The Ghost Train
- July 23, 2020
- chill_my_art
- 237h median play time
"The Ghost Train" is a first-person horror adventure game set in an abandoned railway station. Players must uncover the mystery behind the ghostly apparitions and supernatural events while avoiding dangerous enemies. With a focus on exploration and puzzle-solving, the game offers a tense and immersive atmosphere, perfect for horror fans.
Reviews
- The game features an incredibly immersive atmosphere with beautiful graphics and sound design that enhances the psychological horror experience.
- It offers a unique story based on Japanese urban legends, providing depth and intrigue that keeps players engaged.
- The game includes multiple endings and light puzzle-solving elements, encouraging replayability and exploration of different narrative paths.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and slow, with long stretches of walking and minimal interaction that may lead to boredom.
- Some players found the story confusing and lacking in clarity, with translation issues that detracted from the overall experience.
- While it aims for psychological horror, many felt it lacked genuine scares and relied too heavily on atmosphere without delivering impactful moments.
- story105 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and atmospheric, while others criticize it as confusing or lacking depth. Many appreciate the incorporation of urban legends and the emotional undertones, but some feel the narrative is poorly conveyed or underdeveloped. Overall, the story is seen as a blend of interesting concepts and missed opportunities, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.
“The story was cool and so were the puzzles.”
“The story itself is captivating and well written.”
“It is a slow burn tactic but underneath all the spook and angst is a touching story of humanity.”
“This game kept alluding to a story, but there is not one!”
“The story itself is very boring and uninteresting.”
“The biggest issue with this game is that the story doesn't seem to make much sense.”
- atmosphere71 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively blending unsettling environments with a strong sense of tension and mystery. Players appreciate the game's focus on atmospheric storytelling over jump scares, with many noting the impressive use of sound and lighting to enhance the chilling experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as captivating, nostalgic, and integral to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature among Chilla's Art titles.
“Like other Chilla's Art titles, the game emphasizes atmosphere through its eerie environments and unsettling tone.”
“The game uses impressive lighting and sound techniques to create a really tense and eerie atmosphere.”
“The mundane combined with elements of urban legends and folk tales creates a creepy atmosphere.”
“The game is rather simple but effective in atmosphere - I was particularly happy that it didn't involve a lot of jump scares, but rather creeped me out by the tension.”
“It has the atmosphere of a horror game that most people lost nowadays, and it feels nostalgic in a weird way.”
“The ghost train is unable to create a scary atmosphere, unlike the other games like the convenience store and the missing children.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the impressive visuals, lighting, and atmospheric quality that enhance the horror experience. However, some players find the pixelated aesthetic and certain graphical choices, like excessive reflections and motion effects, to be off-putting or even nauseating. Overall, while the game showcases significant graphical improvements and a unique style, opinions vary on its execution and appeal compared to previous titles.
“The game is really good at mixing mundane day-to-day situations with surreal, atmospheric horror, and its aesthetic manages to be familiar, creepy, and pretty at the same time.”
“The graphics hold some of the best textures and models I've seen in one of these games; the methodical gameplay leaves you bewildered and jumping at the edge of your seat whenever something slightly deviates from the standard set.”
“Great visuals, creepy atmosphere, and even some replayability!”
“Aesthetically speaking, this is my least favorite Chilla's Art title.”
“It switches out the usual VHS filter for something more pixelated, but it just ends up looking like it has horrible antialiasing rather than a creepy retro aesthetic.”
“The story is fine (if a bit weirdly told) and the graphics are alright (even if the people are scary as hell), but the motion and walking makes you feel a bit sick after a while - not to mention the excessive reflections.”
- gameplay31 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interactivity and simple mechanics, often described as repetitive and clunky, yet it effectively supports the game's immersive atmosphere and storytelling. While some players appreciate the engaging puzzles and the slow unraveling of the narrative, others find the gameplay shallow and tedious, with limited replay value. Overall, the experience is more about atmosphere and exploration than complex gameplay, appealing to those who enjoy horror games focused on environmental storytelling.
“While minimal in gameplay, the immersive atmosphere and slow unraveling of the mystery keep you on edge throughout the experience.”
“The gameplay is relatively simple for an adventure game, but it's still rather effective, and its two main puzzles are pretty interesting, without disrupting the flow of the entire experience.”
“The graphics hold some of the best textures and models I've seen in one of these games, the methodical gameplay leaves you bewildered and jumping at the edge of your seat whenever something slightly deviates from the standard set.”
