I’ve always had a soft spot for railroad sims. Growing up with titles like Railroad Tycoon left an itch that Sweet Transit has definitely scratched. Let’s get right into it – this isn’t a hardcore train-focused sim by any stretch. At its heart, it’s a city builder with a unique train-driven twist, more similar to a simplified Anno gameplay in some ways.
Imagine a world where railways are everything, and people can only move around by train – yeah, not sure why either, but that’s the premise. You’re tasked with building settlements, connecting them with intricate rail networks, and making sure your little citizens are happy little worker bees.
The gameplay loop is familiar. You’ll start small, plop down a warehouse, plunk a village hall, and start building cozy little houses for your villagers. You need those workers! They’ll need necessities, so you’ll build markets, fishing docks, water towers… the usual. Happy workers equal a thriving settlement.
Here’s the fun part: To give those villagers jobs, you need trains! This is where Sweet Transit is truly fun. You’ll build stations, buy locomotives, and create routes that tell your trains where to go, what to pick up, and where to drop it off. It’s a logistical puzzle, and seeing it all click into place is pretty satisfying.
The UI isn’t terrible, but it could use some improvements. Things that should have tooltips don’t, making the learning curve a bit steeper than it needs to be. Also, the music got on my nerves pretty quickly – I quickly switched to Spotify playing in the background.
Sweet Transit is a unique blend of genres. If you want a chill city-building experience with a heavy dose of train management, this might be up your alley. Don’t expect million-dollar production values or hand-holding tutorials, but it offers a surprisingly deep and engaging experience for fans of logistical puzzles. The devs seem committed too, with consistent updates and a modding community – that’s always a good sign.
Sweet Transit also includes Steam Deck verified support, 46 achievements, Steam Workshop (mods are supported), Steam Cloud and Family Sharing feature.
If the idea of creating creating big villages, intricate rail networks, all while keeping your little pixelated citizens happy sounds appealing, give Sweet Transit a shot. It can be really fun.
