Trains: Rising Sun

Build a rail network across Japan with a deck that grows more powerful each turn.

Designers: Steve Ellis (II), Hisashi Hayashi
Published by: Alderac Entertainment Group

Trains: Rising Sun is the Japanese standalone take on the deck-building railway game, released in 2014. You start with a basic deck, buy new cards and lay track across a map, building the best rail network in Japan. It comes with all-new cards and three new boards: two designed specifically for two players, and the Nagoya map for three or four. New Route Bonus Cards score extra points for being the first to connect specific stations. You can play it on its own or mix it with the original Trains for more variety. For two to four players, about 45 minutes, from age 12.

Three boards, including NagoyaRoute Bonus Cards for first linksMixes with the original Trains

Who it's for

You already like Trains or other deck-building railway games and want more maps and cards.

Not for you if…

You want a simple train game with no deck management. This one is about tight card cycling.

Vibe's take

A brisk puzzle of deck, tracks and timing. You race to link stations first while your deck clogs up with the very cards that let you build.