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One thing I am a sucker for, it’s how lovingly “retro” this game appeared to me. I know it’s been said that this game has been inspired by the Ace Attorney series, which can be clearly seen. However, though I never played it but learned a lot about it despite it, this also gives me Hotel Dusk vibes as well; I mean that in the best way possible! It’s more than just some sketchy scenes that appear; it’s more about how connected everyone’s pasts are to one another and in the grand scheme of the mystery.

From the onset, I do believe this is the strongest aspect of this game. Honestly, the best relationship that I liked the most is that between the MC and Emma; they’re cute and I love the friendship (and potential romance for my end) that grows deeper in the duration of the game. In truth, I’m a little wary about games that have the main character with an assistant. I don’t like how mean-spirited it can be, even if they’re teasing each other so, for me at least, this relationship is a breath of fresh air. Is the MC a little envious of Emma and her academic prowess? Sure, but they don’t let it affect it and there are moments where they talk about their feelings and not in a jarring way that is taken out of the story. These conversations were part of the story and I liked that very much.

What already falls flat for me, though, is adding Professor Martin to the mix. Not that I think he makes things worse, Professor Martin is what drives some of the enviness from the MC to Emma, after all. I suppose the emotion I feel for him is more me wondering what does he add to this relationship — or at least further in, what does he add to the story – other than an ideal for the MC to possibly never reach. I like him for being the exposition and being the one to give additional context to what’s going on outside the train but as a character, I feel rather it’s difficult to parse my thoughts without spoiling it.

However, the other characters’ relationships to the MC, Emma, and to each other was more than serviceable to me that I enjoyed it enough. They did leave me with enough of an impact that I give a nice sensible chuckle upon remembering them.

The story itself is simple enough – find a missing woman that no one appears to acknowledge and along the way, solve a murder that initially appeared to have nothing to do with the main couple. I liked that the murder was in the background until it’s forced to the foreground (which, to my experience of the game, did make sense for this to happen) and the stakes got raised higher.

The length of the game itself made me feel a type of way; it felt a little too short for all that it wanted to say. Overall, this game took me a little over six hours, including achievement hunting, to complete. Not only that, it did feel a little too linear for me. Granted, there are ways to slow down and explore the UI and there are game mechanics, but there’s a lot of guesswork (until you get used to it) and repeated topics until you can proceed. It’s easy enough to figure out, though, but sometimes the game can be a little hand-holdy if you’re a veteran player of mystery games like this. It is fun to see how X connects to Y and there are a lot of mechanics to utilize to get to the next scene, but to me, I only wish there was more meat to it.

This adds to my grievances a little bit when it comes to the game. It’s also a little difficult if you are achievement hunting; there’s no chapter selection. If you miss one, you better hope you saved before you need to do what you need to. I mean, though, if you want to re-read a huge chunk of everything and resolve puzzles again, then that’s your choice. Just maybe for the future, include a chapter skip for those achievements.

The story itself is pretty good and has pretty good timing. I do think, though, the ending had been wrapped up a little too neatly for my tastes. Especially for the themes that it wants to tackle, I do think that it ends a little too sympathetic for the system in place in terms of “That’s the job, I guess”. I think I’m trying to say that if you want to go morally grey in some places, it’s best not to tip-toe around what you, the storyteller, want to say. I understand it’s heavy-handed otherwise, especially for a debut game, but if you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound. Not to say that it’s not satisfying because at the end of the day, it still is, but I do think some players may feel as unsatisfied with the ending in that aspect. It didn’t feel as strong as perhaps it wanted to but I do believe with some tweaks in the future, I can see this meaning as something more than a one-off.

For as much as I enjoyed it, I want to be clear that I did like this game a lot and I do recommend this. I want to make it absolutely clear that I do appreciate what’s trying to be done in the story to link everyone, one way to another, to what’s going on. The story itself is dramatic and serviceable as it needed to be, even if the pacing and its short length did nearly deter me. Nothing against the game to be clear, but if this is your first game (for both the devs and the player), then it’s not a bad game to start off at all. I’m someone who’s always looking for something to sink my teeth in. As much as I love the Ace Attorney games, I’m always seeking out similar games whose mysteries, stories, and characters I can sink my teeth into.

I genuinely cannot wait to see how much further this series, and by extension, the devs will go in as time chugs along.

