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--- lb:the.final.station [2025-04-30 19:41:30] – ↷ Links adapted because of a move operation 51.222.253.9
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 ====== The Final Station ======
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-The Final Station is a [[lb:games|video game]] where you play a train conductor. You find yourself in the middle of an alien invasion; what one would call an unfortunate situation.
 {{tag>games speculah}}
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+The Final Station is a [[lb:games|video game]] where you play a train conductor. You find yourself in the middle of an alien invasion; what one would call an unfortunate situation.
 ===== Review =====
 The game is a side-scrolling 2D shooter with the goal of clearing the level so as to move on to the next level. You clear a level by finding a piece of paper with a code on it; you then input the code into a machine that lets you progress((:fn:>I don't currently know if the codes are randomly generated or not. I'd assume they are (because that would be obvious), but there is a chance they aren't.)). During the levels, you can pick up food, medkits, ammunition, and money. Medkits are used to heal yourself and passengers and food is used to feed passengers only. Money can be traded for more supplies or weapon upgrades. In-between each level - which are called stations, by the way - you have to maintain the train to make sure it doesn't explode.\\
 I originally described the gameplay as ‘fun at first, but grows tedious fast’; after replaying the game, I have slightly different thoughts. What the player does for most of the game - exploring each level to find the code and supplies - is, while basic, quite good actually. I found the in-between bits most frustrating. The issue there is a combination of repetitive tasks (maintaining the train) and information overload: you have the backgrounds (and foregrounds...) giving a little information; you have passengers talking amongst themselves and to you; you have messages coming in from co-workers. If the repetitive tasks were removed (which includes having to feed and heal the passengers), and it was purely a way to get story, then it would be fine.\\
 What really elevates the game, however, is the atmosphere. The music and visuals contribute to it especially. You really get the feeling the world is //ending//.\\
-As far as story is concerned: I think the game has an average story, with the DLC having a better one; the backstory and worldbuilding is quite good. The issue with the main game's story is that the conductor (who the player controls) doesn't talk...or, rather, he does talk, but the player doesn't hear him. This comes off as a half-assed attempt to create a silent protagonist, and leads to a disconnect between the player and the player character. This disconnect is felt most after the conductor decides <wrap spoiler>to leave Metropol, and the player doesn't know why</wrap>. The game here is failing to properly communicate important information about the conductor...which is necessary if he's going to be half-silent. This doesn't apply to the DLC, where the player character does talk, and the player can hear him((:fn:>Although his commentary during levels does come off as awkward at times.)). The silence of the conductor is probably what makes the story so confusing - the player simply has no idea why they're going where they're going at the end of the game, until they get there.\\
+As far as story is concerned: I think the game has an average story, with the DLC having a better one; the backstory and worldbuilding is quite good. The issue with the main game's story is that the conductor (who the player controls) doesn't talk...or, rather, he does talk, but the player doesn't hear him. This comes off as a half-assed attempt to create a silent protagonist, and leads to a disconnect between the player and the player character. This disconnect is felt most after the conductor decides <mark spoiler>to leave Metropol, and the player doesn't know why</mark>. The game here is failing to properly communicate important information about the conductor...which is necessary if he's going to be half-silent. This doesn't apply to the DLC, where the player character does talk, and the player can hear him((:fn:>Although his commentary during levels does come off as awkward at times.)). The silence of the conductor is probably what makes the story so confusing - the player simply has no idea why they're going where they're going at the end of the game, until they get there.\\
 The DLC's story is extremely simple - the player character is trying to get to a shelter. This is why I say the DLC has a better story...because it's much simpler than the main game's, but there's also far less happening. The DLC also has the bonus of answering a few questions raised during the main game.\\
 I stated that the backstory and worldbuilding is quite good, and I think it's one of the highlights of the game. Similar to many a soulslike, the backstory is mostly fed to you through disconnected notes and the environment. This encourages exploration, and makes the player think about what exactly's going on. Besides notes, though, the other main source of information are the passengers...and good luck listening to them while you do everything else on the train! The DLC fixes this one problem by having the in-between bits serve as just a way to craft and listen to the characters speak. Consequently, a player gets more out of each playthrough of the DLC than of the main game - as far as story is concerned.\\