Railway Empire Performs Better on Xbox Than Expected

When I saw Railway Empire from Kalypso – the same company behind the Tropico series – I knew the game was going to be relatively good. That being said, I always have a few reservations about playing tycoon and simulation style titles on a console, using a controller. More than half the time, the controller just cannot replicate the feel of the mouse and keyboard, and many games in this style fall flat because of pure controls. After only a few hours with Railway Empire, however, and I can safely say that this title does not suffer from that in any way.

I think it all comes down to the speed of movement. Getting around the map using the left thumb stick, while zooming and rotating with the right stick, is fast, easy, and keeps the game flowing at a great pace. There is no slow methodical scroll as you search the map for towns you want to connect rails to. Instead, the developers have made sure the pace is up, making you feel like you have more control than you normally would in a game like this.

Using the triggers to pull up radial menus also works really great; while in general I’m not a fan of radial menus, in a game like Railway Empire, where a few seconds isn’t the difference between life and death, it is actually a really great, organized system for all your building needs. One tab will bring up your current objectives, one will allow you to build stations, supply towers, signals, and more; and another will allow you to lay down track, which is as simple as clicking between two stations, and then adjusting the rail to fit your need and price point.

Perhaps it was because I went in with a preconceived notion that the controls would be awful, or perhaps other titles have just completely turned me off, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well Railway Empire handles on the Xbox One, and I cannot wait to dive in again today!

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