Railway Empire 2
- May 25, 2023
- Gaming Minds Studios
- 112h median play time
With a wealth of options and plenty of ways to build your company, Railway Empire 2 is lots of fun, offering countless hours of content.
Get on Steam
Get on PS StoreIn Railway Empire 2 – Nintendo Switch Edition, take over a small railway company in the early 1800s, grow it into the largest railway company of the continent and outsmart your competitors as you connect cities and companies with an ever-expanding network of rail lines, bridges, and tunnels. Railway Empire 2 features bigger, more detailed and lively maps than ever before, focusing on iconic region…
Nintendo Switch
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Reviews
- Enhanced graphics and improved track-laying mechanics make for a more enjoyable experience.
- The integration of warehouses into stations streamlines logistics and reduces micromanagement.
- The game offers a larger map and more complex scenarios, providing a satisfying challenge for players.
- The game suffers from bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as trains getting stuck or not loading goods properly.
- Limited station upgrades and warehouse capacity can hinder strategic planning and city growth.
- The AI behavior is often illogical, leading to frustrating traffic jams and inefficient train routing.
- graphics162 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received a mixed reception, with many players praising the stunning visuals and improved detail compared to its predecessor, Railway Empire 1. However, some users feel that the new art style lacks the charm of the original and that the enhanced graphics can sometimes hinder gameplay by making it difficult to see important elements like tracks. Overall, while the graphical improvements are notable, opinions vary on whether they enhance or detract from the overall experience.
“The graphics are gorgeous and the optimization is flawless.”
“Right from the moment you embark on your railway-building adventure, Railway Empire 2 mesmerizes with its stunning and visually refined graphics.”
“The graphics are beautiful for a simulator game, and a vast improvement over the first with customization of trains in changing their color.”
“This game has bad graphics and bad animation.”
“The graphics are shite, it's not complicated at all removing all challenge.”
“The graphics somehow feel worse than the original.”
- gameplay132 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Railway Empire 2 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its refined mechanics, improved graphics, and engaging economic systems, making it more intuitive and enjoyable than its predecessor. However, some players criticize the game for its repetitive nature, clunky mechanics, and lack of significant innovations, leading to frustrations with certain features like signal placement and warehouse management. Overall, while the game offers a solid experience for newcomers and fans alike, it may not fully satisfy those seeking deeper strategic gameplay or substantial changes from the first installment.
“Personally, I love the style of gameplay and the great track builder. The graphics and soundtrack are above amazing; I highly recommend this game!”
“Railway Empire 2 excels in its core gameplay mechanics.”
“With its stunning visuals, refined gameplay mechanics, captivating campaigns, and multiplayer functionality, the game offers an immersive and unforgettable experience for both seasoned players and newcomers alike.”
“But even in a brief play time, such annoyances as the much less useful signal placement mechanic already irritated me.”
“The gameplay is very slow even at 3x speed.”
“The game mechanics are very broken once you start to get a complex network of industries and cities connected.”
- stability28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs affecting core mechanics such as train signaling, track placement, and multiplayer functionality. While some players find enjoyment despite these issues, many describe the experience as frustrating and unpolished, with a significant number of glitches that detract from gameplay. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is a buggy and poorly designed experience, lacking the refinement of its predecessor.
“The game is not buggy and is challenging if you crank up the difficulty. I will try to finish the missions and then explore the sandbox mode.”
“Yes, it was 50 quid, but the lovely graphics and smooth performance make it worth it.”
“The game runs great, providing a stable experience that enhances the overall enjoyment.”
“This thing though is a buggy, unplayable piece of software!”
“The automated signaling is so buggy that I can't seem to get going on the first campaign scenario.”
“A buggy, sluggish mess of a game with poor game design choices all around and an unsatisfying main campaign.”
- optimization27 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising significant improvements in performance and smooth gameplay compared to its predecessor, particularly on larger maps. However, others report persistent performance issues, especially when navigating extensive networks or at higher settings, indicating that further optimization is still needed. Overall, while there are notable enhancements, the game struggles with performance consistency across different hardware setups.
“Although there are visual changes and a different art style, the biggest improvement comes with performance.”
“The game is very smooth and feels optimized in comparison to its predecessor; large networks do not cause lag or slower performance.”
