The Final Station

The Final Station is a single player side-scrolling shooter video game with a train simulator and exploration elements. It was developed by Do My Best Games and published by tinyBuild, and released on August 30, 2016 for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Xbox One, and September 2, 2016 for PlayStation 4.

The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, calling it original and praising the world-building but criticizing its linearity. A DLC titled The Only Traitor was released on April 19, 2017, featuring a new main character and taking place concurrently with the events of the main story.

Gameplay
The Final Station consists of two types of gameplay. The first is the inside of the train part of the game where the player must balance taking care of survivors that they have rescued by feeding them or healing them and taking care of the train by completing small mini games to keep the experimental train running until they reach the next train station destination. The second part of the game is the in game combat this happens at every train station. In the game, the player will explore a side scrolling level with an apocalyptic theme that requires a strategic plan to complete. A player must decide on what resources to use and risk, such as melee combat, shooting an enemy and using their small amount of ammunition, using the environment to deal with enemies or trying to run past and avoid the enemies. There are varying types of enemies, making the levels and strategies needed harder. The player will also need to find a hidden code at each station to get the train moving again and also find resources such as ammo, food and survivors.

Plot
The player takes the role of an anonymous Conductor working as a train operator 106 years after a catastrophe dubbed "The First Visitation". One day, the Conductor is tasked with taking an experimental train to pick up a special cargo. However, during the journey, the Conductor quickly discovers that he is in the midst of "The Second Visitation", as cities and towns are attacked by an unknown force, and their inhabitants are transformed into aggressive monsters by some unknown infection. Eventually, the Conductor picks up the power source and central processor for the Guardian, a massive war machine being built to protect humanity from the Second Visitation. The Conductor finally reaches the city of Metropole where the Guardian is being built and delivers the cargo.

On the way home, the Conductor picks up a mysterious stranger who rides with him and speaks with him in cryptic clues. He reveals to the Conductor that the infection that is transforming people into monsters is not a virus, but a medicine that was meant to make people stronger, and that the radiation the train's engine is generating is protecting the Conductor from its effects. Shortly after, the train breaks down, forcing the Conductor to make the rest of the journey on foot. Along the way, he passes the destroyed wreck of the Guardian. When he finally reaches his hometown, he discovers that the people who are apparently immune to the infection are already rebuilding society, but he himself is showing symptoms of infection. The Conductor manages to reach his home but succumbs to the infection before he can see his daughter. The mysterious stranger then arrives and promises to look after the Conductor's daughter before mercy killing him.

Development
The Final Station was in development for 2.5 years before being released as a full game in 2016, and was Do My Best Games's first game release. TinyBuild is the publisher/co-developer. TinyBuild morphed part of their studio to port third-party indie projects to consoles alongside their development. This way, they could concentrate on a single large release. Do My Best Games started with a small prototype, which was produced relatively quickly. However, a couple of very important mechanics were missing from this prototype. Because of this, they had to make a lot of changes. The next step was the creation of a demo which featured all the mechanics. This version of the game was given to press and publishers. After this step did they start to build the game levels and other content.

Reception
The Final Station received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with an aggregate score of 76/100 on Metacritic for the PC version.

Stephen Turner of Destructoid rated the game 80/100, calling it a "contemplative slice of sci-fi horror" and comparing it to Snowpiercer and Evangelion.

Alex Gilyadov of GameSpot rated the game 7/10, saying it had a "fast-paced mix of action and strategy" with a "compelling twist", but criticized it for being "predictable" with "lackluster dialogue".

Graham Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun called the game "simple, but just compelling enough".