A good train management game can be a thing of excellence, just think back to the Railroad Tycoon series and bask the glow of glorious train timetabling and management. It is a genre which I’ve largely lost track of in recent time, but the upcoming full release of Train Valley on September 16th could change that.

Train Valley (official site) has been working its way through Steam Greenlight for a while now, reaching over 10,000 supporters before releasing into Early Access this May. After a last push from developers Flazm Interactive Entertainment and Oroboro Games, the full game will release in September on Steam and via the Humble Bundle for £6.99 / $9.99, a nice bargain price I’m sure you’ll agree. My impression is that Train Valley is more of a train-puzzle game, unlike the massively in-depth and detailed Railroad Tycoon, no bad thing, especially as it looks as charming as this:

While it might not scratch the itch I have for something along the lines of Railroad Tycoon, for the bargain price that it is releasing at, it should prove to be a nice diversion. Missions in the story mode should take you 5-10 minutes to work through, with random modes and sandbox modes allowing you greater freedom of expression.

The story will take you through four generations of train development as you explore the trains of Europe, America, Japan and the USSR with the action starting in the 1830s in Europe, and carrying on through to the 2020s in Japan. As you work through the story, you will experience events such as the American Gold Rush, World War Two and the first manned spaceflight with Vostok 1.

It might not offer the depth of tycoon elements that I would be looking for, but it should be fun. Have any of you guys been playing it during Early Access, any thoughts?