Fans of NimbleBits will be happy to know that a new simulation game has been added to their portfolio, alongside the likes of Pocket Planes and Tiny Tower.
Pocket Trains is an 8-bit simulation game that has you toting goods across Europe, and eventually the world, with your miniature railroad empire. Soon after its launch, this game has grown in popularity so fast that Apple has given it the coveted Editor’s Choice award in the App Store for this week…
Players are given two train cars to start with and a brief explanation of the rules of the rails. Send trains out on jobs to collect money. Use the money to add more tracks and buy more train cars. Craft new engines and build more stations in this fast-paced business.
Each train has a specific station. Tracks for the train’s routes are color-coded. If you want to send a train down a different track, you’ll have to pay to change stations. Each station offers a variety of jobs. When you tap on the Jobs tab, you’ll see what the current train can do. Each job offers a different level of money, depending on the number of cars needed and the length of the trip.
Don’t forget to fuel up when at a station. If you take too many trips without pausing to refuel, you may get stuck on a track and have to pay to send someone out to refuel you. Fueling up takes a very long time, but you can upgrade your train later with additional fuel engines.
As you earn coins, you can use them to discover new cities and build new stations. Once a station is built, you can lay down tracks and craft a new train engine to run on it.
Trains can be upgraded to be more fuel-efficient, include more cars, and increase speed. Players craft new cars and engines to add to trains, or build new railroads in cities for longer travels.
The trains need upkeep. The more they are used to take cargo and people from place to place, the harder they have to work to complete their jobs. Players can repair broken and worn parts, or replace them entirely.
Create all manner of train cars to keep your empire growing from speedy diesel driven engines, to old timey steam engines. The larger your empire, the more money you make. As you earn money, expand to different countries around the world.
Pocket Trains is free to download and available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Download it in the App Store today.