Unrailed 2: Back on Track Preview

Deadlines are usually a pain in the butt, but sometimes they can be just the thing to motivate you into getting the work done. This is doubly true, when the deadline is a train running on an unfinished track, and the task at hand is building said track before you get banned from the local Railfan Association, as seen in the unbridled joy and chaos of Unrailed 2: Back on Track.

Now, before we jump into this preview, a note: Unrailed 2 is meant to be a co-op experience and is probably best played as such. However, I was unable to find any company to play with during my time with the title, so this preview will be done from a single-player perspective. Take any notes or complaints about the AI and add a nice little “but this would probably be fine/even better with other people” to the end henceforth.

In Unrailed 2, you are tasked with connecting the world to one epic train track, bravely journeying to the frontier and building a sturdy and safe track for your train to travel. Only one issue: the train is already on the tracks, is running, and has no breaks. With the help of your friends (or your AI companion if you’re playing solo), you must gather resources, clear obstacles, keep the train cool, and build tracks in order to get your trusty locomotive from one station to the next…. or until you fail and your train breaks into a thousand pieces. But worry not, you can always try again!

Much like the first game, Unrailed 2 is a roguelite title. You set off in the first (and easiest) biome, Monorail Meadows, and slowly work yourself forward from station to station. Each station has a function, such as housing a shop or a blacksmith, or containing upgrades to you or to the carts of the train. You can also take on additional gameplay restrictions to receive in-run currency and rearrange your carts as you see fit. Finally, once you’re done, you can select the route from a selection of three options, all with indicators for difficulty, possible additional effects, and the prize to be had.

Your locomotive itself starts each run with the basic setup: the engine itself, a Crafter cart, and a Storage cart. You’re free to change the order of the carts, but the engine has to be upfront, though you are able to buy alternative choo-choos with meta-currency, more on that later. The engine has a water-based cooling system, indicated by a handy water gauge at the bottom, whereas the Crafter can transform a block of wood and a hunk of iron into a length of track in no time! The Storage cart can hold a certain number of both, determined by level and upgrades, and can automatically move the needed resources to the Crafter when able.

So it would seem you have everything you need and the job’s a breeze, right? Well… not quite. You start off each leg, or stage, of your journey with the train, a small stack of ready-made rails, yourselves, an axe, a pick, and a bucket of water. Once a stage begins, you have about 10 seconds of time to get moving before the train does, starting your battle against time to keep resources handy, the engine cool, and the tracks aligned. Unluckily, the environment itself is not going to make things easy, requiring you to build bridges with wood and clear out any threats and other obstacles you may come across.

Though it may not seem that interesting on paper, the joy of Unrailed 2 is definitely something you need to experience. The terror you feel when you realise you’re stuck on the wrong side of a river without any tools and your only way back is currently blocked by a burning train is a lesson in futility and forethought, whereas the chaos of multiple workers milling about trying to keep on track (heh) with the needed resources to keep the train chugging is both hilarious and nerve-wracking.

Luckily there are ways to make things easier (or harder) during each run. As you progress, you’ll unlock upgrades, like larger stack sizes or the ability to move through a cart, in addition to completely new cart types to help you survive each leg of the journey. Some fun examples are the Cannon cart, which can fire resources ahead of the train, and the upgrade that allows your cart to pick up items it goes past without your input! Finding new combos is always fun and I constantly looked forward to seeing what kind of new silliness I could create at the next station.

After a few levels into a biome, you may come across the opportunity to cross over into the next, symbolised by a little castle. Getting into a new biome is often challenging and requires you to pay in-run currency to attempt. If you manage to pull it off, however, you unlock the biome (if previously unlocked) as the starting location for future runs! Additionally, connecting stations will also net you some meta-currency, which you can use to buy new engines, cosmetic items, and permanent upgrades for your workers, making future runs a bit easier.

As I noted earlier, I played Unrailed 2 on my lonesome. At first, I was nervous about progressing, as this is a co-op experience, but I was luckily joined by a robotic ally! The robotic helper is a bit single-minded and needs to be given a task with the use of a command wheel, but once they are given a job, they will go at it with fervour and gusto! You can, for example, command robo-pal to chop wood, mine ore, build tracks, or cool the train. If they can, they will perform the task to their best ability, though if they can’t find or reach a necessary tool or there are no resources for it to use, they will go into sleep mode, awaiting further orders. If told to build tracks, it will show you an outline of the planned route and you will be required to clear out any and all obstructions in its robotically calculated optimal path.

The robot can get a bit confused at times and is unable to process some more advanced actions, such as “build a bridge with the wood next to me to get to the tool I need”, but in general it gets the job done and is rather helpful. If you find yourself needing them to do something very specific, you can always swap with the AI, giving them control of your character while you do the necessary jobs with the robot. If you feel like your AI partner is more of a pain than a help, you can also disable them completely between runs.

Unrailed 2 is a lot of fun. The constant effort to keep ahead of both the train and the shifting environment makes for challenging, but entertaining gameplay whereas the multiple types of carts and biomes keep things fresh. Though playing with the bot was fun enough, I can imagine the experience of playing with friends or strangers online to be a whole other level of both fun and satisfying! I look forward to seeing what kinds of new biomes and ideas Indoor Astronaut come up with during the Early Access period.