Westward IV - All Aboard Game Review

Westward IV: All Aboard continues the excellentyou progress into it, as you learn the blueprints
gaming tradition that is the best-selling Westwardfor more buildings and are required to skillfully
game series. This fourth outing features the samemanage your limited building resources, money
great resource management, time managementand labor. The buildings you can construct range
and adventure elements that made thefrom the simple farm and house that are available
Westward games such great hits in this genre.to you from the start, to the more complicated
The story of Westward 4 focuses on thesalon and smithy that require blueprints and more
railroad, the mighty engine that connected the wildresources to build. The resource management
wild west to the prosperous cities of the east.involves making sure you have enough gold and
There are many great stories and adventureslumber to construct the various buildings you
connected with the railroad; from the tales ofneed, as well as enough coal to power your
exploration of a dangerous land, to the daringrailroad network. The labor is also important: you
raids of robber barons and hostile Indians, to thewill need to make sure all your workers are
inspirational stories of pioneers trying to makeproperly housed, fed and employed.
their fortunes in the new frontier.You will also need to contend with bandits and
Westward 4 tells the story of the Turnerrescue damsels in distress. No game set in the
Railroad, a small family business that is trying towild west is complete without some gun-slinging
prosper in the wild west. You play the part ofand rescuing hostages from railroad tracks in the
either the spunky and rough-and-tumble Annenick of time! In addition, the game doesn't just
Turner, or the inventive gearhead Henry Turner,revolve around the growing township of Turner
both children of the Turner Railroad's founder. TheRailroad. There are plenty of other locations (all
adventure begins when the siblings return homeconnected via railroad of course) for you to
after a few months away, only to find out thatexplore and expand to.
their father has gone missing and their homesteadThe mechanics in this game are very similar to its
has suffered from lack of proper care. You thenpredecessors in the Westward series. The simple
embark on your great adventure to find yourinterfacing primarily using the mouse has an
father and transform the family business into theelegance that keeps the game from becoming
most prosperous outpost in the west!overly complicated. The graphics and music are
The game starts off fairly slowly, teaching youtop-notch like before, giving the game a polished
the basics of the game while introducing thefeel and making you feel like you are part of a
setting and story. The first few quests/missionsmovie western.
will teach you the basics such as gatheringWestward 4 is a very engaging and immersive
resources, looking for buried treasure, buildinggame that is guaranteed to take you away to
farms and homes, and assigning workers tothe wild wild west for hours on end. So come help
various jobs around town. All of this happens whilethe Turners find their father and transform their
you are introduced to the story involving thehomestead into a bustling town. And when you're
current condition of Turner Railroad and thedone, you can check out the other games in the
mystery of your missing father.Westward series.
The gameplay gets more complicated the furtherRating: 4.0/5.