Fright Train

I don't often find games that completely hook me, but this one did. The gameplay is a perfect blend of resource management and engaging, intuitive combat that, to me, rewards every successful shot and move. The controls and mechanics, while easy to pick up, require actual attention- you can't just ignore any certain part of Fright Train. This gameplay loop is extremely addicting for me. The art style and design is amazing too, with beautiful lighting and environments that make me want to keep playing. I can't stress enough how well made Fright Train is, from the voice acting, story, and cutscenes to the characters, UI, and gameplay, Fright Train is an experience like no other. I fully intend on playing more, I can't get enough of this absolute gem.

A lot of the comparisons are going to point to Resident Evil 4 to describe this game, but I feel like that over-generalizes the game as a whole. If I were to make the same comparison but a little more specific, this feels like Resident Evil Mercenaries with a constantly changing arena and an Animal Crossing-esc coat of paint. It's tough, but it's got the sauce. What sauce? I can't explain it, but if you play it for long enough, you can feel... [i] the sauce. [/i] [spoiler] Also Reef is really hot. [/spoiler]

[i]Fright Train[/i] takes [i]Resident Evil[/i] and gives it a rougelite twist. You play as Doug Barker, an agent (and anthropomorphic dog) of P.A.W, a special task force dealing with the supernatural. You are tasked with exploring a giant Antarctic train, filled with strange technology and dangerous monsters. As you progress through the story You begin each run on one side of the train and need to make your way through a randomised series of (handcrafted) train cars, gathering resources, dispatching enemies, and collecting currency to progress further through the train. The game has a good loop of resource gathering interspersed with paranormal storms which spawn hordes of enemies that need to all be dispatched to progress, creating a natural strain on your gathered resources. Survive enough storms and you get to progress to the next series of train cars, with new resources and dangers to be found. It’s plenty challenging, I definitely needed the easier difficulties before I got the hang of things, but the constant balancing of your resources and micro-decisions is very satisfying. Visually, it’s simple yet clean. Everything is very clear, with objects of importance and items…

GAME OF THE YEAR

I appreciated that the game told me to start on the easiest difficulty. There was more to the game then i thought! Game mechanics Blend well. Beware of things getting to close!

I slowly fell in love with this game. Started off mild, but the game stacks up so many fun mechanics on top of each other. A very unique survival horror experience with really cool mechanics and a very silly cast that plays everything out on a quite serious note.