“It performs the same as every other Chilla’s Art title, and the gameplay is no different.”
“In terms of gameplay, it's slow and sort of clunky - this might not be bad, especially for horror, but it's more tedious than scary at most times, and there are certain parts that might force you to restart the whole game/section if you overestimate the game's capabilities.”
“Much of the gameplay is monotonous, like your character going to the toilet.”
- emotional9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a blend of humor and poignant storytelling, with players experiencing a range of feelings from lightheartedness to deep sadness. While some elements may limit its emotional impact, the narrative effectively builds to a touching and sometimes tearjerking conclusion, highlighting themes of humanity and personal backstory. Overall, the game successfully evokes strong emotions through its slow-burn approach and meaningful endings.
“Very touching indeed.”
“Everything in that final act had a purpose, and it made me feel some heavy things.”
“Then it plunges into tearjerker territory by adding substance and emotional depth if it wasn't already haunting.”
- music7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its ability to create an eerie atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience, particularly in key moments like chase sequences. However, some reviewers feel that while the sound effects effectively contribute to the scary mood, the eerie music itself is lacking, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.
“Overall, amazing work of utilizing the atmosphere, music, lighting, and other aspects.”
“When I was in the train station, I got this eerie vibe from the music.”
“Sound and music: (6/10) the sound effects helped set the scary mood, but I feel like they were really lacking on the eerie music.”
“Some truly creepy chase music and ambient sounds near the end of the game.”
- monetization5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is positively highlighted through its unique and engaging advertisements, particularly the colorful and detailed Japanese ads that enhance the atmosphere. Players appreciate the creativity and effort put into these ads, which stand out in the horror genre, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“You don't really see a lot of horror games with things like colorful advertising, and it was fun reading each of them and appreciating the details, instead of it just being carbon copy low blurry text everywhere.”
“Well that, and the abundance of anime girl advertisements on the train.”
“I wish there was a translation of all the Japanese ads.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as hilarious, with a distinctive art style that adds to its comedic appeal. Players note that while it includes elements of driving and hidden object gameplay, it often leans more towards humor, providing moments that elicit laughter rather than fear, especially for fans of the creator's previous works.
“Hilarious.”
“The faces also look a bit funny, but from what I heard, that's a style of the creator.”
“If you've played Chilla's Art's other games, then you'll probably enjoy this one, although there were a few moments that made me laugh rather than scare me.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to slow and clunky gameplay mechanics that detract from the horror experience. The lack of an inventory system exacerbates this issue, as players may lose items and be forced to restart sections, leading to frustration rather than engagement. Overall, while the game has its merits, the grinding elements can make it feel overly laborious.
“In terms of gameplay, it's slow and sort of clunky - this might not be bad, especially for horror, but it's more tedious than scary at most times, and there are certain parts that might force you to restart the whole game/section if you overestimate the game's capabilities. For example, items don't stack, and there is no inventory; what you pick up is what you are holding, and if you pick something up before putting the previous item down, that previous item enters the void and you won't be seeing it again.”
“This game is horribly tedious.”
“Overall, decent game, but it gets a bit tedious for the time you spend playing it.”
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most users noting it is not heavily buggy and remains playable. While some minor bugs exist, they are not game-breaking and can be easily overlooked, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the developer's previous titles.
“Yet another Chilla's Art game; there's nothing wrong with this one. It's not really buggy and it is kind of creepy at times. Definitely worth a play if you already enjoy other games by the dev group.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted gameplay and made it frustrating.”
“There are stability issues that lead to lag and unexpected shutdowns.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the game features multiple endings that enhance its replayability, its slow pacing may deter players from wanting to experience it multiple times. However, the impressive visuals and eerie atmosphere contribute positively to the overall replay value.
“Despite the multiple endings, its snail-like pacing isn't conducive to replayability.”
“Great visuals, creepy atmosphere, and even some replayability!”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being poor, resulting in slow gameplay, sluggish transitions, and awkward animations. Players have noted that these issues contribute to a repetitive experience and a lack of engagement. Overall, the optimization detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“If you want to see for yourself, go ahead, but what awaits you is a slow game, slow transitions, repetitive patterns, a 'plot twist' that's so cliché you'll probably know it from the beginning, weird animations, poor optimization, gameplay that feels jammed, and a vague sense of terror.”
“The optimization is so poor that it feels like the game is constantly struggling to keep up, leading to frustrating lag and unresponsive controls.”
“I was really disappointed with the optimization; the frame rate drops made it nearly unplayable during key moments.”