Tracks of Thought

About

Tracks of Thought is a single player casual role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Tidbits Play and was released on June 8, 2024. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Tracks of Thought" is a narrative-driven PC game set on a mysterious train, where all passengers have forgotten something important. Players must resolve conflicts using a card-based battle-of-wits system and make choices that define their character's personality. The game features seven potential companions and a diverse cast of characters to interact with.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

50%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

humor10 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

The game features an adorable art style and charming character designs that resonate well with players.
The writing is witty and engaging, contributing to a fun and enjoyable experience.
The game is LGBTQIA+ friendly and showcases a unique and interactive concept that many players appreciate.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including quest progression issues and visual glitches that hinder gameplay.
The card battle mechanics are overly simplistic and not well-developed, leading to a lack of depth in gameplay.
Many players have experienced soft locks and other game-breaking issues, making it difficult to recommend in its current state.

story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The game's story is praised for its charm and engaging characters, but players report significant issues with quest progression, including incomplete quests and glitches that hinder the experience. While the writing shines through, many players found themselves unable to fully engage with the narrative due to frustrating bugs and a lack of quest completion feedback. Overall, the story has potential but is marred by technical problems that detract from the enjoyment.
- “Such a lovely game filled with wholesome energy and a fun and engaging story!”
- “(In the story, she is, in fact, a complete gremlin, so if anyone was gonna break your game for saving near her, she is the most fitting. I'll also note that me wanting to joke about them shows that the writing and characters really shone, under all the issues.)”
- “So then I merrily walked through the rest of the game, picking up completion achievements along the way, having lost my motivation to talk to all of the cute and well-written NPCs because I couldn't complete most of their quests anyway and so all I would hear about was how troubled they were without being able to help them.”
- “Half the quests I completed just didn't mark themselves off; the game has a cute little character logbook that keeps NPC names, art, and information straight for you that remained blank my entire playthrough. I did encounter what should have been a softlock, but I also had a somewhat hilarious glitch where forward progression wasn't actually tied to quest completion, so not being able to complete key quests didn't matter.”
- “I got out of the starting car and was unable to complete the first real story quest - clearing dirty dishes off of an assortment of tables on behalf of an NPC - because, of the 3 dishes to collect, only one collection prompt was willing to trigger, so I just couldn't grab them all.”
- “So then I merrily walked through the rest of the game, picking up completion achievements along the way, having lost my motivation to talk to all of the cute and well-written NPCs because I couldn't complete most of their quests anyway, and so all I would hear about was how troubled they were without being able to help them.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The game features an extremely cute and charming art style, complemented by quirky characters and a fun concept that resonates with players. However, numerous bugs and graphical issues, such as character clipping and obscured visual information, detract from the overall experience, leaving some players feeling disappointed with the execution despite their affection for the aesthetic.
- “The art style is excessively charming, the writing is witty and enjoyable, the music slaps, and I like how your stats and abilities in conflicts are tailored to the decisions you make.”
- “Extremely cute aesthetic.”
- “The art style is very cute and the concept is interesting.”
- “And while I still love the concept and the aesthetic of the game, I'm a bit let down by the execution.”
- “The text formatting breaks sometimes, graphics sometimes mess up like characters clipping into objects or important visual information being obscured by the camera angle, the prompts for interacting with things don't always appear or when they do they are in odd and disjointed spots, the conflict mechanics seem at once disappointingly shallow and also confusing and poorly explained.”
- “The art style is very cute and the concept is interesting but I felt bored playing it and didn't feel motivated to keep playing after I got stuck.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has improved since its initial release, with many early game-breaking glitches reportedly resolved. However, players still encounter frustrating bugs, particularly related to quest progression and occasional visual glitches, with some experiencing save corruption issues. Overall, while some players have managed to complete the game without major problems, the presence of persistent bugs remains a concern.
- “Frustrating bugs and glitches around quest progression still exist.”
- “It is a fun game with a cool concept behind it, but the game is just so buggy and completely soft locked me personally in my save.”
- “But unfortunately, the game is kind of buggy and the story feels very slow.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features charming graphics and engaging dialogue, with quirky characters that contribute to its humor, making it enjoyable at first. However, numerous bugs and glitches detract from the experience, leading to frustrating moments that overshadow the comedic elements. Overall, while the humor is appreciated, technical issues significantly impact the gameplay.
- “The art is super cute, the dialogue is funny and engaging, the characters are creative and interesting, I could go on!”
- “The text bubbles glitch is kind of funny when you have to make a choice; I also encountered a somewhat hilarious glitch where forward progression wasn't actually tied to quest completion, so not being able to complete key quests didn't matter.”
- “Super cute graphics, interactive and for me a new game concept, LGBTQIA+ friendly, funny and at the same time quirky characters.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay is criticized for being underdeveloped, with overly simplistic card mechanics and a heavy reliance on dialogue rather than engaging interactions. Players report frequent technical issues, such as text formatting errors and graphical glitches, which detract from the experience. Additionally, the conflict mechanics are described as shallow and poorly explained, leading to confusion.
- “The combat mechanics are interesting and add a unique twist to the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay primarily consists of engaging dialogue, with a small amount of item location for quest progression.”
- “The combat mechanics are intriguing and enhance the overall experience of the game.”
- “After playing it for a bit, it's very clear that this game is underbaked; the card game mechanic is way too simple and not fleshed out enough.”
- “The text formatting breaks sometimes, graphics mess up with characters clipping into objects or important visual information being obscured by the camera angle. The prompts for interacting with things don't always appear, and when they do, they are in odd and disjointed spots. The conflict mechanics seem disappointingly shallow and also confusing and poorly explained.”
- “As far as the gameplay goes, it's almost completely dialogue with just a small amount of locating an item to pick up a quest.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its wholesome energy, adorable art, and engaging story, showcasing a heartfelt effort from a small development team. However, despite its focus on emotional intelligence, some players feel it falls short in delivering meaningful emotional experiences, leading to confusion, particularly for younger audiences. Overall, while the game has charming elements, its emotional depth is seen as lacking.
- “Such a lovely game filled with wholesome energy and a fun and engaging story!”
- “The art is adorable, the writing is just the right amount of silly and irreverent without feeling like it's trying too hard or subtracting from its own emotional moments, and if the minuscule size of the team weren't already indicator enough, it's clear that buckets of love went into it from start to... well, I can't really say finish, and there's the problem.”
- “This wasn't something my kids needed to be confused by, and I had thought the game would be more family-friendly and wholesome.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its charming and quirky dialogue, which enhances the overall character development, alongside delightful and visually appealing character designs. Reviewers consistently highlight these aspects, indicating a strong positive reception.
- “10/10 and I don't say that lightly The quirky dialogue is so charming and the character designs are delightful.”
- “Really cute game with great dialogue and character designs.”
- “Excellent visual character design.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong desire to complete the game, indicating that its premise suggests a notable level of replayability. This enthusiasm hints at multiple pathways or outcomes that encourage revisiting the game.
- “I definitely want to finish this game, and it seems like, based on the premise, it has replayability as well!”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised, described as engaging and enjoyable, complementing the charming art style and witty writing. Overall, it enhances the gaming experience significantly.
- “The music slaps and I like how your stats and abilities in conflicts are tailored to the decisions you make.”