How Teddy Roosevelt, Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station, and rust inspired futuristic train sim RAILGRADE

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At first blush, RAILGRADE is a meticulously detailed train simulator set in an alternate future that mashes together off-world industry with a ‘70s aesthetic. But beneath the beefy train simulator are layers of complexity that also imbue the game with a deep level of strategy and business simulation.

Lead game designer Daniel Dressler said he was inspired by the likes of Railroad Tycoon and Transport Tycoon, and that the team at Minakata Dynamics set out trying to capture what would have happened had those games continued to evolve over the past two decades.

The result is a game set in an alternate future created by one tweak in real-world history, and driven by the design and aesthetics of Japanese train sets and Tokyo’s Shinjuku station.

We chatted with Dressler about his leap from working on real-time strategy indie darling Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble, how a chance encounter on Twitter led to this latest project, and why he believes logistics are so much fun.

To read the rest of this story, which first ran on Sept. 15, 2022, visit the Epic Games Store.