At the Triple-I Initiative today, Barotrauma developer Fakefish revealed its next co-op survival game. It's swapped out its infamous submarine for another metal beast: a train, and instead of a 2D survival game this time it's an FPS.
In Frostrail, players will "endure a desolate post-apocalyptic world with arctic temperatures, unspeakable horrors, and one life-sustaining locomotive powered by the impressive Eden Engine," the developer says. Take a look:
In the trailer above, you can see players riding a steam-powered locomotive through a frosty world and rushing off to scavenge resources from ruined little towns. There's a ticking clock: the temperature is brutally cold and players won't last long without the warmth of their train. There are also fast-moving ghouls called Revenants players will have to fend off before escaping on their train to reach the next stop along the rails.
I spoke with Fakefish founder and CEO Aku Jauhiainen about Frostrail last week, who told me as players travel to new areas and scavenge for loot and supplies, they'll be able to build more onto their train, from crafting benches to refineries. This will allow them to generate materials like metal, cloth, and even plastic, resources that can be used to craft weapons and improve the train, including the engine.
Upgrading the Eden Engine means the train will move faster and be able to pull more weight. "It's a combination of getting more speed to the train, and there's a possibility to get more carriages to the train," Jauhiainen said. More carriages means players will have more room to build, but will also need a more powerful engine to move quickly with all that additional weight.
"The main loop is that when you are traveling between these locations, you usually want to refine and craft and prepare yourself for the next location," Jauhiainen said. "Then there can be this branching railroad, so sometimes you need to jump out, switch the track, and go to another section of the level." Other hazards players might encounter are obstacles on the track that need to be destroyed so the train can continue.
And then there's… well, whatever that massive monster is at the end of the trailer. To paraphrase Chief Brody: you're gonna need a bigger train.
For Barotrauma fans who are wondering (as I was) if there's a Traitors mode in Frostrail, where one player can actively work to sabotage the others, it doesn't sound like it's officially part of the plan.
"I think we are more focusing on the cooperative gameplay with Frostrail," Jauhiainen said, though he added that there's plenty of room for screwups where someone winds up endangering everyone else by, for example, using all the fuel or jumping off the train and getting left behind while the train steams away. "But mostly we are focusing and aiming to have a good cooperative experience."
Don't pull on your conductor's hat just yet: Frostrail isn't coming to Steam until 2026.
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