Trainslation

Forgotten indie game of the week (19/04/21)

Welcome back to ‘Forgotten indie game of the week’ where I go through the entire list of games released last week, and highlight a game that I feel like didn’t get the attention it deserved.

Last week 189 games were released. So like usual there were a lot of good games that didn’t get much attention, but I feel like I definitely found a hidden gem this week as well. Let me introduce you to ‘Trainslation’, a game where you are lost in a foreign subway station and have to find your destination.

About the game:

The original version of Trainslation was developed for the Global game jam 2021, and made in just three days with a team of 8 people. The version that is currently available on Steam is a polished version with additional features that didn’t make it into the original game.

When you download the game not only do you get the finished product, you also get the game jam version, and a 40 minute documentary explaining how they made the game and all the designs behind the game. So if you want to take a peek behind the curtains of game development, I definitely recommend that you give it a watch. And the best of all, it’s completely free.

Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1325910/Trainslation/

Story:

There isn’t a whole lot of story to the game, but you are basically stranded in a subway system and the only clue on how to get out of there is a piece of paper with a station name written on it. Though the problem is that everything is written in a foreign language and you have no clue how to read it.

Luckily you aren’t alone in this subway station. Friendly ghosts are roaming around everywhere and by talking to them you learn small pieces of information about the subway stations and a bit of the ghosts themselves.

Personally I really liked the mysterious vibes of the subway system and its inhabitants. All of the ghosts are pretty unique and had their own little quirks to make reading about them pleasant. The story though not being very complex, gave enough information to make the world feel mysterious, and oddly enough, very cozy.

Gameplay:

The goal of the game is pretty simple. Find the exit. The only pointers you have is the name of your destination and several environmental clues such as maps and signs pointing you in the right direction.

You do this by boarding several different trains and switch lines, until you arrive at the right train stop.

At first you might feel a little lost, but as soon as you start exploring a bit, you can get a clear picture of what the map looks like and how to get to the exit.

In this aspect I feel the game falls flat pretty quickly, once you understand the logic behind the game, you can get from your starting position to your destination, in just two train rides. But you know what they say, it’s all about the journey and not the destination. Which is definitely true for this game. I really loved talking to the random ghosts around, and learning more about what they had to say and slowly piecing the bigger picture together.

The game itself isn’t very long, and can be easily completed in less then 20 minutes. There’s a bit of replay value, since your starting position and your destination are randomized. But for the most part it’s very similar to your earlier playthroughs, so except for maybe getting a different ending or talking to different ghosts, there isn’t much of a reason to replay it.

Graphics:

Right off the bat you are dropped into a mysterious looking subway station. The graphics are very simple and stylized, but do a great job conveying the atmosphere of an actual train station, only with more spooky vibes in a non-scary way.

Because the style is so bareboned, the developers could use colors and simple elements in the world to help you guide your way throughout the game without you even actively noticing them.

Normally I’m not a big fan of these very low poly single colored art style, but the developers really managed to use this style to their advantage by relying heavily on fog, small dust effects and lighting to sell the atmosphere of the game, without making it feel inappropriate for the world they created.

The only thing that did bother me a bit about the graphics, was how the ghosts looked. The use of fresnel effects (highlights on geometry perpendicular to the camera, mostly visible on the edges of the character model) in combination with the transparent shading, made it very hard to distinguish the shapes of the ghosts. For example in the image below, the face of the ghost is obscured by the intersecting geometry, making it hard to tell what is actually going on.

A simple way of fixing this would be to exclude all geometry that is hidden away by other meshes, even if this overlaying geometry is actually also transparent. Though I fully understand that due to time constraints this might not have been possible, since that’s already some very advanced shader trickery.

Sound and music:

I don’t usually talk about the sound or music because if the game has good sound design, you don’t notice it and it becomes part of the experience. And in all honesty, I suck at noticing the intricacies of sound design.

But it just had to be said, the sound design of this game is amazing!
Only after watching the making of this game, I noticed how many small details I heard but never consciously registered. From the background jingle when a train is entering the station, to the sound of wind when you are close to the tracks. There are a lot of small sound details in Trainslation, that help give the right atmosphere to the game.

Bugs:

It’s pretty clear that the developers knew what they were doing while making this game. Because for the time it took to create this game, it is super polished. I couldn’t find a single bug or glitch that bothered me while playing the game.

Conclusion:

Trainslation is a very unique game, and if you have 20 minutes of time, I urge everyone to go and play it. But more importantly I definitely recommend watching the making of video after you finish the game, especially if you have an interest in the world of game development or just want to know how much effort and design even smaller games like this take to create.

The making off video didn’t only explain the video game process in a simple and clear way so that anyone can understand it. It also did so in a beautifully illustrated way with in depth explanation of the thought process behind the game and it’s systems.

You can clearly see the care and attention that is put both into the video and the game itself. And I can only applaud the effort that the developers put into it.

My opinion as a game developer:

You can clearly see from playing the game, that the developers are very experienced in making games. So after some digging I found out that one of the lead figures in the creation of Translation is the founder of ‘Those Awesome Guys’ who created the co-op action game ‘Move or die’ and later on helped publish ‘Monster prom’ and the recently announced card battle game ‘Deepest Chamber’.

One of the reasons why I think the Steam release didn’t get a lot of attention is because of the short development time. Seeing as the game was made in only a few weeks, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for marketing and showing off the game to the world.

Though I’m thoroughly convinced that if the developer really wanted, they could easily find a bigger audience by using their already established connections and prominence in the gaming industry. So I can only assume that this project was more a way of having fun, and trying out a few new things. Rather than making a game to gain something from, and that is perfectly fine as well.

So what can you do as a gamer?:

If Trainslation seems like a game you would like to play, and if you haven’t already, go and play it. It’s free, so what are you waiting for? And if you really liked it, you can always support the developers by following them on social media or other channels, and interacting with the community around their games.

This of course doesn’t only apply to Trainslation, but every game you have enjoyed and want to support and encourage the developers of. The harsh reality is that there are thousands of forgotten indie games out there, waiting to be discovered by the right people.

And even though it’s not easy, it is very rewarding finding unique and cool games that didn’t get a chance to shine yet.

Good luck, and thank you for reading.

~Vincent