Vitaly Stepanoff of Artwork Games, has created a colorful and endearing game with Brave Train. If you enjoy Match 3 type games and a dash of Snake, then Brave Train will probably interest you. The game has a cute appeal, and plenty of achievements that will keep you coming back to this one. It is a game that young and old can play, so it checks the box for family fun.
There are tons of games in the Play Store. It is always nice to find one that is simple enough in execution, but challenging enough to offer a fair amount of gameplay. This isn’t one of those games that you will be slogging on for hours to complete. It is just the opposite. There is enough game here that will keep you coming back for bite size amounts of fun. If you are a busy person, it is great to fire this one up on the subway, or while you are waiting for a doctor’s appointment. It is colorful, has a few maps and does what it does well. The controls may take a little while to get used to, but at least there are multiple options for that.
Brave Train is a mashup of genres with Snake and Match 3, or three in a row. Ultimately the goal is to clear as many of the wagons as you can, as they attach to your main engine. The wagons will pop up randomly, and you will have to get to them to attach them to your train. If you match three of the same color, those wagons go away, and points are racked up for your high score. At times, a random puzzle piece will pop up that you can grab, that will automatically clear the whole board of that one particular color. There are also batteries and keys to pick up as well. The batteries allow your train to keep chugging along. The keys grant you access to the other maps that are available.
The game easily grabs you. It has graphics that are a bit exaggerated in form, with plenty of polygonal trees that adorn the outside of the board. There are four playing boards in the game that vary in size. The first setting is the Town. The different boards are Day 10 x 10, Morning 12 x 12, Evening 14 x 14, and Night 16 x 16. The next set of boards, which Artwork Games says is coming soon, is The Building Yard. There are two different views to choose from, Corner Perspective and Front Perspective. There are multiple ways to control the train: Direction Buttons, Buttons on two sides, Virtual Joystick, Click on Field, Swipe on Field, Turn Buttons and Click on Screen. Certainly you can find a control system that works for you. There have been a few comments in the Play Store Reviews about Bad Controls. I am not sure if some of the reviewers were aware of all of the control options. There seems to be something for everyone. The tap on field works for me. You basically tap on the screen in the direction you want the train to go. Since the perspectives are slightly angled towards you, it makes it a bit easier to choose one of the alternating colored squares, to get the train to move in that direction.
Each game you play gives you the results in the following order: the length of time you played, maximum speed of your train, maximum length of your train, how many wagons you acquired and the maximum number of series that you collect, which gives you coins, or your high score. The goal in the game is to clear as many sets of colored wagons as you can. The boards are tight and those turns are pretty critical. As your train picks up speed, you need to plan ahead. Are you going to grab a wagon that is a different color and extend your length of train, or are you going to try to wait around to see what colored wagon pops up next? Quick decisions are a fun part of the gameplay.
I enjoy playing Brave Train. The game developers didn’t try to push the boundaries to make the game something that it isn’t. Brave Train is a fun puzzle game with bright splashes of color, catchy music, a ton of achievements, a few different boards and a well-executed package all together. If you are looking for a simple but fun game to play, Brave Train will not disappoint. It is free to play, but you don’t have to worry about spending your hard earned dollars. The coins that you collect by whisking away wagons, is used to purchase additional trains in the train depot. Just recently, they upgraded the game with a Puzzle section. Playing the game and picking up all the puzzle pieces to complete a puzzle, will also give you the opportunity to unlock other trains.
If you have a few moments to spare and are looking for something a bit familiar, and a tad bit different, take a look at Brave Train. It is a game that you won’t mind having on your device as the go to game for quick fun for you, or your children.
Brave Train Trailer: https://youtu.be/htcTSALsdPQ
Brave Train: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.artworkgames.BraveTrain&hl=en
