STATIONflow allows you to construct your very own metro/train station in this simulation/management game, helping stressed commuters looking to make their way to their various destinations. When I first launched the game it made me excited, building the platforms made me feel like I was an engineer designing a system in a CAD program!
The graphics are somewhat minimalistic, and it compliments the charm of STATIONflow. But after a while, it made me wish for a few more decorations to be placeable – not even as a part of the puzzle but as a purely aesthetic choice for the player, I would have loved to make different themes for my platforms, and be able to make it feel more personal. But while the graphics are minimalistic, the music is not. The tracks get you fired up to solve some puzzles and have fun, and with multiple tracks of great quality, you get the inspiration to be creative with your systems!
STATIONflow begins with a very helpful tutorial, which guides you through the basic mechanics of the game, they’re easy and fun to grasp but leave you wanting more mechanics that aren’t built around the same system. Even when you unlock something new it most likely runs on the same mechanics as before. This quickly becomes a bit predictable and leaves the player a little disappointed.
It slowly introduces more platforms that you need to connect up to your system. At the beginning of the game it’s quite engaging but quickly becomes infuriating. As your system becomes more complicated, the UI starts to get in the way of you making the required changes in the multiple signs and utility, and it’s a bit of a problem since the NPC travelers need loads of signs to help them find their destination and you need to manually assign everything with where the line leads or people will get lost.
And even when you do get every sign right, some of the travelers will make random U-turns in a corridor, even when their destination is marked on signs and there are no contradictions. Even though there are mechanics in play for both NPC vision and patience I don’t think this is a feature since NPCs with the same stats can do the same corridor with no issues at all.
STATIONflow overall thoughts
All in all, I wanted to like STATIONflow more than I did. It’s an alright game to play around with for a few hours, it’s simple, has great music, and is overall kind of charming. I feel like the full price of 14,99€ is a bit steep for what you get, and I cannot understate the frustration of needing to click every single sign you’ve placed down your entire playthrough when you add a new platform and the fact that the signs that you need to change blocks each other with the UI pop-ups. Then seeing people still get angry and lost with clear guides and no issues makes you want to flip your table.
StationFLOW was developed by DMM GAMES and is available on Steam. Check out more of our gaming reviews here!
