The world of RailGods of Hysterra is dark, disturbing, and disgusting. Defeating enemies reduces them to a pile of goo, used for fuel for my Lovecraftian-esque train friend. I live on this train, my mobile base of operations. This terrifying train is my best friend, and I would do anything to keep it running smoothly. Even if that means, in between chopping down trees and building fun new items, I have to go murk some folks for fleshy piles of goo to feed the engine. RailGods of Hysterra is a sleek new survival crafting game, but it could also be considered a train simulator at the same time. This unique blend helps it stand out, even if some Early Access bugs hamper other parts of the experience.

‘RailGods of Hysterra’ Wants You To Chop Until You Drop

Did you play V Rising? Did you enjoy V Rising? If you did, there’s a good chance that you’re going to enjoy what RailGods of Hysterra has to offer. Outside of the visual design language, they’re very similar games. Instead of being a vampire and building a castle, you’re the conductor of a train with the mind, body, and heart of a horrifying tentacled beast. The train is for more than show, as well. It’s going to be the main form of transportation. As long as I can give it Mushy Earthling Bits, it’s happy to take me where I need to go.

With three selectable speeds, I’m able to set out on my adventure whenever I’d like. Towns, villages, campsites, and more await me in the world of Hysterra, and I can head out to scavenge for new materials whenever. I need to bring the train to a halt and exit it to explore for a while. Thankfully, an in-depth tutorial section gave me plenty of help to get my adventure going. And there’s a lot to learn here, even for a game in Early Access.

I have to manage my health, my hunger, my mind, all while trying my best not to get stomped on by the numerous creatures roaming outside of the comfort of my caboose. Enemies in RailGods of Hysterra aren’t afraid to get violent. Even though I had the power of the RailGod on my side, that didn’t mean they weren’t going to hand my butt to me on a silver platter, either. They aren’t messing around here.

Combat Is Fast, Furious, and Fun

The train isn’t the only thing in RailGods of Hysterra with magical powers. I created Wilbur, the white-haired eccentric Railmaster with muttonchops that would stop most folks in their tracks, without knowing he would have cosmic powers. But as I roamed these lands, chopping down trees and smashing rocks, I could also summon fireballs. No big deal or anything like that, right? Combat in RailGods of Hysterra feels more akin to something like Diablo or Torchlight, making the transition from ARPG to Survival Crafting much more interesting.

Enemies can swarm you rather quickly, so you’ll need to duck, dodge, and smack them right back. Magic spells are available at the stroke of a key, and your standard attack is done with the left mouse button. After getting my butt kicked more than I’d like to admit, the combat eventually clicked. I became seemingly unstoppable, blasting fools with fire and crushing the earth below them with a tidal wave of rock. It’s punchy and satisfying, paired with great animation work and fun ragdoll physics when enemies are taken down.

While exploring, my madness could continuously fill up. This would make combat more interesting, traversal more difficult, and using items nearly impossible. It’s a great risk/reward system, as I could trade in this “Madness” for extremely overpowered skills back on the train. Is it better to continue exploring, even though items have become all but useless in exchange for powerful skills? I think so. Even if I had to trek back to pick up my death bag more than I’d like to admit.

While ‘Railgods of Hysterra’ Is a Blast To Play, Expect Some Technical snafus during Early Access

For the most part, RailGods of Hysterra is a genuinely polished and excellent game. Which is what makes the technical shortcomings all the more noticeable. Seeing as this is going to be entering Early Access, we need to expect some bugs and glitches along the way. Thankfully, none of them are as drastic or dramatic as a penny on the rails, but they’re easy to spot. One that doesn’t affect gameplay in any way is how the character will still follow your mouse after they’ve been killed. Sure, this doesn’t harm the game in any way, but it’s just something that folks may notice right away.

One glitch that did plague me throughout my playthrough, however, is the Blueprints. Crafting items is a necessary part of RailGods of Hysterra, especially if I want to get my hands on items faster. Some of the blueprints, however, would just duplicate and fill up my Archive, rather than create the actual item. This was cumbersome, and made it so I wasn’t able to create some of the mid-tier weapons and items. Instead, it would just create another Blueprint. And another one. And another one. By the time I was done experimenting with this glitch, I couldn’t create any more Blueprints, as my screen was just full of Iron Pickaxe Blueprints.

There were also moments of extreme slowdown, especially as I approached the waterfront. Some parts of the map did not have this issue. And other times, my PC would slow to a crawl until I moved the camera around slightly. Then, I was back in the 100+ range for FPS. As the game continues to receive updates, I don’t doubt that Troglobytes Games will be working tirelessly to keep RailGods in tip-top shape.

‘Railgods of Hysterra’ Has the Potential To Be the Next Big Thing in the Survival Crafting Scene

2025 has already seen some incredible options in the Survival Crafting genre. RuneScape: Dragonwilds dropped out of nowhere to become a massive hit with fans and new players. But I genuinely believe that RailGods of Hysterra could be something even bigger. It’s got a fantastic visual language, it’s deep and engaging, and it has some of the best combat in the genre. Plus, co-op with up to 5 players sounds like a treat in itself.

If you’ve got the time to devote to a mechanically deep and interesting crafting game, then all aboard the RailGod. Once proper controller support enters the fray, I could see this becoming a massive hit on something like the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally X. It screams for portable play. No matter what, RailGods of Hysterra has plenty to offer for fans of ARPGs and Survival Crafting/Base Builders, along with plenty of tricks up its sleeves to keep things interesting.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

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RailGods of Hysterra will be available in Early Access on May 7, 2025, on Steam. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.