The Final Station is the base game coming to you from development team Do Our Best games and publishers Tinybuild Games . This game is quickly gaining fans and it is easy to see why; with a story that is full of intrigue, interesting game play that challenges you and plenty of content it’s hard to not see why so many are enjoying this game and why it is starting to get add ons and DLC to add to the experience. Do Our Best has definitely delivered something special and the team is definitely passionate about this project. After watching the trailer, the game definitely grabbed my attention and I am happy it did not disappoint.
The Only Station throws you right in the middle of the scene. You are conducting a train in the middle of what appears to be some sort of illness or epidemic going around. In the beginning it is simply your job to keep passengers safe and healthy and of course to find the key code for the next train to continue. This could entail something as easy as asking a coworker for the code, to having to travel and perform a favor for it or find it hidden somewhere. As the game progresses, the mystery begins to reveal itself. There are monsters and an illness and you caught in the middle just trying to get passengers to safety. You may have to fight your way through hordes of enemies, but you are on your mission to get that train to its next stop and find the next code that keeps the train running. You can choose to continue saving these passengers or you can let them die and loot their bodies for money and supplies. As for the deeper nuances of the story, you can explore and read fan theories and speculate, but some parts are left a purposeful mystery to add to the fun.
The aesthetic of this game is entirely pixelated retro style. Everything is very blocky without much detail in the design, but that can work to the game’s advantage. I found the silhouetted enemies to be quite alarming at times along with the survival aspect of the game. You need to budget your ammo and tactically plan your way around the world and not waste your resources. I found it took some getting used to when it came to aiming your gun to shoot down your enemies, as when you are moving your arm to aim your gun, it can be slightly sensitive and make it more difficult to aim and hit your mark and it can make you waste bullets. If you can get past the less than perfect combat and hordes of enemies, what you have is truly something special. Discovering this world, finding secrets and unraveling the mysteries of this game are what really make this game worth playing. It is clear the team behind this spent a lot of time weaving this story for their audience with care, making sure to carefully place all the hints, easter eggs and answers deliberately.
Overall, The Final Station base game is truly something special. It is an indie gem that deserves the following and attention it has gotten and then some. I look forward to playing the DLC and continuing the story and learning more about this dystopian world and what it has to offer. You can play it now on Steam or XBox One. If you enjoy eerie atmosphere, mystery and pixel art, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Each level is short enough for those who don’t have long periods of time to play games or you can binge the game, it’s up to you. All aboard and enjoy the ride of the Final Station.