Description

Iron Roads is a top-down 2D train management game for Desktop and Mobile with a focus on optimising train networks. Its minimalistic interface is easy to learn, but encourages deep and sophisticated gameplay. We’re aiming for the accessibility of Mini Metro and the depth of simulations such as OpenTTD, while also capturing the irreverent tone of games like Theme Hospital.

In addition to more established train management mechanics, Iron Roads explores themes surrounding sustainable development. Rather than encouraging unconstrained construction, the game reacts to the player’s actions.

For example, building on farmland destroys the chance of potential profit from associated rural towns. Powering trains with fossil fuels allows for easy expansion, but comes at the cost of rising seas leaving less space for tracks. And while there is easy money to be found serving industries rather than passengers, factories can quickly overwhelm the landscape, leaving little space for anything else.

As players help their erudite animal passengers rebuild a transport system after the fall of the humans that preceded them, they will need to think strategically and balance the needs of the society, the environment, and their fledgling business.

Players can choose between 3 modes of play:

• Scenarios Hand-crafted experiences with distinct narratives and gameplay features
• Endless mode A low-pressure game where players set their preferred parameters, using procedurally-generated maps
• Challenges Time-bound challenges where players compete for a spot on the highscore board

Iron Roads is being actively developed, but it is currently incomplete. The demo is a slice of the game that will arrive in Early Access. The demo can be downloaded and played now on Steam or Itch.

Features available in Iron Roads right now

• Setting up fast transport networks that will get erudite animal passengers to their destination on time
• Efficient transport of goods in complex production chains
• A minimalistic interface that is easy to learn, but that allows for many happy hours optimising and building networks
• Music in Iron Roads is a combination of notes generated from trains and passengers, and authored melodies. The music generated is as unique as the layouts built by players
• Contracts: Scenarios come with a grant system where players can follow focussed goals to earn extra money and get the satisfaction of ticking off a to-do list
• Performance graphs: the main goal of Iron Roads is to optimise the train networks, so charts are available to analyse data relating to finances and passengers

This is far from a complete list, but some of the more commonly requested features on our roadmap:

• Further content: Iron Roads already has a number of hand-crafted scenarios, timed challenges and an endless mode, but we plan to expand each during Early Access
• Multiplayer
• Mod support
• Weather events that will test the resilience of your network

Iron Roads will not have

• Buses, boats, planes or any other form of transport
• 3D graphics: our focus is on enabling players to build large networks easily, and we find 2D better for that
• NFTs, lootboxes or microtransactions

Games we were inspired by

• OpenTTD
• Mini Metro
• Two Point Hospital
• Lets Build a Zoo
• Opus Magnum

About us

We are Marina and Duncan, a BAFTA-nominated husband-and-wife team, and we develop games and art inspired by our love for management games, literature, puzzles and travelling. While we don't have defined roles, Duncan tends to be responsible for writing the engine and game design, and Marina does the writing and illustrations. Cowleyfornia is a nickname for the area of Oxford in the UK where our little studio is based.