This is an improvement, because originally there were only two things that could actually go wrong. In the final version, it rotates between compartments per section, and there are more things that you would have to juggle. Running between five things and dealing with passengers would quickly leave you frazzled. Having only one thing malfunction per train section gives you the time to make sure passengers survive and craft enough to make it through the next area.
In keeping with the survival horror flavor, your resources are fairly limited. You don’t really want to waste ammo on things that can be handled otherwise; you might actually need it later. In the demo, your only other choice, besides throwing limited boxes and chairs, was a weak melee strike. Now it can be charged, taking down the basic shadows in a single charged hit. Also, once you get the shotgun, you can use a slightly stronger strike with the butt of the shotgun when you have it equipped.
Late game, your pistol gets replaced with a rifle. It holds more ammo per reload and also has the butt strike, but discards your pistol upgrades. It’s no big deal, since you have hoarded enough ammo of both types to handle the endgame, and most big or fast things need the shotgun. But it makes the money spent on them a waste, when that too is a resource.
The game does feature a very limited crafting system. You can find the elements necessary to make ammo and first-aid kits by searching cabinets and boxes in the cities. Overall, they made sure you really have just enough to get your passengers through a section. The same is true for food, though you can’t craft that.
The soundtrack reinforces the creepy atmosphere of the story. I can’t speak much to it overall, since it’s the sort of music that is crafted around enhancing an experience. It’s not the sort of bombastic themes that, say, a platformer might use. But it works with the game.
Overall, The Final Station is a pretty fun, if relatively short game. The short part might be fixed in the future thanks to DLC. The price is a little steep for a game of this size; but if it seems like your thing, it may be worth it. I know I’ll be interested to see what this team does from here on out.
-B Simmons