges, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic and lacking depth. Many users noted issues with certain mechanics, such as track layout and management, which can lead to frustration, but also acknowledged the game's potential for fun and immersive experiences. Overall, while the game offers a solid foundation for railroad management, it falls short in complexity and polish compared to its predecessors in the genre.
- “It's got a good pace to get you into the mechanics and gets good progression.”
- “Railroad Corporation offers a deep and engaging gameplay experience.”
- “The gameplay is captivating and addictive.”
- “Some of the mechanics are quite poorly thought out - the HR department is rather useless (employees just give out some global perks), the lobby department is also quite random (some perks on buying/selling some merchandise) and overall it's just a tad bit too frustrating.”
- “It's lacking some of the most basic gameplay functionalities you would expect from a train logistics game.”
- “Worst of all, the problems with the game arise long before the player is introduced to all the mechanics.”
graphics
96 mentions
39 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the charming and well-crafted visuals that suit the game's style, while others criticize them as outdated and lacking polish compared to modern standards. Performance issues, particularly with higher detail settings, have been noted, leading to lag and graphical glitches. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent for a tycoon game, they fall short of the expectations set by more polished AAA titles.
- “The visuals in Railroad Corporation are charming and well-crafted.”
- “While the graphics may not be on par with some AAA titles, they suit the game's style and thematic setting.”
- “The graphics are crisp, clear, and realistic.”
- “Graphics are ugly by today's standards (look at the Anno series how it should look...) you can't turn off that ugly annoying chromatic aberration filter!”
- “The graphics are reminiscent of mobile games trying to appeal to your inner child.”
- “Graphics are terrible and the sounds of a railway are non-existent.”
music
41 mentions
46 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a limited soundtrack that often consists of only one or a few tracks, leading to repetitiveness. While some appreciate the relaxing and atmospheric qualities of the music and sound effects, others feel that the overall sound design is mediocre and lacks variety, suggesting a need for more diverse tracks to enhance the experience. Overall, the music is described as pleasant but underwhelming in quantity.
- “The sound design is equally commendable, with the clatter of train wheels, steam hissing, and the immersive background music contributing to the atmosphere.”
- “Addictive and smart, in a wonderful musical atmosphere.”
- “The game is quite visually beautiful, the music is very nice and the gameplay is absolutely excellent.”
- “The problem is that it is the only background music that loops forever, without even being a loop.”
- “For music, there's only one song playing on repeat and you'll get tired of hearing it.”
- “Its a pretty basic game, with a lot of micro management of cargos and a short soundtrack.”
stability
28 mentions
11 % positive mentions
-7 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, frequent crashes, and significant performance issues, especially as the number of trains increases. Players have noted frustrating glitches that hinder gameplay, such as freezing during critical moments and unresponsive missions. While some users have experienced fewer issues, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and requires substantial improvements to its stability and performance.
- “The game runs great even on my older laptop.”
- “I've experienced no crashes or bugs during my playtime.”
- “The performance is smooth, and I can play for hours without any issues.”
- “The game also loves to crash/freeze a lot and 'save scumming' won't save you; if you have a round where it freezes in a certain year, it will still freeze in that year even after you reload the game!”
- “Game is unplayably buggy.”
- “Big problem is when you get too much going and the game starts to lag and slow way down and even freezes.”
optimization
25 mentions
12 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received significant criticism, particularly during late-game scenarios where performance drops dramatically, especially with more than 50 trains in operation. Users report frequent lag, especially when laying tracks or during autosaves, leading to crashes and frustrating gameplay experiences. While the game has solid mechanics and visuals, many players feel that the lack of control and poor user interface further exacerbate the optimization issues, suggesting that improvements in these areas are essential for a better overall experience.
- “I do miss some features of control and optimization of my cooperation, but it's a solid tycoon game.”
- “Another great railroad management sim, it has its downsides with performance and bugs, but the mechanics are well executed.”
- “If the devs of this game can address performance issues, like the Factorio devs have, this game will be a golden piece.”
- “Don't get me started on the optimization, why does the game have a stroke every time I try to lay down a track?”
- “Once you reach over 50 trains, the performance starts to drop significantly. The autosave also kills it and will start to freeze your game a few seconds before it even tells you it autosaved. If you play long enough, your game will eventually crash to the desktop; it's not a question of if it will do it, but when.”
- “Sadly, I don't see this team taking performance very seriously. Adding new content and features is worthless if the end game will just lag out and become unplayable.”
grinding
14 mentions
7 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
79 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious micromanagement and a lack of effective tools for coordinating complex networks, leading to a slow and often frustrating experience. Players find the economic model restrictive and the absence of free-build options exacerbates the grind, making the gameplay feel shallow and unengaging. Overall, the game is perceived as overly tedious, with many players suggesting alternatives that offer a more enjoyable experience.
- “Trains run on their own and will wait at intersections - no tedious signals and signal setting, which becomes nearly impossible with even a mildly complex network.”
- “Not to mention the crazy grindy achievements... nothing valuable was added to the genre since the railroad tycoons.”
- “However, the game becomes increasingly tedious due to the lack of tools to coordinate an ever expanding fleet of locomotives and the nebulous systems surrounding them.”
- “I suppose this isn't too rare for the genre, but the game just felt rather slow, grindy, shallow and boring, with none of the choices feeling very interesting to me.”
replayability
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low due to its limited scenarios and basic maps, with some users noting that even older titles offer more engaging experiences. While volatile markets provide some replay value, the lack of a robust map editor and persistent bugs detract from the overall experience. Recent updates have improved playability, but many still find the game lacking in long-term engagement.
- “Volatile markets provide a lot of replayability and I would enjoy seeing similar content in the future.”
- “It definitely has high replayability, even with the current bugs.”
- “After a recent update on 5/29, the game is much more playable, although there are still some bugs where the big objective isn't getting counted.”
- “That, combined with the limited set of scenarios and the pre-set maps (versus the randomly-generated buildings based on weights method of RT2/RT3), ultimately limits the game's replayability.”
- “The map editor barely worked for me and was lacking in a lot of features necessary to really increase replayability.”
- “Not much replayability - it's a pretty basic game, with very basic maps.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive sound design, including realistic train sounds and engaging background music, which together create a captivating experience. The art style complements this ambiance, enhancing the overall enjoyment, despite some limitations in the music. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The sound design is equally commendable, with the clatter of train wheels, steam hissing, and the immersive background music contributing to the atmosphere.”
- “Addictive and smart, in a wonderful musical atmosphere.”
- “The art style is nice and the music (though limited at present) adds some nice atmosphere.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization of "Railroad Corporation" is criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling it lacks the completeness of other games like "Railway Empire." Additionally, the presence of ads detracts from the overall experience.
- “This is yet another scam that is nothing but a cash grab.”
- “I played last year, and sorry for the ads, 'Railway Empire' seemed like a more complete and finished game than 'Railroad Corporation', but it didn't have the ability to buy industry.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by clever and unexpected scenarios, such as a waiting train strategically positioning itself in front of an oncoming train, leading to a comical halt. This intelligent signaling adds a layer of wit to the gameplay experience.
- “The funny part is that the signaling is so intelligent in this game that as the oncoming train is pulling into the station, the waiting train literally pulls in front of it, causing the oncoming train to stop.”