Tiny Rails review - A train company sim that takes you for a slow ride

Tiny Rails is one of those games where you don't really do anything. It's about running your own railway business, building it from a single engine and carriage into a continent spanning megaconglomerate.

Or at least that's the desired goal. For the most part you're just watching a chuffing steam train pootle along some tracks, adding new bits to your rolling stock, and trying to make sure your passengers are happy.

Everything is presented in chunky pixels and there's a sweetness to everything that's pretty hard to dislike. But if you're looking for a bit more hands-on experience at running imaginary train companies, you're better off looking elsewhere.

The game sees you taking charge of a train. You need to fill it with passengers, trade for cargo, and try and make sure everyone gets off at the right station with a smile on their face.

It's by no means a taxing experience. In fact, calling it sedate would be like describing a hungry tiger as mildly dangerous. This is a game that's just sort of there.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Sometimes you don't want to get elbow deep into the intricacies of running a company.

Instead you just want to spend cash when you've got it, add some nice new carriages to your train, and not have to worry about things like where it is you're supposed to be going.

There's a healthy beat to the game, and you'll find yourself dipping in every time you get a notification telling you your locomotive has reached a destination.

Buy and sell some stuff, see if you've got enough to upgrade your engine, then put the game down until it bleeps at you again.

There are challenges to complete and achievements to unlock, but they all just come with time. There's no chasing anything here, just the steady accumulation of wealth and train power.

And if that's what you're looking for in a game then you're not going to to too far wrong picking this one up.

It doesn't quite have the charm of Pocket Trains, nor does it have that game's complexity. And that's really saying something.

Instead this is a game about taking your time, enjoying the scenery, and building things up step by step.

There might not be much challenge, there might not be that much to actually do, but it's a cathartic experience all the same.