One thing I am a sucker for, it’s how lovingly “retro” this game appeared to me. I know it’s been said that this game has been inspired by the Ace Attorney series, which can be clearly seen. However, though I never played it but learned a lot about it despite it, this also gives me Hotel Dusk vibes as well; I mean that in the best way possible! It’s more than just some sketchy scenes that appear; it’s more about how connected everyone’s pasts are to one another and in the grand scheme of the mystery. From the onset, I do believe this is the strongest aspect of this game. Honestly, the best relationship that I liked the most is that between the MC and Emma; they’re cute and I love the friendship (and potential romance for my end) that grows deeper in the duration of the game. In truth, I’m a little wary about games that have the main character with an assistant. I don’t like how mean-spirited it can be, even if they’re teasing each other so, for me at least, this relationship is a breath of fresh air. Is the MC a little envious of Emma and her academic prowess? Sure, but they don’t let it affect it and there are moments where they talk about their feelings and not in a jarring way that is taken out of the story. These conversations were part of the story and I liked that very much. What already falls flat for me, though, is adding Professor Martin to the mix. Not that I think he makes things worse, Professor Martin is what drives some of the enviness from the MC to Emma, after all. I suppose the emotion I feel for him is more me wondering what does he add to this relationship — or at least further in, what does he add to the story – other than an ideal for the MC to possibly never reach. I like him for being the exposition and being the one to give additional context to what’s going on outside the train but as a character, I feel rather it’s difficult to parse my thoughts without spoiling it. However, the other characters’ relationships to the MC, Emma, and to each other was more than serviceable to me that I enjoyed it enough. They did leave me with enough of an impact that I give a nice sensible chuckle upon remembering them. The story itself is simple enough – find a missing woman that no one appears to acknowledge and along the way, solve a murder that initially appeared to have nothing to do with the main couple. I liked that the murder was in the background until it’s forced to the foreground (which, to my experience of the game, did make sense for this to happen) and the stakes got raised higher. The length of the game itself made me feel a type of way; it felt a little too short for all that it wanted to say. Overall, this game took me a little over six hours, including achievement hunting, to complete. Not only that, it did feel a little too linear for me. Granted, there are ways to slow down and explore the UI and there are game mechanics, but there’s a lot of guesswork (until you get used to it) and repeated topics until you can proceed. It’s easy enough to figure out, though, but sometimes the game can be a little hand-holdy if you’re a veteran player of mystery games like this. It is fun to see how X connects to Y and there are a lot of mechanics to utilize to get to the next scene, but to me, I only wish there was more meat to it. This adds to my grievances a little bit when it comes to the game. It’s also a little difficult if you are achievement hunting; there’s no chapter selection. If you miss one, you better hope you saved before you need to do what you need to. I mean, though, if you want to re-read a huge chunk of everything and resolve puzzles again, then that’s your choice. Just maybe for the future, include a chapter skip for those achievements. The story itself is pretty good and has pretty good timing. I do think, though, the ending had been wrapped up a little too neatly for my tastes. Especially for the themes that it wants to tackle, I do think that it ends a little too sympathetic for the system in place in terms of “That’s the job, I guess”. I think I’m trying to say that if you want to go morally grey in some places, it’s best not to tip-toe around what you, the storyteller, want to say. I understand it’s heavy-handed otherwise, especially for a debut game, but if you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound. Not to say that it’s not satisfying because at the end of the day, it still is, but I do think some players may feel as unsatisfied with the ending in that aspect. It didn’t feel as strong as perhaps it wanted to but I do believe with some tweaks in the future, I can see this meaning as something more than a one-off. For as much as I enjoyed it, I want to be clear that I did like this game a lot and I do recommend this. I want to make it absolutely clear that I do appreciate what’s trying to be done in the story to link everyone, one way to another, to what’s going on. The story itself is dramatic and serviceable as it needed to be, even if the pacing and its short length did nearly deter me. Nothing against the game to be clear, but if this is your first game (for both the devs and the player), then it’s not a bad game to start off at all. I’m someone who’s always looking for something to sink my teeth in. As much as I love the Ace Attorney games, I’m always seeking out similar games whose mysteries, stories, and characters I can sink my teeth into. I genuinely cannot wait to see how much further this series, and by extension, the devs will go in as time chugs along.