Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition Review

Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition is a railroad simulator game coming from the developers at Gaming Minds Studios and published by Kalypso Media. At first glance, the game seems to fit a very small niche of gamers. You would be very surprised to learn that Railway Empire is actually a very popular game with a huge cult following. While doing research for this game, I stopped by its steam page, and it boasts all sorts of accolades and awards. Fantastic reviews across the internet and thousands of them, and fans put in hundreds of hours into the game. The dedication and love for this franchise is inspiring, and I was excited to jump into it and see what all the buzz was about.

The premise of Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition is that it takes place in the United States in 1830, when industry was booming across the country and people needed to find ways to travel across the vast land that was quicker than going on horseback. The invention of the steam engine really helped powerful businessmen—think famous rich families like the Vanderbilts. Railroads and trains were literally like striking gold because they changed the way that America functioned forever, and it was very quickly in huge demand. This period of American history is actually very interesting, at least to people who really enjoy history like I do. The glimmer of hope in this “new world” is very exciting to think about—what types of new frontiers and adventures could be lurking around the corner?

Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition tries to immerse you in the shoes of these businessmen: you must build your rail network, purchase your trains, and hire a workforce all while balancing a checkbook. The essential elements of any strategic game are here and they are very satisfying for the player—I especially love that the developers added the extra element of competing with other tycoons for control over the railway: it made it very interesting!

Surprisingly, the game is very immersive when it comes to this period of history: I found the graphics to be quite beautiful and really got me into that “wild west” feeling, especially with the game’s feature of their “ride on board” camera, which allowed you to look out the window of the train. I loved looking at the sprawling greenery and the different towns that I passed through. I think it was the world and environment that also made Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition more appealing to me—the addition of cool missions and the fleshed out background of the game really make missions more interesting and appealing for me to continue with. Especially as time passed and technology moved forward—it is seriously a cool game that is rewarding to play.

Finally, the addition of this game on the Nintendo Switch is really genius in my eyes. Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition is really pick up and play friendly—not only will old fans really enjoy having their favorite game to play on the go, but I really think new fans will enjoy this game due to how convenient it is to play. New younger players I think will also be sucked into these tycoon games, as we all were back in the day playing them in browsers online (my personal favorites were Fish and Rollercoaster Tycoon…)

The game runs fantastic and looks fantastic on the Switch, docked or in handheld mode. I had zero issues playing and thought that the controls seemed natural once I got the hang of it. Not to mention, the price on the Nintendo Switch version makes this game a steal. Not only is it $39.99 on Switch, while it is $49.99 on Steam currently, but it comes already with three of the DLC packs Mexico, The Great Lakes, and Crossing the Andes. It’s a great deal, especially for the amount of content that is packed into this charming game. Try out this fantastic game with a passionate and dedicated fanbase and see why it won so many awards over the years.

9/10

Check Out the Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition Trailer:

Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition launches today with both a physical retail edition and digitally on Nintendo eShop. 

For more information, please visit www.kalypsomedia.com

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