Station Manager

About

Station Manager is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Kairosoft Co.,Ltd and was released on March 27, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

"Station Manager" is a simulation game where you build and manage your own train station, customizing it with various facilities and trains to provide comfort and entertainment for your passengers. Expand your station, link different carriages to create new trains, and attract various types of passengers to become the top station. This game offers fun features and exciting challenges to satisfy every manager's dreams.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

story3 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Charming pixel graphics and cute character designs enhance the overall aesthetic of the game.
The game allows for both active and passive play, making it suitable for multitasking while still providing a sense of progression.
There are plenty of unlockables and missions that encourage daily engagement and provide sizable rewards upon completion.

The game suffers from slow progression and grindy mechanics, often requiring long waits for resources and upgrades.
Pop-up messages frequently disrupt gameplay, making it feel less immersive and more tedious.
The interface is not user-friendly, with issues like a lack of inventory management and overly complex currency systems.

story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The story aspect of Kairosoft games is generally light and focused on player engagement through daily missions and customer satisfaction, with a variety of themes such as managing a train station or developing a game studio. While some players appreciate the relaxing gameplay and nostalgic elements, others find the quests lack direction and can feel tedious, leading to mixed feelings about progress and overall enjoyment.
- “The main objective is to make your customers happy as they use various facilities in your train station so that you can gain money, research points, and coins as well as complete missions/goals.”
- “Fun relaxing game, I enjoy being able to swap between stations at the end of a year, and daily missions are a nice touch.”
- “I am a fan of the studio since Game Dev Story and loved Hot Springs and Pocket Academy, but my favorite is Mall Story!”
- “I have spent nearly 5 hours on this game and made hardly any progress at all. It is reminiscent of dragging my heels in blistering summer heat, with a lack of direction, bland quests, and you are railroaded to the nines (pun intended).”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, often describing it as boring and frustrating due to the limited resource availability and the time required for achievements. While some acknowledge that grinding is a common element in games, many feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- “It is just too slow, grindy, boring, and the game trickle feeds you very little, so you're left waiting for resources.”
- “Final achievement is super grindy, but that's kind of par for the course.”
- “It can be a bit grindy; some research unlocks require lots of time to achieve their goals normally or require hundreds of coins if you wish to unlock early.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of freemium mechanics and casual management simulation, with players noting frustrating wait times for progress and disruptive pop-up messages. While it offers a relaxing experience, many feel it doesn't justify its price due to these limitations.
- “Casual management sim + mechanics - controls = a relaxing and entertaining train station sim.”
- “Not worth the price, but nice gameplay.”
- “Overall, this feels mostly like a freemium 'pay to progress' game that got somewhat converted to a single purchase game, but many of the old 'make you wait' mechanics still exist (i.e., the ridiculously long wait for expanding your platforms).”
- “Even the 'frenzy' mechanics get mostly wasted because you have to wait for trains to bring you customers during the bonus time, and until then, nothing really happens.”
- “Pop-up messages frequently disrupt gameplay.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The music in the game is generally described as chill but often repetitive, which some players found irritating. While a few users appreciated its laid-back vibe, many criticized it for being bland and potentially driving players to frustration, suggesting it may not be well-suited for a PC experience.
- “The music is chill, and the art is alright.”
- “Repetitive music (I didn't mind it too much, but I thought this could be a potential negative for some).”
- “The music drove me to insanity; I figure this was a mobile game ported to Steam due to the clunky menu layouts and usage, but the music takes the cake and confirmed my suspicions.”
- “Bland, repetitive music.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The graphics in this train station-themed grid-builder are characterized by charming pixel art, featuring well-designed characters, buildings, and trains that evoke nostalgia reminiscent of classic games. Players appreciate the cute character designs and the overall aesthetic, which successfully captures the essence of Kairosoft titles and similar retro styles. Despite some areas needing improvement, the visual appeal remains a strong point for many users.
- “In this train station themed grid-builder, the station manager has all of the common traits of a Kairosoft title: charming pixel graphics, cute character designs, and tons of messages and popups to click through.”
- “The pixel graphics are excellently designed - characters, buildings, trains, and maps are all quite pleasant to look at.”
- “To start on a good note, I love the graphic style, very similar to AlphaDream (think old Hamtaro and some Mario games for the GBA); this is what drew me in.”
- “The game has many areas that require improvement, but it's okay since I love the graphics of the game.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features humorous dialogue and text that adds a lighthearted touch to the overall experience, enhancing player engagement with witty exchanges and clever writing.
- “The game is filled with humorous dialogue and witty text that keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love the clever jokes and puns sprinkled throughout the gameplay; they really add to the fun!”
- “The humor in this game is spot on, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization and compatibility have been widely criticized, with users describing them as poor and unsatisfactory.
- “The optimization and compatibility of this game is terrible.”
- “The game runs poorly on various systems, making it frustrating to play.”
- “I experienced frequent lag and crashes, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be emotionally uplifting and enjoyable, highlighting its wholesome nature and the fun it provides.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in this train station themed grid-builder is characterized by charming pixel graphics and cute character designs typical of Kairosoft titles, though it primarily focuses on engaging gameplay mechanics rather than deep narrative progression. Players encounter numerous messages and popups that enhance the experience but may not significantly contribute to character depth.