All Aboard!

It feels like I’m cheating here, but the entire overworld in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks could be described as a giant train section. Link travels by foot when he explores dungeons and towns, but he uses a steam engine to move around the New Hyrulean overworld. He’s able to set his own route for the most part, but certain areas cannot be accessed until he obtains ancient rail maps. Link controls the speed and direction of the train and occasionally uses the whistle to scare animals off the track. He later modifies the train with a cannon attachment as a means of fending off enemy attacks. Some missions even require Link to transport other passengers, and it’s his responsibility as a qualified train engineer to keep them happy during the journey. Spirit Tracks was a divisive game in many ways and not everyone was fond of the train mechanics, but I thought it had an interesting premise. If nothing else, I think we can all agree that the overworld music was a perfect compliment to the train motif. (Also, Link looked downright adorable in his conductor uniform.) This list ostensibly deals with specific levels or sequences, so it would be unfair to rank the game any higher on this list. At the same time, I obviously can’t make a train-related list and not mention Spirit Tracks in some capacity.

In terms of pure intensity, it’s hard to top the train level from Metal Slug 2 and Metal Slug X. The ride only lasts a few minutes, but you’ll encounter nearly a hundred enemies along the way – many of whom arrive via motorcycle, hovercraft, or plane. (In the Metal Slug X version of the stage, you’ll also encounter a flying aircraft that drops army tanks from above like they were anvils in a Looney Tunes short!) As you work your way to the front of the train, you’ll rescue hostages, hop on rooftops, and eventually jump to a second train before contending with a mechanical spider tank. Given how involved the level is, it’s easy to overlook the beautiful scenery in the background. The trip begins in the savanna and takes you through the mountains, and a burning town eventually serves as the backdrop for the boss battle. It’s kind of tragic when you think about it, but the vibrant colors really come to life. If you like non-stop action, endless explosions, and amazing pixel art, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Metal Slug series.

The military train stage from Mega Man X4 seems like an obvious choice for this list, but I’m acknowledging Charge Man’s stage from Mega Man 5 instead for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it pre-dates X4 by about five years. More importantly, you really have to admire how committed Charge Man is to the train theme. The dude looks like a miniature steam engine with a face, and he’s basically Thomas the Tank Engine with limbs. The stage itself starts off in a train yard and sees Mega Man boarding a moving train almost immediately. From there, he battles enemies both on top of the train cars and inside of them. At the end of the level, Mega Man finally comes face to face with Charge Man himself. Charge Man doesn’t provide much of a challenge, but I can’t get over the fact that you fight a train while you’re on a train. (A train within a train… it’s like Inception for trains!) Charge Man apparently runs on coal and is said to have a one-track mind, but he’s one of the most memorable characters from Mega Man 5 despite his antiquated design.

One of the reasons why GoldenEye 007 was so revolutionary was because each stage felt different from the last. Whether you were sneaking around government bunkers or sniping off enemy soldiers from across vast open fields, stealth was an invaluable tool through most of the game. The 14th stage changed the formula, however, since James Bond was confined to a train. The claustrophobic environment made it impossible to move through the level without being detected, and the only cover you had was in the form of explosive shipping crates. The goal of the stage is to disable the brakes, rescue a hostage, and escape from the train before it explodes. If you were brazen enough, you could run through the level like Rambo and quickly move from one car to another. The safer option was to treat each car like a veritable shooting gallery and patiently eliminate your enemies Virtua Cop style. GoldenEye 007 is one of the most important first-person shooters ever created, and the Train stage is one of its most memorable.

The Red Dead Redemption series has all the hallmarks of the Old American West, and it would have been more surprising if the games didn’t feature train robberies. Although we see a number of heists throughout the series, none has a bigger impact that John Marston’s first job in Red Dead Redemption II. The event begins with the outlaws blocking the tracks and forcing the train to stop. Once on board, the gang works their way from car to car, collecting valuables along the way. It’s not as over-the-top as some of the action-packed sequences on this list, but there’s a gritty realism to the scene and the fear from the other passengers is palatable. Things go south when local gunmen show up, and a deadly shootout ensues before the gang manages to escape. The scene borrows heavily from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and I appreciate how it ads depth to John Marston’s character. Red Dead Redemption II is a prequel after all, so it’s nice to have more context about the events and characters that we heard about during the first game.

