Game: Hamster on Rails
Genre: Puzzle, Strategy, Casual
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam (Windows), Xbox One/X/S and PS4/5)
Developer | Publisher: Virtual Arts Studio | DX Gameworks
Age Rating: US Everyone | EU 3+
Price: US $14.99 | UK £12.59 | EU € 13,99
Release Date: October 26th, 2023
Review code used, with many thanks to DX Gameworks.
Hamster on Rails is a puzzle strategy game in which you have a limited number of railroad pieces to build a track so that your hamster buddy can collect the precious ore and key to the next level. Paula gave her thoughts on the demo in June 2022 and concluded it was a “cool puzzle game and one to keep an eye out for”.
As one of the winners of the 2023 Best In Play at the Game Developers Conference, Hamster on Rails has finally launched on PC and consoles. It definitely looks cute, but will it be full steam ahead, or will it lose traction and slide down a slippery slope?
A Hamster with a Mission
Hamster on Rails starts in the Hamster Village, with its bright colours and cute graphics. The King needs the best explorer to fetch ore from the various regions in the hamster world. The Chief Engineer explains he will provide specific tools to accomplish the task, and as well as the ore for the King, there is a key to unlock the next gate. Both are needed to progress to the next level.
Your hamster explorer buddy will explain how to place the railroad pieces in the construction mode, how to configure the various tools in interaction mode and how to use the help menus. This guidance is interactive, but you have to follow the exact instructions, or else you can’t continue. I accidentally moved between placing a structure block and an incline, and even though I accomplished what was asked, I couldn’t move on until I placed both pieces without moving. Luckily, this interactive help can be turned off!
Build Those Rails
There are four regions, each with 16 levels, and every level is a beautifully crafted diorama. Within it, there are several squares which can be built on. The starting levels are easy, as the buildable squares basically show the path for the railroad. However, soon, you have larger areas to build on. So you need to think carefully about where to place the track in order to collect the key and ore and still get to the exit gate.
You can use X-ray vision to see through trees and other obstacles, which makes it easier to plan the route. As you progress, you receive new track pieces, like levers, which rotate track pieces or straight curve pieces to help change direction. There are also doors to open and traps to deactivate with the use of buttons.
Around half of the levels have a hamster in need of some help. There is a little story as to what has happened and the assistance they need, generally, some items they have lost or require. So, not only do you need to collect the key and ore, but if you want to help them, you need to build the track to include collecting and delivering the item to the hamster.
Tears for my Hamster
I was doing well until level 15 in the first region. Up to that point, I’d solved every hamster quest and, only a couple of times, needed to alter my layout as I’d run out of a specific track piece. However, try as I might, I could not work out how to collect all the items and deliver the arrow to the hamster with the given number of pieces. Ultimately, I admitted defeat, ignored the hamster archer and went straight to the exit gate. Level 16 also proved difficult until I realised that multiple levers could be used to control the same track piece.
The difficulty drops as you enter a new region and learn a new technique. But soon enough, you are back to trying to place 100+ track pieces. My next showstopper was on level 10 in the third region.
On alternate levels to completing hamster requests or learning about new pieces, there is a chest to open. These contain a costume and facial expression to customise your hamster explorer. The good thing about the chest levels is that you don’t need to open the chest and still complete the level. Once you’ve collected the loot, the chest stays open, so you can concentrate on collecting the key, ore and escaping instead.
Gameplay
The controls are explained really well, and there is a substantial help menu. However, I found selecting a railroad piece really frustrating, as the d-pad controls didn’t go to the piece I was expecting. For example, pressing down on the curve piece doesn’t go to the structure piece below but goes to the inclined track instead (below left). However, pressing up on the structure piece does go to the curve. It gets worse as you acquire more railroad pieces, and there are empty stacks to negotiate.
Hamster on Rails works well in either docked or handheld mode. However, there is no touchscreen functionality, and the number of track pieces is too small to read in handheld mode. There is an autosave after each level. I did encounter a random issue whereby some of my placed buttons would become invisible. Going into interaction mode resolved the problem, and it didn’t affect the overall enjoyment.
There is no clock to race against, and it can take anything from 5 minutes to an hour to solve a level. Generally, excluding the initial easier levels, it takes about 20 minutes.
Conclusion
Hamster on Rails definitely has some momentum behind it. The beautiful dioramas are a joy to look at. There is a good balance between challenging and straightforward levels, with many techniques to learn and apply. There is also the added bonus of customising your hamster explorer.
Final Verdict: I Like it 
Note: DX Gameworks has pledged to donate 5% of its revenue to GRAACC, a renowned Brazilian hospital supporting children and adolescents with cancer.