Station to Station
- October 3, 2023
- Galaxy Grove
- 4h median play time
Station to Station is the train themed puzzle game you've been looking for! Build stations in this ever growing world and test your forward planning skills.
"Station to Station" is a soothing and engaging game that lets you build and manage transportation networks to foster growth in colorful, voxel-art worlds. Connect rural structures, optimize routes, and solve puzzles to expand your area into a thriving, vibrant environment. The game also offers strategic gameplay to earn high scores, making it a delightful blend of relaxation and challenge.
Reviews
- Beautiful voxel graphics and charming art style create an immersive and relaxing atmosphere.
- Engaging puzzle mechanics with optional challenges that provide depth and replayability.
- The game is easy to pick up and play, making it perfect for casual gaming sessions.
- Lacks depth and complexity, making it feel simplistic and repetitive for some players.
- No undo function or ability to edit tracks after placement, leading to frustration when mistakes are made.
- The train mechanics are minimal, with trains serving more as aesthetic elements rather than integral gameplay components.
- graphics221 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming voxel art style, which creates a cozy and immersive atmosphere. Many players appreciate the beautiful visuals and the relaxing aesthetic, although some note that the game can be demanding on GPU performance, even at lower settings. Overall, the combination of captivating graphics and soothing music enhances the gameplay experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The visuals are an absolute standout—captivating, cute, and beautifully crafted.”
“Beautiful visuals, lovely puzzles that challenge your thinking without being aggravating, and relaxing music to accompany it.”
“A fun and relaxing game with absolutely gorgeous visuals.”
“Visuals make the game look like some kind of coffee table model train diorama, though they are surprisingly heavy on the GPU.”
“For some reason, the 'state of the art' voxel technology used to create this game is melting a 4070 Ti if played on higher than medium graphic settings.”
“Unfortunately, even on the Steam Deck, it struggles on the very lowest graphics settings.”
- music154 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall cozy atmosphere alongside beautiful visuals. Many reviewers appreciate the progressive arrangement of the soundtrack, which evolves as players progress through levels, although some note that it can become repetitive over extended play. Overall, the combination of soothing music and charming aesthetics creates an enriching and enjoyable gaming experience.
“The soundtrack is superb and it's honestly fantastic to sit back and watch the trains after completing a level.”
“The visuals are stunning and the music is not only relaxing but also has the magical ability to transport you to another reality.”
“A cozy puzzle game with charming visuals and a delightful soundtrack.”
“I need fitting music and sounds; I need graphics that are a little extra. I need something stimulating right away, before I lose interest and my brain wants something completely different.”
“It's a cute and cozy game and the tilt-shift aesthetic is really well made, also the music is really calming, but now comes the big but of this game:”
“The art style is exceptional, the levels are simple yet tedious, and the music is just the cherry on top of a cake of perfection.”
- gameplay128 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Station to Station" is characterized by its straightforward mechanics of connecting stations, which can be both relaxing and addictive. While the core gameplay remains simple, the introduction of new mechanics, optional challenges, and unique biomes keeps the experience engaging and offers varying levels of difficulty. Players appreciate the balance between a cozy gaming experience and the potential for more complex challenges, although some feel the gameplay lacks depth and variety over time.
“One of the nicest and most relaxing games out there with really fun and addicting gameplay mechanics.”
“The constant addition of new mechanics and new industry chains and new biomes all keep it challenging and engaging throughout.”
“It was always a lot of fun to plot out my railway networks and bring color to the world along the way, whilst the introduction of additional mechanics as you progress ensures that there’s always a new challenge to face.”
“The gameplay seemed extremely simple: you just put stations and connect them without much thought, that's it.”
“I doubt this game will give you more than 4 hours of gameplay because by that time you will have completed all levels.”
“However, as others have said, the actual gameplay experience is lacking.”
- atmosphere25 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals, serene soundscapes, and charming voxel worlds, creating a relaxing and immersive experience. Players appreciate the combination of engaging puzzles and a chill ambiance that encourages exploration and enjoyment. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as impeccable, making it a delightful escape for players seeking a tranquil gaming experience.
“Sold as a chill atmospheric puzzle game, Station to Station delivers on its promise.”
“There's a great atmosphere where the colorful block graphics combine with a soundscape and track that draws you in, making you want to get those tricky achievements by trying again and again.”
“The soundtrack adds to the atmosphere and it all comes together to form a truly enjoyable experience.”
“Station to station is a fantastic game, with a beautifully calming atmosphere, yet slightly lacking in content.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players experiencing significant FPS drops, especially during complex track layouts. While it runs adequately on the Steam Deck due to its turn-based nature, users with higher-end setups, like the RTX 3060 Ti, have reported needing to lower settings to achieve stable performance. Overall, while the optimization issues are disappointing, they do not detract significantly from the game's charm and puzzle-solving appeal.
“The goal of the puzzles is to connect stations in an optimized way, which means you need to connect as many stations as possible that do not affect each other until you can connect a station that will result in a 'combo' of effects to grant bonus income.”
