Fright Train Review – Resident Evil Meets Teddy Bears on a Frozen Express 

Awww, I can’t shoot that fluffy teddy in the face! Well, it’s him or me, buddy, and I’m already freezing my nuts off on this Fright Train.

Fright Train sounds rather generic, but this game from WildArt Games will kick you in your manly/girly bits so hard, you’ll swear it was 1998 again. And what a year that was, as it was the first time playing Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation.

The game taps into all those joyous memories with its well-timed cinematics and classic tank controls; it expertly weaves nostalgia with some misleading cute cannon fodder.

The Antarctic Express

As Doug Barker, an elite agent sent in to investigate a distress signal sent by Umbrella SHARK Corporation’s flagship research centre located in Antarctica, you board the station – or rather, the train as part of a rescue mission. Yes, it’s a train. An enormous one. So big, I got lost on my first run.

And that’s because Fright Train is a rogue-lite. Regardless of the difficulty setting, you will die. Not a lot, but enough. The agents you accompany on the train almost immediately go missing, leaving a heavy blood trail that could only be cleaned by a first-person simulation professional.

Both Doug’s team and the researchers he has been sent in to retrieve become reanimated with that classic zombie rhythm, allowing you to pick off targets at a leisurely pace from afar, though when they realise they’ve been shot in the head, they will steadily rush you with their furry paws.

The combat, though nostalgic, is clunky. Weapons are managed via inventory hotkeys, and aiming is essential. While responsive when you have the upper hand, getting rushed by zombie waves or suicide bombers is a guaranteed death sentence.

Can I Kick It?

The usual survival horror traits are there for replenishing health and stock management through Mission Impossible-like self-destructing vending machines(!), healing items and consumables, including heat pads that play a key part in Fright Train.

As tough as Doug is, he feels the cold, and it’s crucial to keep warm. When outside, these heat pads act like a Zelda: BOTW concoction that keeps him toasty, though inside, he’ll want to operate the terminals and shut all the windows down.

Bizarrely, it costs money to do this, yet there’s an abundance of money available through killing zombies and kicking the crap out of everything in sight. Abandoned suitcase? Kick it. Stacked up boxes? Boot them for some cash. Cute lil’ puppy? Launch it into next week.

Money also opens doors. Not in a philosophical sense, but using credits will unlock various areas to assist progress as well as potential secrets and vending machines that are better than the ones that all the lower-level employees use. Sometimes though, unlocking a door is a scam.

Pop Goes The Teddy!

Fright Train continues to pile on the pressure for dear old Doug, even with all the shooting, kicking and potential rescuing. His other objective is maintenance. Trains break down, and without any apparent mechanics on hand, guess who has to fix them?

This means running back and forth to sections to manually repair equipment and insert canisters to keep them functional. Balance that with waves of zombie teddies that actually teleport into the carriages, and it becomes more of a juggle fest.

Overlooking the repairs is fatal. Leave them long enough and an entity that John Carpenter would be proud of decides it’s time to make a cameo and wipe out sections of the train. Cue a countdown and an objective to reach the other side of the train. Fast.

That said, Fright Train isn’t scary. I didn’t even cry. And, though it isn’t overly frantic, it’s quite challenging to manage the repairs and scope out the enemies without being cornered. That was the most irritating part.

Bonus awards for kicking stuff and being an S-rank type player will award some amusing cosmetics that liven up each run, and the varying difficulties also add to the replay aspect. For that, Fright Train is pretty decent, as are the fluffy animals whose heads go pop!