App Review No. 73 Storm the Train

Strong Points:
Nice, pick up and play gameplay
Lots of weapons
12 cgharacters adds strategy
Missions are more varied than some games
Lots of upgrades
Challenge modes add more to the game
Not too hard to get coins
Daily sales help getting upgrades easier
Addictive
Competitive
Eagle-7 is quite helpful
Surplus Store makes getting weapons slightly easier

Weak Points:
Only three trains
XP (Jewels/blueprints as of version 1.5) eventually becomes useless
Enemies are, mostly, just reskinned on different trains
Not enough clothes (we need customization!)
Takes a while to get going
Games Faction Ltd keep changing the formula of the game so you have to restart every time they want to change something

Rating: 80%

In-depth Review: 

Release Dates: 

World Wide: 7 May, 2012

Controls: 

Touch the left and right arrows to move and the up arrow to jump.

Press the explosion icon to jump.

In Storm the Train you play as three different characters (Graham, Mason and Carrera) who also function as the games three different classes (Soldier, Heavy and Medic). Graham is a well-balanced character whereas Mason specializes in high defense and melee attacks and Carrera is a fast moving medic. The characters share a healthpool which means that swiping when you’re just about to die won't save you. However, it does mean that you can go into different situations with a bit more strategy. For example, if you are low on health, you could either switch into Carrera or heal up while dodging most enemies or you could switch into Mason and use his higher defense to survive. Or, you could change into Graham with his moderate speed and attack which could let you punch through the enemies until you get to a safer position. 

The characters also have different weapons (which range from Dual Pistols to Heatrays and Rail Guns) which adds to the customization and strategy even further. For instance, while Mason has high defense, he could also be holding the Gears of Gore which is a melee weapon. This isn't very helpful against vampires who can teleport and fire bones at you. However, Graham might be holding the Rail Gun which can be charged up to one/two shot the enemy. The different weapons are picked up in crates which means you can switch characters and end up having three weapons that can play against any situation.  

As well as weapons, you also have the spin attack and mayhem abilities. The spin attack functions as a spin attack, a corpse killer and a way to jump through enemies (warning: don't try this at home). The mayhem abilities range from drones that shoot, heal and crush to air strikes to fast forwards and suits that amplify a characters powers for a while. The suits and drones are character specific with them portraying each characters abilities. 

The aim of the game is to 'storm' various trains and defeat the monsters/robots/ninjas on them. As well as normal grunts, there are also bigger bosses (just bigger enemies with certain special powers) as well as hostages to rescue (done by killing two mini bosses and grabbing their keys). The ultimate goal is to get the highest amount of points, achieved by killing enemies rather than running as far as possible. However, it is possible to reach the end of a train, at which point you have to jump to the next one. Sadly, there are only three types of trains (Horror, Future and Oriental) so the scenery can get a bit boring and repetitive. 

As well as just killing enemies for points, you can also try to fulfill certain objectives which reward you with XP. This XP then unlocks different enemies and upgrades. Sadly, the use of XP eventually runs out and yet the missions are still there. It would be nice to be able to convert them into something really. Oh well, at least the missions aren't too similar.  

Throughout the trains you may also find yourself with the option to ride in the jetpack or CDW (Cylindrical Death Weapon). These areas make the train into an infinite runner and force you to fly/jump over bombs and missiles while crushing/lasering enemies for points. Rather sadistic really. These two vehicles also show up in the challenge modes and function in exactly the same way as in the main game. The other challenge modes are heightened survival modes where you have to clear as many waves of enemies as possible while permanently being at 1 HP (and no, you can't heal as Carrera). There are three different difficulties which all link to the three different trains with Horror being the easiest and Oriental being the hardest.

Overall, Storm the Train is an addictive game that will appeal to both the casual and competitive gamers alike. Now, I think I'll just go and storm another train. And perhaps another one.

Update: the Eagle has landed and it's brought an update with it (finally!). This includes three new environments as well as a checkpoint train (the Eagle-7) which means that there is now an option to heal mid-game, upgrade equipment mid-game and check in your missions mid-game

Update: collect blueprints to unlock items and upgrades in the shop. An all-new gem system to equip/upgrade drones and revive. Lots of bug-fixes

Update: cheaper gadget deploys, a new shop layout, a new surplus store added to the Eagle-7 and many bug-fixes

Update: calling in reinforcements! There are now 12 playable agents to play as each with their own set of abilities and weapons. You can equip two agents as a time (try to go for complementary skills). Furthermore, there is a new booster system for help with resource collection, damage, health etc as well as restyled weapons and gadgets. Finally, there is a new challenge mode in which you can participate in various agent specific challenges in order to get rewards and discounts for new agents

Update(s): lots and lots of bug fixes and crashes

Update: boo! Halloween update

Update: Halloween is over and in its place is a winter wonderland! In addition, a new character has arrived to help rid the trains of their evil infestations: BOB (or the bio-mechatronic operations battalion - a prototype model). It's time to bring out the big guns!