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NOSTALGIC TRAIN

53%Game Brain Score
emotional
story, gameplay
76% User Score Based on 21 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchPCPCPlaystation 4Playstation 4Playstation 5Playstation 5WindowsWindowsXbox OneXbox OneXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SPlayStationPlayStationXboxXbox
Buy Nowfrom $8.97
Buy NowGet on Steam$11.99

About

"Nostalgic Train" is a first-person Novel ADV/walking simulator set in the Japanese countryside, created with UE4. After waking up with no memory, you explore an old station and single-track railroad, trying to solve the mystery of the invisible people of Natsugiri. The game features Story and Free modes, offering a slightly sad and fantastical experience in a beautifully rendered environment.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot
NOSTALGIC TRAIN screenshot

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews
emotional1 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features incredibly beautiful and atmospheric visuals that capture the essence of a rural Japanese village.
  • The story, while complex, offers an emotional and immersive experience that resonates with players who appreciate narrative depth.
  • The game provides a unique walking simulator experience, allowing players to explore and appreciate the serene environment and Japanese culture.
  • The gameplay is repetitive and lacks engaging mechanics, often reducing the experience to reading long texts without much interaction.
  • The map is small and the train ride is a short loop, leading to disappointment regarding the overall exploration and value of the game.
  • The English translation issues and awkward storytelling detract from the experience, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the narrative.
  • story
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is described as intense and dramatic, often contrasting with its serene setting, but suffers from issues like excessive text and complex delivery that detracts from the experience. While some players found the narrative engaging and reminiscent of visual novels, others criticized its awkward storytelling and readability problems, suggesting that the overall flow is hampered by gameplay mechanics. Despite its poetic elements and intriguing themes of memory and friendship, many recommend caution due to its shortcomings, particularly for non-Japanese speakers.

    • “I really enjoyed this game; I was really surprised by its story.”
    • “The environment is beautiful, the story is eerie and mysterious, and it keeps me interested in exploring.”
    • “The story mode is more than just a story; it is somewhere between poetry and memories of the past.”
    • “The story is far too complex for such a dry delivery.”
    • “Not only is the search process frustrating, it actually affects the flow of the story, which is fatal for a visual novel like this.”
    • “It's as if the author wrote some part of the story just to force you to go to certain places in the game.”
  • gameplay
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interaction, focusing on finding light orbs, which many players find tedious and unengaging. The experience is further diminished by a lack of action or puzzles, leading to a narrative that fails to captivate, resulting in a gameplay duration of about 3 to 4 hours that feels much longer due to its monotonous nature. Overall, players express disappointment in the gameplay's lack of depth and excitement.

    • “Just don't expect any action, puzzles, etc. Gameplay was about 3 hours, but I explored a lot and took screenshots, so it was a little longer for me.”
    • “Gameplay is a mixture of walking simulator (like Dear Esther) and visual novel.”
    • “There isn't much 'gameplay' in this game.”
    • “The story mode lasts for 3 to 4 hours, which doesn't sound too long, but halfway through I was begging for it to end because the gameplay was so painful!”
  • graphics
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics are visually appealing but lack the immersive quality expected for the genre, with the PC version offering superior visuals. However, players noted the limitation of not being able to change the graphics resolution.

    • “The graphics are nice to look at for a while, but not immersive enough for a game of this genre, I think.”
    • “The PC version has better visuals.”
    • “You cannot change the graphics resolution.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is described as beautiful and unique, evoking a dreamy summer setting reminiscent of the visual novel "Air" by Key. It effectively immerses players in a nostalgic Japanese village, appealing to those interested in Japanese history and culture.

    • “The atmosphere in this game is quite unique.”
    • “The whole game reminds me of the 2000 visual novel 'Air' by Key (or its 2004 anime adaptation) because of its summer setting, dreamy atmosphere, and story that revolves around friendships and reincarnations.”
    • “Those who like to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a Japanese village forgotten by time and those who are interested in Japanese history and culture, like me, will find this game interesting.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its engaging narrative that explores deep themes of loss, balance, acceptance, karma, and death, all set against the backdrop of stunning Japanese countryside scenery.

    • “It is, however, very engaging with absolutely beautiful Japanese countryside scenery and an equally beautiful, though emotional, tale of loss, balance, acceptance, karma, and death.”

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