Five years after the original Railway Empire graced our screens, we see the second instalment in Railway Empire 2 approaching several platforms simultaneously. Those on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 4|5 and even Nintendo Switch can enjoy this on the same release date. Those on the Xbox platform will love the fabulous news that it also comes to your Xbox Game Pass subscription on launch day. Naturally, I was excited to get hands-on with this one for a review, since I have spent the past decade working on the railway for my day job. For those who loved playing train sets when they were kids or you’re generally into the logistics and operations of railway lines, you’ll absolutely adore this complex yet easy-to-understand economy-building strategy title.

Introduction

After catching onto the Xbox release of the first game in its complete collection format, I knew what to expect in the second title in the series. The first game headed onto Windows PC and Xbox leading into 2018 and received very positive praise across the board. Believe it or not, the locomotives and the tracks that ran beneath them were founded in the early 1800s. Whilst our transport networks have drastically modernised over the past few centuries, back then almost everything was transported from A to B on rails. Railway Empire 2 takes you back to the heyday of coal and steam and puts you at the helm of creating your own rail companies, networks and leaves you to keep an eye on everything from finances, maintenance and more to keeping your all-important passengers and delivery receivers happy.

Play The Tutorial

I highly recommend starting the game off by working through the 7 tutorial segments on offer. If you don’t then you’ll almost certainly be confused about what to do when it comes to progressing through the campaign or scenario sections. The tutorials are really informative and feature voice-narrated dialogue throughout with indicators and pointers on what to do, where to click and deep explanations on every point you need to learn.

It took me the best part of 90 minutes to work through these but I assure you that it’s worth it and you’ll be rewarded with an achievement at the end. It’ll show you everything from how to place and link tracks together, how to set directions for locomotive services, how to expand lines, choose different locos, fix broken down trains and more. Further down the line, you’ll be introduced to more assets you can unlock in the vast tech tree which you’ll use during the campaign to unlock new gear. Believe me when I say that without ticking these 7 off, you will get lost if you go into the main game blind.

Gameplay 

There are so many ways to play Railway Empire 2 beyond the brilliant tutorials. You can choose to go into the campaign which features 5 lengthy and engaging chapters or opt for the 14 different scenarios on offer for a real challenge. There are also free play and construction modes if you just want to go mad and build your own railway enterprise without economic pressure. You can tackle the game also co-operatively with friends with cross-platform and cross-gen multiplayer for 2-4 players, unfortunately, I didn’t get to test this out during the review as it was prior to launch, but I am excited to get on board with some great mates.

Dive Into The Campaign

As you start your campaign, you are handly given tasks to do some of which have to be ticked off to progress and then others are optional. What I love about going into this mode is you have to think about things rather than just mindlessly plonking train tracks all over the place. You start off with a couple of million in the back and have to be mindful of expanding for profit. When you’re placing tracks down, you can pre-determine how much it’s going to cost depending on where you lay the rails down.

Build across water or hilly and forest areas then expect it to cost you a hell of a lot more as the infrastructure has to be manipulated into the surroundings. It was fun seeing how cheaply you could build things but also surveying how ridiculously expensive it would be if you built a giant bridge going across a large pool of water. There is a cost for every aspect and it is spectacularly accurate to the dollar. It is eye-watering to look at and you start to understand why real-life railway construction costs a fortune. As you expand your network you’ll be looking at ways to increase revenue by lugging around freight, transporting passengers, expanding stations and buying into business opportunities. You can even better your onboard catering to enhance passenger service or perhaps build a restaurant on the side of your station to absorb those precious pennies.

Scenario Modes To Challenge Yourself

There are 14 scenario modes to test your experience with. These vary in goals and difficulty and come with leaderboards for that competitive edge if you want to go for the high score against real-life players. Since I spent the majority of my time in the excellent campaign mode, I haven’t had much opportunity for this portion of the game. But it extends the longevity of the game massively.

Endless Possibilities

Choosing the sandbox mode allows you to literally do anything you want without the financial implication and ties. Perfect if you just want to build the train network of your dreams. You can even play across the entire continent rather than one targeted area if you so choose, making for a gigantic play space. The custom game option allows you to pick your options and set the game up however you want if you want specific features on or off. Online co-operative multiplayer provides jump-in and jump-out at any time action with up to three other friends.

A Feast Of A Package

I could spend all day diving into every nugget of gameplay on offer in this second offering. The truth is, it would be thousands of words long and you would never make the end of the review. There is so much to uncover, discover and play around with and I had a ton of fun doing so and I am still yet to try and test online play and the majority of scenarios. When it goes as deep as going to auction for property, being able to build factories, and studying facilities along with other buildings around your network, it becomes more of a picturesque personal project than just running trains here and there. It is simply stunning to play and invest those precious gaming hours into.

Graphics

Obviously, five years have passed since the original Railway Empire, so I was keen to see if there have been some visual enhancements and improvements in that time. It’s safe to say that the design team have done themselves proud and the game has moved with the times. The amount of detail that has been lovingly poured into the environments and scenery is just simply stunning. To almost start with a completely blank canvas and craft a thriving railway network where communities and life surround these transport hubs is just so well done.

Between segments of gameplay, I spent literally hours just scanning and absorbing everything moving around the world map. Admiring the huge viaducts I have built with pride with the sunlight beaming off the expanse of water underneath. Being able to expand stations, quadruple lines, and buy into areas contesting the competition just makes zooming in and out a pleasure. The UI appears to have vastly improved and is simple to navigate is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Running the game on Xbox Series X I experienced zero hiccups in over 25 hours of play, which is always a massive plus with a game of this calibre. I also have to mention the ability to ride the trains which I often did when taking a break to eat or drink something, it is super relaxing to look at everything you have built from yet another viewpoint.

Audio

The audio aspect is just as exceptionally done as the visual presentation. The tutorial is literally one of the most informative and in-depth I’ve ever played and I was very appreciative of the fact is all voice narrated. Often I struggle with tutorials if it is constant lines of dialogue, so the fact the 1800s-style voice acting explains everything step by step is a huge tick in the box for me.

The soundtrack is perfect for chilled-out gaming sessions when you’re done shooting people in the head with competitive games. The hustle and bustle of congregated stations is spot on with the iconic chug of locomotives and the whistle of trains passing by just blending into the environment ever so wonderfully. The sound design just complements an overall incredible package and they have taken the foundations of the original game and then some, massive high five to the team at Gaming Minds Studio.

In Conclusion

Railway Empire 2 is absolutely incredible in almost every single way. As I have already mentioned, it takes all the qualities of the original game and runs with them to bring more of the same but with seemingly even more flexibility, creative vision and visual fidelity. For those who tried and loved the first game, just buy it, I can assure you that you won’t regret the purchase. If you’re an Xbox owner with a Game Pass subscription then you have nothing to lose by downloading and giving the game a go. It comes with quite the learning curve, but I promise that if you stick with it, it becomes an addictive time sink with rewarding and exciting gameplay. The amount of content that comes with the core offering amounts to potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay, I still have plenty to see and do myself.

If the roadmap is anything like the first game, then I would imagine the team have some DLC plans and more stuff coming on the horizon. Co-operative multiplayer is also present for those who love to jump on something with a friend and whilst this is something I didn’t get to test in the run-up to release, I can imagine it unlocks so much more opportunity for a chugging good time. Gaming Minds Studio and Kalypso Media have just platformed Railway Empire 2 amongst the best strategy games of this generation.