Trainwatch

Trainwatch is a time-management psychological horror game from Harvester Games, the solo developer behind The Cat Lady, Downfall, Lorelai and Burnhouse Lane. The player takes the role of Troy, the new Gatekeeper at an isolated railway crossing. His task is to spend one month at the Tower, operate the crossing gate, stay sober and show his wife that he can change. Something in the fog beyond the crossing draws him outside, and the story centres on the mystery behind it.

Gameplay revolves around following a train timetable. The player lowers the gates, waits for each train to pass, then raises them again. Between trains, Troy can run errands, take strange calls, meet unusual neighbours and explore the surrounding grounds, which include locked places and hidden paths. The player must call Troy’s wife every day. Missed calls push him closer to a relapse. Troy has sanity and stamina meters, and hunger, exhaustion, fear and neglect lower them if they are not managed.

Other activities include working shifts to unlock new skills, fishing and brewing coffee, all of which can help Troy stay sober. Time is limited, so the player cannot follow every lead or keep every promise, and must decide which matters most within the single month. One new DLC item has recently been added on Steam.