“Simply put, if you loved re1, you're going to adore the streamlining, optimizations, and improvements made in this sequel.”
“The performance is still rather atrocious though.”
“Its alright but it has some serious performance issues right now.”
“Poor performance when scrolling around the map, especially on the bigger maps.”
- story25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story in the game is praised for its captivating narratives and well-crafted missions, immersing players in the quest to become a railroad magnate across diverse regions like Canada, Mexico, and Europe. While the campaign offers a significant improvement over its predecessor, with entirely new missions and a slower passage of time for better enjoyment, some players find the AI management frustrating, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the storyline is considered a strong point, enhancing the gameplay despite minor issues.
“The captivating storylines, coupled with well-crafted missions, keep players immersed in their quest to become the ultimate railroad magnate.”
“It's a train sim game, it tells the story of how trains came to be, and in a fun way.”
“Cgi and background story is a nice addition.”
“Railway Empire 1 is far superior in gameplay; this one is only better in graphics and storyline.”
“They could make over 9000 train management games and they would still all be reskins, simply because there is only 1 story to tell.”
“The difficulty on the campaign missions is quite easy if you are a seasoned player from the first game.”
- grinding24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the improvements in track laying and signaling that have made gameplay less tedious compared to the previous installment, others still feel that certain tasks, especially in late-game scenarios, remain labor-intensive and annoying. The introduction of auto-signaling and streamlined mechanics has been noted as beneficial, but some players express concerns that these changes may limit strategic depth.
“To keep the two types of trains separate, you need to manually add waypoints for each track section, which becomes very tedious in the late game when you have 100 routes.”
“Delivering late-game goods becomes a nightmare that makes the game tedious and annoying.”
“Track building is much more tedious despite auto signals; the GUI is painful to look at, and all of the characters and animations look AI-generated.”
- music18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the graphics and overall gameplay while expressing disappointment over the recycled soundtrack from the original game. Many users feel that the new tracks are forgettable and lack the quality of the previous installment, with calls for more variety and control over the music. Overall, while the soundtrack fits the game's theme, it does not leave a lasting impression.
“Personally, I love the style of gameplay and the great track builder. The graphics and soundtrack are amazing; I highly recommend this game!”
“The graphics are crisp and colorful, and the soundtrack is fitting for the era.”
“The soundtrack is nice, but not very long.”
“They simply recycled all the songs from the original and DLCs.”
“Now for the scummy aspects: the soundtrack is exactly the same as the first game, with just a handful of tracks being new.”
“The new soundtrack is very forgettable; the old soundtrack echoed the works of Ennio Morricone.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is primarily driven by its scenarios, which offer engaging gameplay beyond the main campaign. However, the absence of a random map generator and a map editor has been noted as significant drawbacks, limiting replay potential compared to its predecessor. Overall, while some players find value in the scenarios, others feel the lack of additional features diminishes long-term replayability.
“However, the real replay value lies in the scenarios.”
“The lack of a random map generator is a massive blow to replayability compared to the first game.”
“While the campaign might not have much replay value, the scenarios promise hours of engaging gameplay.”
“Let's be realistic, I'm only ~20 hours in, so I am not sure on replayability at the moment.”
“Not to repeat what everyone already said, the price is bad and should be $20 less at least. The lack of a random map generator is a massive blow to replayability compared to the first one, and the map creation/editor is still not there, which was overly complicated in the first game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the intentionally absurd and inaccurate maps, which add a comedic element to the gameplay experience.
“The maps are hilariously inaccurate.”
“The dialogue is filled with witty one-liners that had me laughing out loud.”
“The absurd situations the characters find themselves in are pure comedic gold.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the atmosphere is significantly impacted by the absence of power plants in urban areas, suggesting a lack of vibrancy and energy in the game's environment.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers criticize the monetization of the game, viewing it as a cash grab rather than a genuine sequel, suggesting that it should have been released as a quality-of-life update for the original game instead of a full-priced title.
“This feels like it should've been released as a quality of life update for Railway Empire rather than a ~$50 cash grab 'sequel.' It's literally the same exact assets.”
“The monetization strategy is aggressive and feels exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I can't believe how many features are locked behind paywalls. It ruins the experience and makes it feel like a money grab.”
