As I mentioned in my previous column, I really like trains. I played the Railway Empire series until I completed the entire campaign, and then decided to take a little break before playing in sandbox mode. However, when I tried Railway Empire 2, it was similar to Total War: Rome II and didn’t win me over. The cardinal sin was that the controls didn’t work well. The click pads were silly and made these games less fun. But that didn’t affect my interest in railway games anyway.
Then I stumbled upon Train Station Renovation.
It’s a comfort or coziness game in the vein of Power Washing Simulator and Viscera Cleanup Detail. In Train Station Renovation, you run through various abandoned train stations and try to restore them. This includes everything from picking up trash to removing graffiti to repairing mechanical parts on trains. I didn’t know what I would think of this type of gameplay, but I just went for it. And in the end, I was glad I did.
I spent far, WAY too much time playing Train Station Renovation. For some reason, the simple pleasure of cleaning up junk made me happy. Just watching the completion bar slowly climb to 100% helped lower my stress levels. It just goes to show how much anxiety can really get to you. It seems like yesterday I was playing games like Doom 3 with no problems. Then when the series finally came out on PlayStation, I couldn’t play it anymore.
Burnout is real, folks. Don’t underestimate it.
That’s why there are so many games that cater to comfort. Sure, half the time I wish I could fix my house by fiddling around with a wrench, but unfortunately that doesn’t work in reality. The ultimate fantasy that Train Station Renovation offers is getting something 100% clean. As much as I want to move on from comfort titles, I don’t see that happening any time soon. The best I can do right now is play 7 Days to Die with my friends as far as general excitement goes.
Star Wars: Outlaws is coming out soon and I’m sure I’ll venture into that galaxy far, far away. But until then, I’ll just play what I enjoy. I’ll be honest, dear readers, I’ve been feeling a little burned out lately, even when it comes to gaming. The cozy titles help, but maybe I just need a few weeks off to recharge my old batteries or something.
I guess the point of this column is to tell you that if you’re feeling a little burned out, you might also like some titles that bring you comfort.
On a more positive note, I’m celebrating a small milestone. On August 11th, I just completed my 13th year with GiN. It’s been a hell of an odyssey, I can tell you that. Hopefully I can shake off my gaming malaise a little and get myself together to bring you some new content for you to consider in the near future. In any case, I’ll be talking about my time on Star Wars: Outlaws and I highly recommend you all check that out too when it’s available. Until then, may the force be with you!
