Developer: David Konecny
Publisher: Shoreline Games
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Out Now
Key Provided: Yes
It’s been a good year for fans of HP Lovecraft games, and the phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down. For this latest Cthulhu-themed game, Czech developer David Konecny mixes in a dash of Snowpiercer as we join the last human train, on its way to who-knows-where and fuelled by the very passengers it's supposedly saving.
The player is Samuel Mather, an apothecary (pharmacist) stuck on the titular train. Samuel discovers and interacts with his environment through a set of cards, and can find new ones by using them or talking to passengers. Outside his cabin sits Garret, an ex-judge with a dark secret; opposite him, perched uncomfortably on a sofa, is Euler, an expert in train design and more. The pencil-thin conductor wanders around, his evilly glowing eyes highlighting his pithy put-downs. By using logic and combining the cards he discovers, Samuel uncovers more passengers and, eventually, the chief engineer, the apparent driver of both the circumstances and the train. Questioning passengers and examining items such as books and a notice board reveals more about the dire situation. Samuel’s ostensible task, as given by the conductor, is to select the next sacrificial passenger.
Dreadline Express has a superbly maudlin atmosphere, the sorrowful passengers full of regret and loss over loved ones and their own memories of them. Discovering their backstories is fascinating, each one offering a glimpse into this rotten world, invaded by creatures from another dimension. The game’s music is great in this respect: solemn, downbeat tones that perfectly reflect the mood, as if everyone has accepted their grim fate. It takes place within just one carriage and the train's engine room, but there’s plenty to do, as you’ll quickly have enough cards to juggle and experiment with, asking your fellow passengers a range of probing questions.
Samuel’s book of cards breaks down into chapters, led by a set on himself, followed by the train, the outside world and the other passengers. You can hold up to three in your hand at once, and figuring out which one (s) achieve the desired result takes plenty of lateral thinking. This is the game's drawback: without a suitably focused mind, Dreadline Express can easily descend into a random try-every-card tactic, which is as tedious as it sounds. Saving everybody—which is possible—was a task beyond me, as was discovering all the available cards.
But, of course, there’s nothing wrong with a challenging game, or one that requires brain cells over reflexes, and Dreadline Express exudes a brilliantly forbidding and dismaying atmosphere that effectively draws you into its compact world. The horrors outside the train are only briefly glimpsed (maybe for the best), but the passengers leave you in no doubt as to their ferocity and threat. It’s a shame this is neutered by the sometimes frustrating card shuffling caused by the many possible combinations from mid-game onwards.
Pros: Great atmosphere thanks to its graphics and music; well-written, fascinating characters.
Cons: Frustrating card element that feels unnecessary in places.
CONCLUSION
Definitely not a hand-holding game, but one that’ll certainly engage and connect with players willing to put in the little grey cells and don’t mind faffing around with a book full of creepy cards.
