The Train To Abaddon

I picked this up because hey! I could play it online! and it said it was short! and steampunk! What's not to try?

Unfortunately, it suffers from a distinct lack of cueing. That can be okay in an environment where nothing pressing is going on, but a speeding train under attack is pretty much the definition of a countdown timer. The lack of cueing about who I was and what my goals were, combined with the speeding-train-under-attack environment created a surreal, distancing effect. I was in a position of literally being able to decide anything about my goals and I wasn't usually given any information to contradict what I decided until too late.

(Spoiler - click to show)For example, I had a gun and bullets in my luggage. Maybe I was there to shoot somebody? I couldn't shoot the attackers, though. I came across a clockwork man intent on getting through a door. He ignored me, he was unshootable. Clearly I wasn't his enemy! Once the timer ticked down, he burst through the door and killed what turned out to be somebody I knew. Huh!

The game had a lot of requiring very precise object names for puzzles; I spent about twenty turns trying to unlock a door manually before I hit on the right door name. There were also what I assume were bugs in implementation: specifically, picking up a bucket supposedly full of sand only to be told it was empty.

I ended up stopping without finishing the game(Spoiler - click to show) at some clockwork dogs after I'd (as player) managed to kill every other human I'd found on the train, including accidentally murdering somebody I was protecting with some scenic ricochets when I tried to use my gun to shoot the dogs. I would have kept poking at it but the various interactivity problems (and bugs?) I'd encountered up to that point made me unwilling to invest more time in something that possibly couldn't be beaten.

That said, I'd play a revised version. It had phantasmal hints of something I might enjoy.

This game is as it promises to be as stated on the game's page. It's short, it's interesting, and it's fun. Games made by Marshal are usually interesting to play and this one is not different.

The game itself is quite minimal, which would serve well as a Speed-IF game. It lacks a in-game hint menu, but since it's quite short, it won't really affect anything. As one of the reviews above states, nothing really goes on in the train. But I am pretty sure that is what will happen in a real attacked train, with the exception of random people running around. More NPC's implemented will definitely improve the game.

The puzzles in this game aren't too hard and mostly uses common sense. When I (Spoiler - click to show)had to fight the clockwork man, the only thing I had in my inventory was the bucket. Why not try using it? In the end, it worked! Shooting it had no effect.

But I'm currently stuck at 1 puzzle that I have no way of solving. (Spoiler - click to show)At the end, there are these robot dogs that I'm suppose to destroy. I found the gem, but I don't really have anything to deal with the robots. Poor Cloe died when I tried to shoot them. I guess I was suppose to use the bucket of sand, but it's too bad that I used it on the robot man.

Having some achievements to earn in the game is also a plus. It gives some extra replay value into the game, though we might be left in the dark if we don't actually know what do we have to achieve. Perhaps making an ABOUT menu with the list will help. A walkthrough will be appreciated too!

Overall, this game has potential to work out fine. More NPC's and some hints to help players help will make it work out nicely. Time for a version 2.0!