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Fast Facts

The tracks were laid before

Unrailed 2: Back on Track (Unrailed 2) takes what was a fun and oftentimes frantic 1-4 player game on the Switch 1 and comparable generation of consoles and PC and lays the tracks for a great multiplayer game. Unrailed 1 & 2 takes the idea of moving from point A to point B in building a track for your locomotive by clearing the path of trees and stone. You then take that wood and stone to build rails. As simple as that premise is, the game begins to take a swerve by adding in animals that want to take away your resources, waterways that cause you to lay down bridges before placing tracks, and an overheating engine that needs water.

A path forward

Unrailed 2: Back on Track has changed the core gameplay of Unrailed 1 by adding the ability to have 8 players on screen at one time. Adding more players doesn’t make things easier, but it does make barking orders at your teammates louder, as there is more to control. There are a few main tasks that need to happen in each biome like chopping trees, mining stone, carrying those resources to the storage cars, grabbing and laying railroad tracks ahead of the locomotive, and keeping the engine cool by dousing it with water.

Along with the individual roles, teammates must not run and dash carelessly into each other along with being cautious when setting dynamite down. Both acts of cartoon violence can result in a player bursting into pieces and having to slowly float back to the playfield via a balloon. Depending on the number of players, tasks may need to be reassigned while the players return to the field.

Upgrades and modifiers

Another place that Unrailed 2: Back on Track introduces players to more upgrades that make deciding what to do with your awarded bolts a group decision. There are upgrades that will help move resources back to the storage cart that then turns them into railroad tracks. You will also see upgrades that arm your locomotive with cannons and turrets to take out enemies or other players, which can be helpful in multiplayer or when you need to clear out a herd of cows that are holding things up.

After completing certain criteria you will unlock other upgrades like new characters, cosmetics hats and glasses, and cartridges that can be slotted into your character that give speed increases to movement, chopping, and mining.

Conclusion

Unrailed 2: Back on Track upgrades everything from the original game and multiples things to the nth degree. The amount of fun you will have might be determined by your friend group or online partners you match with. The fun and shenanigans and out of pocket yelling matches reminded me of games like Overcooked and Moving Out which put you alongside friends to work together. The easy controls makes Unrailed 2: Back on Track something you can quickly jump into but getting far in the journey and seeing everything can take a lot of time. There are dozens of unlockables which help to extend the traditional gameplay and gives you a goal to aim for while adding cosmetic and skill-based progression upgrades.

Rapid Reviews Rating

4 out of 5

4

Unrailed 2: Back on Track can be purchased for the Nintendo Switch 2 here: https://store.nintendo.com