Have You Played... The Final Station?

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time.

The Final Station is a sidescrolling action game set in a world that's been overrun by inky zombie-like creatures. Luckily, you're just the kind of hero the world needs: a train driver.

On each (handcrafted) level, you hunt for weapons, fight different kinds of zombies, and normally find someone to rescue. In between levels, you try to keep the people you've rescued alive on your train by giving them the food and medicine you've found.

As an action game, it's just okay. By the mid-game I'd gathered enough resources to never really feel under threat, except when trying to deal with ladders. Ladders are your biggest enemy: it takes a few seconds to get off one when climbing into a new area, and in that time enemies can swarm and kill you while you're unable to fight back.

I do remember it fondly for its environmental storytelling. I never worked out exactly what caused The Final Station's world to go to hell, but I enjoyed its scenic hints of aliens, viruses, giant robots, tentacled beasts and more.