If all this efficiency is too much for you, you should know that some of these options are hidden in the standard advanced options, and the game explains to you some simple track layouts in the first scenario, in case you prefer to ignore the deeper details. There’s not even room for a brief tour of the wide range of trains you can design, from train designer, rail trade, resource exploration and trade, railroad track management, bus transportation with exciting crossings, to custom scenarios you can share and rank online. The slow pace of the game is another attraction, but while the quiet and somewhat passive interaction with the organically evolving city is a relaxing way to unwind, the slow menus and repetitive controls slow the steam down. Later in the game, track planning becomes increasingly important, long after the other mechanics have reached their limits, and balance never really returns. Content aside, there is significant balance, interface, and performance issues, but they don’t completely throw the game off. While it’s unfair to criticize A-Train for its complexity–that’s the whole point–it does present some game design challenges. On the surface of the A-Train: all aboard! Tourism feels like a transport mogul-like simulation, focused primarily on construction, it offers a very Japan from commercial real estate with concession stands. The game is based on scenarios that take place in fictional locations in Japan from 1955 to 2025, changing buildings, infrastructure and technology over the years. There are options to increase the range of shots and disable certain effects, but when you use them, the game becomes incredibly slow. But when we say “finer points,” we also mean finer points; we have the ability to set exact times for the various trains entering and exiting the station, determine what platform they stop at, how fast they leave the station, if they stop at all, how, where and when other scheduled trains on the route pass, etc. Once you reach the goals of one scenario, you can move on to the next, or just play an open game with what you have built. Income from traffic is limited, but if you invest in land, build a station, lay tracks, and operate a line, you can increase the population of the area, so the value of the land, along with the cost of investment, goes up. Although I had a lot of fun for 60 hours of play, I wouldn’t recommend buying it until they fix some stability issues.