- Limited-time demo available on Steam… Release date revealed at ’28 Games Later’ showcase
- A steam locomotive speeding across a burnt-out Earth… A card-based exploration uncovering the passengers’ secrets.
Publisher Shoreline Games and developer David Konecny announced that the first-person psychological horror game ‘Dreadline Express’ will be officially released on Steam on October 16.
‘Dreadline Express’ is a horror game set in a unique backdrop of a burnt-out Earth and humanity’s last train. The story unfolds around exploration in confined spaces and mystery elements, characterized by the fusion of Lovecraftian horror with the ‘Metroidbrainia’ genre, which emphasizes knowledge and exploration.
This work, which depicts the survival and exploration of humanity’s last bastion at the end of the century, will be officially released on PC Steam on October 16.
The last train remaining after the collapse of human civilization
The game takes place on the last steam locomotive left behind by a collapsed civilization. Carrying the survivors of humanity, the train traverses a world that no longer belongs to humans.
The train is aboard passengers with strong personalities and an ominous air. Puzzle clues are hidden in every carriage, and each passenger harbors their own backstory, purpose, and secrets they wish to keep hidden. The developers have also mentioned that there are doors that might be better left unopened.
An exploration that doesn’t reveal the answer, a narrative built with cards
Instead of guiding you to the next destination, the game presents riddles. Players are free to explore the train and decide who to recruit as allies and who to oppose. They can overcome obstacles in various ways, such as relying on brute force and tactics or careful deduction. The developers explained that there is no single fixed answer to every problem.
At the heart of the story lies a card-based narrative system. Clues, encounters, and achievements discovered during exploration become cards that accumulate in an album. Players can find the connections between cards to formulate new plans and open paths that were initially blocked. As they learn more about the train, the passengers, and the outside world, the range of choices expands.
The process of filling the album is also a journey to uncover the story behind the last train and the fate of its passengers. The player’s choices, relationships, and discoveries influence the journey, and the game hints at the anxiety that someone is watching them.
Planning intent conveyed by the developer and publisher
In a press release, game developer Konetsny stated, “I wanted to create a horror game where players find a breakthrough by carefully observing and connecting with the people and places around them, rather than just following a goal.” He added that the game is bizarre and unsettling, and may sometimes feel deliberately unfriendly.
Keith Kawamura, CEO of Shoreline Games, described ‘Dreadline Express’ as “a game with a distinct identity and excellent core ideas, distinguished by the confidence it demonstrates in trusting and letting players figure it out for themselves.”
The game’s release date was revealed along with a new trailer at the ’28 Games Later’ horror showcase hosted by Insider Gaming.
‘Dreadline Express’ is a psychological horror game centered on exploration and deduction that takes place inside a train on a devastated Earth. It features interactions with passengers hiding secrets and a unique narrative system where discovered clues are recorded on cards.
The limited-time demo currently available on Steam offers users aboard the last train of humanity the opportunity to experience the oppressive atmosphere of a confined space and clues to the mystery in advance.
Information regarding ‘Dreadline Express’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Game name | Dreadline Express |
| Developer | David Konecny |
| Publisher | Shoreline Games |
| Genre | First-person psychological horror, Metroid Brainia |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release date | October 16, 2026 |
| demo | Steam demo available for a limited time |
| Reactions/Evaluations | No confirmed evaluation indicators |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
