Rush Hour Train (free) is a mildly entertaining simulation game for the iPhone and iPad. Your objective is to pack as many passengers into the train cars as possible, while keeping their stress level down, and maintaining the strict train schedule. The game is very basic in terms of graphics and gameplay. As a result, it’s just not a fun app, and really isn’t worth your time.
It’s important to note that in many instances, games with simple graphics and sound have proven to be very entertaining. However, Rush Hour Train also lacks in the gameplay department, so it’s not very entertaining at all.
Your job is to load passengers onto the trains as they arrive at the platform. Most passengers will automatically travel into a car, while others will just mill around. You can decide which train a specific passenger will be loaded into by tapping and dragging a path to the car. You’ll want to disperse the passengers evenly, so as to not overcrowd any cars. Each car displays a percentage of occupancy, so you can decide which cars to send more people to. You can also draw a circle around a large group of passengers to guide many of them to a car at one time. However, this feature doesn’t function well. You need to completely connect your circle in order for it to work. This proves to be very difficult, especially when you’re working fast against the clock.
When the clock reaches zero, the alarm will sound and you’ll need to hit the Go button to close the doors and move the train. The next train will arrive, with new percentages of occupancy, and the task begins again. Your score is based upon how many people you successfully move, minus the amount of stress your passengers have experienced.
The app is an interesting concept, with some potential for development, but isn’t much fun to play right now. There really should be more in terms of challenge and gameplay for it to become successful. There also should be a better explanation as to exactly what makes the passengers stressed. What do the different passenger faces mean? Are there priority passengers you should get on trains faster than others? These are all unanswered questions that make the gameplay confusing. As it is, even while it’s free, it is certainly not worth your time. You’ll probably delete it from your device the same day you download it.
