Transarctica

1993 video games Atari ST games Amiga games PC games

economy games adventure games strategy games

Strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic reality full of cold winds and even colder hearts.

The game was based on the series of novels La Compagnie des glaces (Ice Company) by the French writer Georges-Jean Arnaud, set in the the post-apocalyptic science fiction reality, where the ice age came back to turn the Earth into a ice-covered wasteland. A handful of cities survived the climate change, but between them there are vast, empty spaces, covered in snow, where no one can survive. The only way to travel between those cities is on the railway tracks, but to do that you have to deal with a heartless Viking Union corporation that has a monopoly, or be a rogue locomotive driver. And yes, you guessed it, you are that rogue locomotive driver, who tries to challenge the corporation.

Transarctica was a surprisingly complex game that mixed the elements of strategy, economy, survival and tactical decisions. You navigate through what is left of the railway network and try to survive, while making some trade, fighting the corporation, improving your train and dealing with the nature. The coal, of course, is the currency that you will either exchange for what you need or burn while travelling through the icy wasteland. There are options to mine the coal, meet some dangers on the way and attack other trains, which makes the gameplay quite challenging.

The most important part of this game was the diversity of challenges and the solid story behind it. Graphic side was building the atmosphere of a very cold and unforgiving place to be, while the difficulty made it a real challenge.

Our rating
★★★★★

Video
★★★★☆

Audio
★★★☆☆

Playability
★★★★★

User rating: 5 based on 1 votes

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★