“I've played for 70 minutes, following the basic principles of rails optimized for combo stacks, and grabbed every challenge in the 1st world, along with 2 levels in the 2nd.”
“Station to station is a fairly novel puzzle game that has some charm to it, and will appeal most to players who enjoy freeform path optimization and experimentation through repeated attempts.”
“It's not very optimized though with heavy FPS drops while laying complex track.”
“The game also seems to be poorly optimized, which is not a deal breaker, just a little disappointing.”
“Expected better performance on a wide 2K screen with RTX 3060 Ti; to get stable 90 FPS, I had to run it on medium settings with resolution scaling.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game offers a mix of replayability options, with a custom game mode and various challenges that enhance the experience. While some players note limited replayability in the standard gameplay, the inclusion of star and fund challenges, along with the "cards" feature, provides additional layers of engagement. Overall, the combination of evolving maps, easter eggs, and relaxing yet challenging gameplay contributes to a satisfying replay value.
“The custom game mode is awesome with tons of settings which provides huge replayability.”
“In addition to the maps visually evolving as you play (one of my favorite aspects of this game), various small details, super fun easter eggs, the gorgeous voxel artwork, and lovely soundtrack, the gameplay itself has a great balance of relaxing gameplay and puzzle challenges and presents great replayability due to the star and fund challenges within the levels, which you can also choose to simultaneously complete for more of a challenge.”
“You really get thinking about how to connect everything - great game with lots of replay value.”
“Gameplay is easy, with some replayability through each level's challenges and budget goals.”
“The game's 'cards' feature brings an added dimension of replayability.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Station to Station" is characterized by its touching purity and elegance, evoking feelings of warmth, joy, and calmness. While players appreciate the game's heartwarming design, some express frustration with the tedium of gameplay mechanics, which can detract from the overall emotional experience. Despite this, many consider it a favorite for its ability to elicit strong, positive feelings.
“There is a kind of touching 'purity' and 'elegance' in Station to Station's design that you rarely find in games anymore, and having nearly completed all the levels and optional challenges, I think it is now one of my all-time favorites.”
“It is heartwarming, calming, moving, joyous; I truly love it.”
“And I mean, this is a pretty wholesome way to get those kinds of feels.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is characterized by a cozy and stress-free environment, where players enjoy the satisfaction of solving puzzles and managing train networks. The engaging missions provide a balance of fun and challenge, enhanced by beautiful visuals and music, while the gradual introduction of new mechanics keeps the gameplay fresh and rewarding. Overall, players appreciate the blend of creativity and strategy in the narrative experience.
“It was always a lot of fun to plot out my railway networks and bring color to the world along the way, whilst the introduction of additional mechanics as you progress ensures that there’s always a new challenge to face.”
“Love the art and endless puzzle/train business; managing the story missions is fun and provides challenges too, but they are not too difficult. Love this game and trains and puzzles! <3”
“The music and visuals are cozy, and there's no stress because there's no rush, and any mistake is easily corrected by loading the last checkpoint or restarting the quick missions.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is generally well-received, with players finding the puzzles challenging yet not tedious, even as the difficulty increases. While some may feel it lacks depth for serious puzzle enthusiasts, many appreciate the balance of challenge and enjoyment, complemented by exceptional art and music.
“The art style is exceptional, the levels are simple yet tedious, and the music is just the cherry on top of a cake of perfection.”
“For those with a strong puzzle itch, this will not suffice, but I was more than satisfied. If you aim for the stars and fund goals, the puzzles do offer some challenge without ever becoming tedious.”
“Unlike other puzzle games, it doesn't become tedious as the game gets harder.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Unrailed!" is derived from the immediate and often comical consequences of player mistakes, creating a lighthearted atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
“In 'Unrailed!', making a mistake is quite funny, and you feel it immediately.”
“In 'Unrailed!', making a mistake is quite funny, and you feel it immediately.”
Critic Reviews
Station to Station Review
Station to Station is a fairly novel puzzle game that has some charm to it, and will appeal most to players who enjoy freeform path optimization and experimentation through repeated attempts.
75%Station to Station review
Station to Station is an enjoyable, likable railway builder with a beautiful art style and a charming soundtrack.
80%Station to Station [PC] | REVIEW
Station to Station is a delightful puzzler that kept me hooked in with its addictive gameplay loop and charming vibe. It was always a lot of fun to plot out my railway networks and bring colour to the world along the way, whilst the introduction of additional mechanics as you progress ensures that there’s always a new challenge to face. It’s never a hard game, but you’ll still have to think things through carefully – especially if you want to complete the optional objectives. The game wasn’t even on my radar before I started playing it for this review, but now, it easily stands out as one of the most charming and enjoyable puzzles I’ve played this year. If you’re looking for an easy-going puzzling experience that’s as pretty as it is enjoyable, you needn’t look any further than Station to Station.
85%