Railbound
Railbound, sorti le 6 septembre 2022, est un jeu de réflexion apaisant consacré à la réparation de connexions ferroviaires, signé par l’équipe à l’origine de Golf Peaks et d’inbento, le studio Afterburn, qui en assure également l’édition. Le titre met en scène deux chiens partis à l’aventure autour du monde à bord d’un train, et invite le joueur à relier et façonner des chemins de fer à travers différents paysages afin d’aider tous les passagers à rentrer chez eux.
Le principe consiste à placer, retirer et rediriger des raccordements pour que les wagons se connectent en toute sécurité à la locomotive, en prenant soin d’éviter les collisions. Le jeu propose plus de deux cent quarante puzzles, des plus simples aux plus tortueux, avec des bifurcations optionnelles menant à des défis plus coriaces. Ses mécaniques s’inspirent du fonctionnement réel des trains, avec des tunnels pour parcourir de grandes distances, des barrières ferroviaires pour retarder les convois et des modifications de voies pour orienter les voitures. Le tout est habillé de graphismes inspirés de la bande dessinée et accompagné d’une bande-son relaxante créée par l’équipe de Golf Peaks et d’inbento.
Disponible sur PC Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One et Xbox Series X|S, Railbound relève des genres de l’arcade, de la simulation, de la stratégie, de l’indépendant, de la réflexion et du jeu de cartes et de société. Le jeu fonctionne sous Unity. Comptez environ quatre heures et demie pour terminer l’histoire principale, et un peu plus de onze heures et demie pour en faire le tour complet. Son prix est de 12,79 euros.
L’accueil critique a été très favorable, avec un score OpenCritic de 84 et une note agrégée de 84,62. La presse a notamment salué le charme de ses modèles colorés et sa courbe de difficulté très progressive, comme l’a souligné Nintendo Life. Screen Rant a relevé que certains puzzles peuvent être trompeusement difficiles, tandis que d’autres plus grands, avec plusieurs éléments mobiles, se révèlent étonnamment simples. Certains joueurs regrettent toutefois l’absence d’un système d’indices ou une échelle de difficulté parfois inégale, certains niveaux étant très simples et d’autres extrêmement ardus, malgré des graphismes jugés très jolis.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Railbound's puzzles can still be deceptively difficult, too. Some of the larger puzzles with multiple moving parts can be surprisingly simple, while the more bare-bones puzzles can provide some of the game's biggest challenges. While some puzzles may take some time to figure out, they never feel obtuse or unfair. Finding solutions to those puzzles generally means taking a small break to reset the brain and coming back with a fresh pair of eyes. With over 150 puzzles and ability to play on the go, Railbound is truly a fantastic game with a charming aesthetic and well-designed puzzles that reward and empower the player. »
« There’s no resisting the charm of Railbound’s chirpy cel-shaded models and, although they belie some fiendish challenges, the difficulty curve is as smooth as it is steep. Perfect for handheld play, Afterburn has laid down a great addition to Switch's library of puzzlers. »
« Railbound is a quaint, confident and colourful puzzle game that’ll charm your socks off if you let it. The presentation is welcoming, while the puzzles are challenging, all chocking up to a well-designed puzzler that’ll keep your brain boggling for hours. »
« Beautifully presented and with thoroughly enjoyable puzzles that will challenge even the most astute of minds, there’s a lot to love about Railbound. While they start off nice and easy, its puzzles soon get fiendish, and solving them is so very rewarding. This is the perfect game to cosy up with this winter, particularly if you like giving your noggin a workout. »
« If you like logic puzzles, you’ll probably have a good time with Railbound. It’s a very focused game, but it has enough twists to keep things fresh through its rather generous amount of stages. The striking comic-style art and the little sounds of everything clacking together when you get it right only add to the game’s considerable amount of personality. All in all, a rather lovely little game that is nice to sit down with and puzzle out when you’ve got a spare hour or two. »
« Railbound is a very accessible, clever and well-designed puzzle game that goes hand-in-hand with the Nintendo Switch and its key assets. Thanks to a finely implemented difficulty level and sense of progression, competent audiovisual presentation, and controls that work like a charm, Railbound becomes a perfect companion for quick gaming sessions with its challenging puzzles and rewarding experience. »
« Railbound delivers an absorbing collection of deceptively simple puzzles that will push your cognitive abilities. Brains might become sore but eyes will be soothed by the adorable visuals. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« It is a very cute game but I wish there was a hint system or a better difficulty scale because some could be really hard while others were surprisingly easy. »
« The first 3 worlds are stupendously simple and you will breeze through them. After that, puzzles will range between simple and ludicrously difficult. Some of them are insanely hard, even on world 4 or 5. The developers need to check themselves and actually test their content on regular people. Baba is You is an icon because it the difficulty curve is brutal, but perfectly incremented. Good puzzle games have good difficulty curves. as such, this is not a good puzzle game. Glad I got it on super sale. »
« Beautiful programming puzzle game. Insanely hard. Engineers, programmers and electricians will love this game. You don't have to finish every level to advance to the next difficulty. Some of the earlier ones I still haven't finished. Can be quite frustrating to the point you try out random solutions which end ups being very soul ****. If you want to finish this game, you have got to be very patient and bring out your a-game. Nothing to play in a tired state. »
