
Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 4 is – like its predecessors – one of those games that's either loved or hated. That being said, this niche genre is not best represented by this fairly half-baked train sim. The gameplay is mindless and the real world footage is below acceptable quality standards, leaving us with a game that is both mediocre and uninteresting.
The premise aims to give players a taste of what it's like to really drive a train through the rural Gifu prefecture in Japan, as you sit up front in a first person view. You're tasked with getting your passengers to the next stop in the safest and most efficient manner possible, and your performance is graded upon pulling into each station. It's not that the idea itself lacks potential, but the way it's executed leaves much to be desired.

For one thing – and perhaps this is just something that comes with the territory – the controls themselves are extremely simple and relatively easy to master. You can set the brake and adjust the train's speed between five different settings, and that's really it. Occasionally a curveball is thrown at you when approaching a bend or incline of some sort, but these typically aren't significant enough that they change up the experience in a meaningful or interesting way. This leads to a gameplay loop that stagnates very quickly, as you realize that the game has little else to offer than a mild change in scenery.
Of course, one could argue that the gameplay isn't exactly the point of a train sim – and it really isn't in this case – but the actual world footage is also severely lacking. By default, a very small window in the middle of the screen displays actual footage shot from the front of a train that runs along the real track in Japan, and if it's kept to this small window it's passable, though difficult to make out much detail. Blowing it up to nearly the full screen reveals how low quality the footage is, as the player is faced with a grainy and occasionally stuttering image that leaves much to be desired. If a game is to be centered around the concept of actual footage of something, one would expect more effort to be shown in this respect, but the final product is middling at best.

Now, for those who are willing to look past this game's significant shortcomings, there is plenty of replayability. There are three difficulty settings, and high completion of each stage is rewarded with fascinating bits of trivia on the surrounding area. While it may be that you could find most of the stuff online if you really wanted to, it's still a cool way to learn more about that part of the world, and it's a real shame that this aspect is so firmly buried by the rest of the game's flaws.
Conclusion
All told, Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 4 is a noble attempt at educating players on a different part of the world while also giving them a look at what it's like to be driving a train. Unfortunately, its barebones gameplay and low quality footage of the surrounding environment overshadow the interesting trivia that can be learned. While fans of previous entries will find plenty to love, we'd recommend you pass this one up. Leave this train in the station.
Comments 13
Is this a copy+paste of the previous review?
I think these should have all been done in one sitting, and in one review; less review write-up pain for the reviewer that way.
Cripes, how many of these games did they make?
I really want the Kyoto one but I need to wait for a sale
..so, still no light at the end of the tunnel huh...
All these volumes only add to the derailment.
"That being said, this niche genre is not best represented by this fairly half-baked train sim"
So please tell us which other train sims on the 3DS do you prefer.
But hey not all is lost because every Rail Sim 3D review you do the text gets better. Now just take that silly 3 score and give it a 6 (except Kyoto that gets a 7). Only took you 4 reviews to get here but it's been a great journey we took here with you. 😏
On the other hand I guess this is Nintendo Lifes form of click bait as it seems most of us like trash talking games that are out of our own interests. So wel played NL.
..the story of The Little Engine That Couldn't..
@Boshar A-Train City Simulator. It's also an actual simulation. Not saying this game is terrible, but it's not much of a simulation.
@Freelance thats an economics / management sim that features trains. Not a simulation of driving a train. The Japanese Rail Sim line is a realistic depiction of driving a train. What more do you expect? Sure in real life there are a few extra gauges and lights to check and you need to operate a dead man's switch but that's it.
For something a little more involved you need a steam engine simulator. Then you would need to keep the boiler under pressure and operate the regulator valves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VZSiJJKo4s
@Boshar You said "So please tell us which other train sims on the 3DS do you prefer."
You never said anything about actually driving trains, just 'train sims on the 3DS,' and A-Train IS a train sim.
I'm sure the writer meant that this game isn't as good/involving as the Train Sims on PC. There are better options out there if you game on more than one system/platform.
@Freelance So The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks would also count? How strange. Google 'train sim' and watch the 1st 3 pages. See any non train driving sims in the results? Have a look at the Wikipedia result just to be sure. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_simulator
I made the PC example just to prove my point that there is not much else to do in a Train driving sim. The reviewer keeps implying that there is more to it and that's nonsense.
The trains don't transform or shoot laser beams?
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