REVIEW: Unrailed!

The railway's navigators, the Navvys, worked tirelessly in both the UK and the US to build the extensive rail networks that helped to create the US. They also supplied western territories with railroads, which allowed the UK to experience its industrial revolution. These Navvys were dangerous and backbreaking workers. They also received very little pay.

Unrailed!, an online multiplayer co-op puzzle game, was developed by Indoor Astronaut. A limited physical edition of Super Rare Games also exists. Players must cut down trees and find stone to make track. The track must be laid in front of a slow-moving locomotive. This will allow the train to navigate the tracks to the next station. Different carriages are hauled by the locomotive. You will need a hopper to empty the track-making material and an automatic track manufacturing car to start your round. The material is obtained by cutting down trees or mining metal for it with the pickaxe or axe. Each player can only have one. This inefficient construction method would have made the 19th- and 20th-century Navvies furious. You pass the station and then move on to the next one, which is more difficult. Sometimes, the train may "overheat", where it sets itself on fire. To continue, you will need to douse the flaming parts.

Unrailed is a great game. You can move quickly and easily. You can only carry one item at a given time. This means you can't carry an axe or a stack of wood that you want to throw into the hopper. This forces you to think quickly and devise the best way to gather resources, construct, and lay track before the train runs out of steam. It can be quite nerve-wracking to realize that the train is too close to the end. This gameplay model quickly reminded of Overcooked which forces you to devise a efficient kitchen routine with environmental hazards. You can only carry one item and perform one task at once. The game is addictive because you have to figure out the best way to do things. I can see myself enjoying the gameplay if the main problem was communication.

Unrailed I joined a game midway through the round and immediately started helping by cutting down trees with the axe, throwing them in the hopper, and then taking any tracks that were made and putting it down for the train. I noticed the other players started to display "thumbs down emojis” above their heads. Although I was initially confused, I didn't notice much as I was still playing the game the way the tutorial had instructed me. So I believed I was doing the right things. After connecting the train to the station, I received a flood of angry emojis! "But that's what the game is about!" I thought. We went on to the next round, and I did the exact same thing. I also noticed that other players tried to use player collision physics against me in order to stop me from achieving the goal of the game. After I won, there was a torrent of angry faces. I was then kicked. I don't know what I did wrong.

This is Unrailed! demonstrating a communication problem. without a proper communication system. I don't know why they were so mad at me. They couldn't understand why I was so new to the world. They couldn't even explain to me why I was doing it wrong.

To overcome this obstacle, I needed external help. I watched YouTube videos to find out the problem of everyone. It seemed like they were trying to accumulate the most track possible to prepare for the next stage. After I understood this, the game was much easier to understand and get along with the unrailed! community. Even though I was annoyed when someone else did this, it made me a little bit angry. I was now an Unrailed! The emoticon system allowed me to communicate with my teammates effectively using the emoticon system. I told them to pick up iron/wood, showed approval for the wagon upgrade, and praised in-game actions.

The blocky, vibrant style of the art is visually appealing. As much as the gameplay reminds me of Overcooked's Overcooked, the vibrant and blocky art style is very appealing to the eye. It was much easier to connect the Switch to my computer monitors. The sound design is excellent, with upbeat, plonky music and crisp sound effects for chopping, mining iron, setting fires, and laying track.

This core game has a wonderful look and is very enjoyable. However, it's not easy to understand the game's intricacies or learn from more experienced players. Without actively leaving the game, this prevents new players of understanding them. You will be rewarded for overcoming this obstacle and you will soon find yourself immersed in the game, even for the time you intended to play it.