Ever since we covered it in early June, we’ve been looking forward to the launch of Fright Train.
WildArts Games’ third-person survival horror roguelite launches today and it sends paranormal special agent Doug Barker aboard the L.R.S. Great White, an enormous locomotive research station racing across the Antarctic ice. Something has gone very wrong aboard the train, monsters have taken over, and if the train stops moving, whatever is waiting outside might be even worse.
Welcome aboard.
This Might Be the Worst First Day Ever
Doug is a rookie agent working for P.A.W. or Paranormal Agency Worldwide, when an anonymous distress signal arrives from the Great White. The train belongs to the rather suspicious-sounding SHARK corporation, and investigating means heading inside, meeting whoever has managed to survive, and finding out exactly where all these monsters came from.
There’s just one fairly major complication. The Great White needs to keep moving.
You’ll have to monitor the train and repair its parts as you explore, because breaking down in the middle of Antarctica means dealing with the freezing temperatures and whatever creatures are chasing you through the blizzard outside.
Pack Carefully, You’re Going to Need It
Surviving inside isn’t much easier. The Great White is procedurally generated, with resources to scavenge and new cars and rooms to unlock using credits collected along the way. Those credits can also be fed into vending machines for supplies or spent upgrading your weapons.
Inventory management gets considerably more involved than deciding which things you’re willing to leave behind. Larger items are physically carried on Doug’s body, and where you put them affects how quickly he can reach them. Store a magazine on his chest and it’ll be quicker to grab during a reload than one tucked away on his lower back.
When something horrible is charging down a narrow train corridor towards you, those extra seconds suddenly matter quite a bit.
The Monsters Aren’t Playing Fair Either
Enemies have their own behaviors, weak points, and armor to learn, but they don’t necessarily spend all their time concentrating on Doug. Different creatures can interact with each other, sometimes supporting one another and sometimes causing problems for whatever happens to be nearby. That gives each encounter another layer to think about before you start emptying magazines into everything that moves.
You’ll want to be ready when the storms arrive too. Deadly weather brings waves of enemies, turning preparation into an important part of each run. Make it through and you’ll eventually need to reach an extraction point on top of the locomotive before the train reconfigures itself again.
Every Run Takes You Through the Great White
The story itself is divided into runs, with each attempt sending you through the entire Great White. The train is split into three sections, and reaching the end of one gives you an opportunity to improve your chances. Bite-Back Machines can upgrade weapons through four tiers, with the final tier unlocking a particularly powerful new ability. Random upgrades can also appear between sections, although you can only buy one each time.
It’s all wrapped up in a B-movie-inspired story that WildArts says doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite the freezing temperatures, limited resources, monsters, and generally terrible working conditions.
Fright Train launches today on Steam, with WildArts Games and publishers Black Lantern Collective and Gamersky Games finally opening the doors to the Great White.