The final chapter in Max Payne 3 begins at the São Paulo airport and quickly transitions underground. After restoring power to get the trains running again, Max finds himself under heavy fire as he works his way toward a subway car. The detective-turned-vigilante wants to take a moment to recharge, but things take an unexpected turn. What makes the scene exciting is the sudden appearance of a second train running adjacent to the one Max is on. Naturally, the train in question is full of murderous assholes who want to derail him. A shootout breaks out between the trains, and the action ramps up when they hit the surface. A helicopter shows up, enemy guards are deployed, and everyone wants a ticket for the Max Payne Express. When Max realizes that his train is headed for a dead end, he jumps out of a broken window and into the adjacent train! He now finds himself in enemy territory, so he quickly dispatches his foes before the ride ends. He’s only on the train(s) for a few minutes, but he never gets a moment to relax.

Most of the entries on this list have served as the backdrop for intense action sequences, but a train can also be a perfect setting for a good old fashioned mystery. When Mario and the his friends enter the Excess Express, they buckle in for three-day journey. The trip was supposed to be relaxing, but Mario finds a threatening note that puts the safety of everyone on board in question. Since there’s no way to enter or exit the train while it is moving, Mario quickly deduces that the perpetrator must still be on the train. A series of smaller mysteries arise and a number of items go missing, so Mario sets forth to unravel the mystery. Everyone is a suspect, so Mario takes the time to get to know everyone on board. To that end, he teams up with a famous detective (who mistakes him for Luigi) and interviews his fellow passengers while looking for clues. He even runs errands for a ghost he meets along the way. After several days, the train is swarmed by shadowy creatures and Mario has to save all of the new friends he made during the trip. It started off as an uneventful ride, but it turned out to be an unforgettable journey.

Confined corridors and claustrophobic environments are ideal for the horror genre, and they can help to create a pronounced sense of helplessness. For this reason, the opening train scenario in Resident Evil Zero is a perfect fit for the series. As the game kicks off, the Ecliptic Express comes under attack from a swarm of mutant leeches. When special agent Rebecca Chambers arrives on the scene in search of answers, she becomes trapped on the abandoned train. The rookie officer finds undead passengers and zombies around every corner, and various monsters pour in from the outside. It becomes clear that her fellow agents aren’t going to be able to help her, so she’s forced to team up with a death-row inmate named Billy Coen who was being transported on the train. Things go from bad to worse when the train begins to move again. In addition to giant scorpions and walking infernos, Rebecca and Billy have to brace for impact as the train speeds out of control. The droning sound of the wheels on the railroad track serves as a constant reminder of how dire the situation is. Most train sequences are over within a matter of minutes, but the Ecliptic Express is the setting for the game’s entire first act.

Without question, the Phantom Train from Final Fantasy VI is the most interesting train in gaming history. Its purpose is to ferry the souls of the departed to the other side, and it provides an unforgettable ride from beginning to end. There’s something interesting in nearly every car. You’ll have the option of recruiting a wandering ghost into your party, you’ll encounter a legendary treasure thief, and you’ll even have the option of settling down for an impromptu meal in the dining car. At one point, your party is forced to climb to the roof of a train car and make a daring jump to the next one while being pursued by a gang of hostile spirits. After detaching the rear train cars and attempting to shut down the engine, the party members find themselves running on the tracks while the relentless locomotive chases behind them. The Phantom Train is one of the most memorable bosses in the game, largely due to its absurdity. How are you supposed to fight a sentient train engine!? The train behaves like most enemies in the game do, and it’s even possible to suplex it! It mostly attacks by summoning spirits, and one of its moves is hilariously called “Evil Toot.” Fantastic! After the battle ends, we get a poignant scene where one of the party members is forced to watch as his deceased wife and child board the train. This section of the game has comedy, drama, and – above all else – creativity.

The Uncharted series is filled with exciting set pieces that are in a constant state of flux, and no sequence in the series is more exhilarating that the train scene from Uncharted 2. The whole thing plays out like an extended action scene from a Hollywood movie, and it’s exciting from beginning to end. Nathan Drake has to jump onto the moving train from an adjacent vehicle, and things only get more intense from there. As he works his way toward the engine, Nate often finds himself hanging out of windows, climbing onto roofs, and shimmying along the outsides of the train cars. When he’s not making daring leaps from one car to another, he’s likely involved in a fist fight or a shootout. Nate can fall through roofs or get clipped by crossing signs, but his biggest obstacle is an attack helicopter that starts following him about halfway into the journey. Fortunately, he eventually finds an army tank on one of the cars and decides to fight fire with fire. The ride begins in a lush Nepal jungle, and it comes to an abrupt end in the snow-covered mountains. If it wasn’t for all the explosions, it would have been a scenic journey. It’s one of the most visually impressive scenes in gaming history, and the whole thing could be likened to an interactive Michael Bay movie with better camera work.