The Final Station (PC)
When the world ends, do the trains still run? Do people still ride them? Well...yes. Yes they do. And guess who's the lucky conductor on this train ride through the apocalypse? YUP! It's you! The Final Station brings us to a post-apocalyptic world in which you are in control of a train. You'll navigate your way through each and every stop, visiting every single town, suburb, and station. Your multi-ton bulk of steel is the perfect defense against the hordes, and the ideal transportation for survivors.
Ultimately, your goal in this game is to survive until you've reached the final station on the line, clearing out the ones before it. Or...at least to the best of your abilities. Everything starts off simple and nice, work is pretty easy. You hop on the train, go to the next station, talk to some people, get the blocker code, and move on. After a handful of stops though, you start picking up word that up ahead...things are dire. And when you get there, you see that they really are. Zombies are taking over, leaving behind countless bodies and waves of blood and destruction. (Guess you should've read the fine print on that employment contract huh?)
Every town/station serves as a level in the game, and it's where the majority of gameplay occurs. The Final Station is a side-scroller, with some RPG and shooter elements mixed in. WASD controls are affixed for your movement, with a couple of action buttons placed nearby (E and F), R reloads your weapon when you have one, Q lets you consume a medkit, and TAB switches weapons for when you have more than one. The mouse houses the last two bits of controls for this game. A left click fires your weapon, a right click busts out your melee attack, and the movement of the mouse controls where you're aiming.
All of these will be put to great use on every stop you make in the game. Numerous objects in the world can be interacted with, and you'll either pick up ammo and health kits, crafting items, or junk items which you can sell at stations which are inhabited and operational. Other than this, you'll also come across hand-scribbled notes, instant messages and emails, or memos that have been left behind. The majority of these aren't necessary to encounter, but they provide a great amount of back story for the people who left them behind, giving you a touching and sometimes harrowing insight to some people's last moments.
One key thing that you'll need to find in each level is a blocker code. Each station has a giant blocker that you are forced to dock into upon arrival. Without the code, you won't be able to pass. If you can't pass, you can't play the game. These are simple four-digit codes that can be punched into a keypad by the blocker, but they can be tricky to find. At first, in the early levels, you get a dry run at this. No zombies, just wandering through towns, trying to track down the person who has the code (they're never back at the station which would just be too easy). Once you start hitting the cities that have been wiped out, you'll be slinging bullets as well.
The Conductor can only walk side to side, but he can also climb up and down ladders or pipes, giving you full access above and below you in each level. One thing that he can't do is perform a jump, which I have to admit there were times that I was itching to be able to do so. At the same time, this game is great without it and I personally don't think it would help or hurt if it were an option.
Zombies generally all "look" the same, simple black blobs against the background of the level. What differentiates them is how they move, any abilities they have, or if they happen to be wearing any gear. Some move at a normal pace, some move faster, you'll discover ones wearing helmets or bulletproof vests, even ones that will explode shortly after they take any damage. For the most part, they can all be taken down by either shooting or melee, but you'll soon find your own preference for the different types. But, some items in the world can be picked up, from office chairs, to cardboard boxes and broken toilets. These will negate any weapon you're carrying, becoming a weapon itself. Pick a zombie, huck it at them, and you'll generally be rewarded with a one hit kill.
Between levels, you'll be riding on your train, and there's plenty to do here. The train itself serves as a crafting station, where you can craft food and medkits to be distributed as you please. Distributed among who, you ask? While in the main levels, you'll occasionally come across survivors who are in need of assistance. They'll take refuge on your train, sticking with you until you reach an inhabited station. These guys will be hungry, thirsty, and low on health, which is where your craftables come in. Oh...and it's purely optional. It's up to you, to either help these people and collect a monetary reward once they make it to a survival point (and sometimes an item reward as well) or let them suffer and die, leaving their bodies free for looting. That's right, you get to play conductor and God (slightly).
Other than taking care of passengers, you'll need to take care of the train itself too. There are a few systems that are malfunctioning, and each time you're on the train, you'll need to keep an extra eye on whichever one isn't working right, manually guiding it back to where it should be functioning. Sometimes you'll pick up some cargo for your train too, which it too can have something that's semi-operational and needs your help.
I have to say, that I more than enjoyed my time in The Final Station. The gameplay is so much fun and easy to pick up. The over-arching narrative stands out and is portrayed excellently, while the little mini backstories you can uncover are, again, touching and harrowing. Some will make you chuckle, while some are a bit saddening as you read through a chat session that very abruptly became one-sided.
For only 14.99, this game would hold up an amazing spot in your library, whether you play console or PC. (This was also very recently just pushed out on the Switch as well, so if you own any current-gen console, you have no excuse). It's story is expanded on a bit in a DLC add-on titled The Only Traitor which I will also be reviewing once I've finished scouring every inch of the main game. The Final Station is a great experience that should not be missed for any reason whatsoever.
Between levels, you'll be riding on your train, and there's plenty to do here. The train itself serves as a crafting station, where you can craft food and medkits to be distributed as you please. Distributed among who, you ask? While in the main levels, you'll occasionally come across survivors who are in need of assistance. They'll take refuge on your train, sticking with you until you reach an inhabited station. These guys will be hungry, thirsty, and low on health, which is where your craftables come in. Oh...and it's purely optional. It's up to you, to either help these people and collect a monetary reward once they make it to a survival point (and sometimes an item reward as well) or let them suffer and die, leaving their bodies free for looting. That's right, you get to play conductor and God (slightly).
Other than taking care of passengers, you'll need to take care of the train itself too. There are a few systems that are malfunctioning, and each time you're on the train, you'll need to keep an extra eye on whichever one isn't working right, manually guiding it back to where it should be functioning. Sometimes you'll pick up some cargo for your train too, which it too can have something that's semi-operational and needs your help.
I have to say, that I more than enjoyed my time in The Final Station. The gameplay is so much fun and easy to pick up. The over-arching narrative stands out and is portrayed excellently, while the little mini backstories you can uncover are, again, touching and harrowing. Some will make you chuckle, while some are a bit saddening as you read through a chat session that very abruptly became one-sided.
For only 14.99, this game would hold up an amazing spot in your library, whether you play console or PC. (This was also very recently just pushed out on the Switch as well, so if you own any current-gen console, you have no excuse). It's story is expanded on a bit in a DLC add-on titled The Only Traitor which I will also be reviewing once I've finished scouring every inch of the main game. The Final Station is a great experience that should not be missed for any reason whatsoever.
Rating : 9.5/10
Developed by : Do My Best Games
Published by : tinyBuild
