Unrailed 2 is a chaotic party game in which players team up to build tracks for a train that never stops moving. The game recently launched on Steam Early Access, and it’s already lots of fun. To find out more about Unrailed 2, we interviewed Thomas Wolf, the founder of Indoor Astronaut.
Co-Optimus: Thanks for taking the train to visit our hidden compound for this obviously in-person interview. First, could you tell us a little about your experience in game development and some of your favorite games?
Thomas: Thanks for letting us in the compound! Unrailed was our first commercial game, and prior to that, I played around with smaller pet projects, experimenting with mechanics and design. My personal favorite games include Outer Wilds and Supraland. While they differ greatly from Unrailed in genre, they share elements I deeply admire: elegant design, clever puzzles, and the rewarding feeling of discovery.
Co-Optimus: Unrailed is kind of a chaotic multiplayer party game series. What other classic and/or modern co-op/party games have struck your fancy?
Thomas: When I was younger, I played a lot of Guild Wars, which I’d describe as an 8-player online co-op RPG, and Ratchet: Deadlocked in co-op that I enjoyed a lot. Today, we’re struck by Risk of Rain and of course Overcooked and PlateUp. On the AAA side, I enjoyed Elden Ring’s co-op mode and It Takes Two.
Co-Optimus: Now let’s focus on Unrailed. How did the idea for the first game come about?
Thomas: The original Unrailed prototype originated from a university course where I met my team as well. The game back then already offered the core mechanics but felt more like a simple endless runner without interruptions (shops) and no upgrade system.
Co-Optimus: Can you describe the basic Unrailed gameplay to us?
Thomas: Sure! In Unrailed, players work together to build train tracks in front of a train without brakes. Once the train hits the end of the railroad, the game is over. To build rails, you need to mine and collect resources and bring them to the train to craft tracks. On top of that, you’re driving through a procedurally generated world, and you need to adapt to each environment. On your journey, you find stations to upgrade your train and to counter [its] ever-increasing speed.
However, Unrailed isn’t just about building train tracks; it’s about how you and your friends come together under pressure to solve a relentless and ever-changing problem. The core of the game lies in effective communication, quick decision-making, and adapting to challenges as a group.
Co-Optimus: Given the success of the first game, it’s only natural that you’ve created Unrailed 2: Back on Track. What are some of the changes and enhancements in the sequel?
Thomas: Compared to Unrailed, the sequel offers a lot more options in the endless mode: players can now choose paths with different objectives and rewards. Additionally, not only can the train be upgraded, but players themselves can also gain upgrades via cartridges, and each biome culminates in a boss encounter.
Where all progress was lost after a round in Unrailed 1, the sequel introduces permanent progression. Players can now unlock lasting upgrades, such as player abilities or new locomotives. Moreover, already-discovered biomes can be permanently selected as starting points, allowing players to progressively uncover the game at their own pace.
We’ve also added the “Terrain Conductor Mode,” enabling players to create their own maps and share them with the community.
An expanded versus mode allows two teams of up to 4 players (or smaller teams) to compete against each other, either racing to build a fixed number of stations or continuing indefinitely until one team derails.
Co-Optimus: What are the long-term goals for the player?
Thomas: As biome progression is now permanent, the endless mode can be played in the style of a campaign, and there is actually an ending. To cope with the increasing difficulty in later biomes, it’s beneficial to unlock some permanent player abilities before that. While we added tiny story elements, explaining for example why the train has no brakes, it’s not the focus of the game. Next to that, the game collects everything you encounter in our in-game handbook, giving you small hints, but also a sense of what there is left to discover.
Depending on your playstyle, some players might just build some maps, others might only be interested in the versus mode, others might want to find secrets, or some might only want to join a few rounds with their friends.
Co-Optimus: One difference between Unrailed 2 and Overcooked-style games is that there is that the entire team shares the same axes and pickaxes, so everyone can’t gather the same resource at once. What is the thinking behind this design element?
Thomas: We wanted to encourage communication and teamwork rather than letting everyone work independently. By sharing tools, players are forced to plan who does what and adapt on the fly. It creates moments of tension and collaboration, which are core to the Unrailed experience.
To nit-pick a bit, I’d argue though that this can be seen in Overcooked or PlateUp as well: In Overcooked, there are certain elements (eg a plate with a knife or a sink) that can be used only by one player at the time. The big change is that we don’t have rigid levels or rigid positions where actions can be applied; the whole map layout is continuously changing during the core gameplay, based on the last actions of the players. PlateUp is somewhere in between as you can layout your levels yourself, but it’s separated from the main gameplay.
Co-Optimus: You make a good point. Speaking of teamwork, Unrailed 2 is a highly cooperative game. Can you tell us about its multiplayer features?
Thomas: Absolutely! Unrailed 2 supports both local and online multiplayer for up to 4 players in endless mode and up to 8 players for versus mode. Players can mix and match, so you could have two people playing locally and teaming up with others online. While the game can be played in single player with a bot, we highly encourage you to convince your friends to join you, check out our Discord, or even do random matchmaking to get the full experience.
Co-Optimus: When playing solo, the player can choose to bring a bot along for the ride. How does the bot affect the experience?
Thomas: The bot is designed to be a helpful teammate, but it’s not a complete replacement for human players. It can perform basic tasks like gathering resources or laying tracks, but you’ll still need to manage it effectively to get the best results. The feel of the game changes a bit more to a strategy game. Since we had players in Unrailed 1 enjoying this playstyle a lot, we added the bot again. However, it’s one of the features that needs some more improvements during Early Access to master all the new mechanics.
Co-Optimus: Unrailed 2 is a Steam Early Access game. Can you give us a brief rundown of some near- and long-term additions that you have planned for it?
Thomas: We started already with stability, performance, bug fixing and smaller balancing updates, but of course there is more to come!
We have a big list of ideas and based on the community feedback we’ll select and implement the most appealing ones. Among those are new biomes, modes, new characters, achievements, quality of life changes, new engines and more. If you want to see something added to the game, please let us know! We have a special section on Discord for that.
In case we can post a link, we also wrote an article about what to expect during Early Access.
Co-Optimus: As I understand it, console ports will likely happen after the game graduates from early access. Is cross-play a possibility for future versions of Unrailed 2?
Thomas: While we can’t confirm anything yet, it’s definitely on our radar. From our experience, it’s a nice feature but it can slow down the development speed a lot; we’re thus careful not to introduce it too early.
Co-Optimus: Finally, is there anything you’re proud of about Unrailed 2 that we haven’t already touched on?
Thomas: What we love most is seeing players come together, communicate, and create unforgettable moments while playing. It’s those shared experiences and the joy of collaboration that make all the hard work worthwhile.
Thank you for the interview! We are incredibly grateful to everyone who provides feedback and helps us shape the game.
Unrailed 2: Back on Track costs $19.99 on Steam. The Steam version is fully Steam Deck compatible.