The game isn’t due for release until next year, but the Melbourne-based indie studio The Voxel Agents have shown off Train Conductor 3 – the latest title in the highly popular Train Conductor series. While it adds brand new locations and challenges, the fundamentals remain the same: create tracks to get trains on the correct line while avoiding any collisions.
Train Conductor 3 has been redesigned and introduces several new things to make things difficult, including curved tracks, tunnels, loops and incomplete tracks. The game also introduces a day/night cycle, which indicates how much time you have left before the round is complete.
Whereas its predecessor (Train Conductor 2) had maps based on American cities, this game has adopted a European flavour. The map I got to play during my limited time with Train Conductor 3 was the one with the Arc De Triomphe in Paris, which has the added challenge of one massive roundabout shared across the four lines. Other maps include one based on the Swiss Alps, the Venetian canals, and the chaotic London Tube.
The graphics are simply stunning and – to steal a line from Penny Arcade’s Tycho, because I completely agree – it “was so tactile and satisfying in its interactions that it was hard not to touch it.” As a fan of the previous games, Train Conductor 3 manages to keep the series interesting with new challenges but not too difficult where it loses its appeal as a fun app while commuting to work.
As I said, the game is coming out next year and is expected to arrive on iOS and Android.
I also got to get a sneak preview of their upcoming game called The Time Project. I cannot say much about the project – mainly because it is in very early development – other than it exists, that it looks amazing, and I cannot wait to see the final build. You can sign up on the game’s website to keep track of the development.