Cubed:
Trying to give a label to Corbie Games' Bounty Train is pointless and, in case that label is "train simulator," completely wrong, although that's the thing that pops into everyone's minds after taking a look at a screenshot or two. The truth is that this is more like a melting pot of genres (train simulation included), with the end product being interesting and disappointing at the same time. Is it too soon to reach a verdict? Is there hope for the full release? Read on all about it.
Bounty Train is a curious game. It's a sandbox trading sim/adventure game/railway enthusiast entertainment piece that, while the positions are static and the routes are fixed, still manages to give the player a great deal of movement. It's a genre bending game with multiple story routes and an excellent way to generate micronarratives as you go.
In general, those who want to see what America is like in my boots may also be interested in boarding the Bounty Train. It can be a fun way to learn about history, as well as an intriguing strategy game to play. Just watch out for bandits. Oh, and you may want to look into getting a smuggling compartment for your cargo cars.
Bounty Train is an interesting mashup of edutainment, real-time strategy, economic simulation and role-playing game. It shows quite a bit of progress in this early access stage, but still needs more work before we feel we could whole-heartedly recommend it. We look forward to seeing how it develops, though!
