Train of Afterlife (toa.zeiva.net)

A person with no recollection of his or her past boards a train that never seems to end.  A shadow by the name of Little Mary tells this person that they are on the train of afterlife.  At the twelfth hour, the ride will end.  Where it ends up depends entirely on the person.

This game is from the same creators of X-Note.  Only difference is that there’s no romance whatsoever in this game.  The main character, Wind, is riding the train with Little Mary, Darwin, Diyu and Bluebird.  Another character by the name of Wing is also on the train, but this character acts as a constant companion for Wind.

You can talk to each of the four other characters and watch each one of them disappear.  Each one of them has their own insights about life and death and one of them will even play tarot cards with Wind, helping him or her discover his or her past little by little.  When you unlock Wing’s path, you find out who these people actually are.  I don’t want to give away any spoilers but in the end, you’ll wonder if this was all a dream.

The game is in visual novel form and each ending depends on how far you get in three different attributes: awareness, enlightenment, and darkness.  During the game, you can communicate with the other passengers while playing tarot cards.

https://i0.wp.com/suburbantimewaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/train-of-afterlife-1b.jpg?resize=560%2C420&ssl=1

If you give them the right answers, you can witness their disappearance.  After getting all of Wind’s endings, you get a password that allows you to play Wing’s path.  Four out of five of those endings will give you another password to access a story about one of the other characters.  After that, you get a password to unlock an extra gallery.  As I played this game, I felt that Rule of Rose should have been done in a similar style, talking to each orphan until you’ve unlocked pieces of their and the main character’s story.

This game is very addicting with some interesting takes on death.  I give it 9 out of 10; some of the endings spooked me a little bit.

X-Note (Zeiva.net)

Requested by kristi78968

10 years ago, Essi’s mother died in a tragic accident.  Now a man named Yuon recruits her to help him solve the murders that have been occurring at Xen Institute.  Is there a connection between this and her mother?

Okay, before I got the request, I originally bought it because, at the time, I had just gotten back from seeing X-Men First Class.  The game had X in the title and there were hints that the Xen Institute was a school for gifted students.  The game wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

For one thing, the story is an intriguing mystery.  What is the Xen Institute?  How did Essi get her psychic powers?  Why does Yuon need her?  Whom is the mysterious boy only called X?  The character interaction is also something the game handles quite well.  Essi has a choice between three characters, Yuon, Oure and Anon.  Each one as a different personality, so Essi reacts to each one differently yet still remains the same person.  Yuon is a mysterious recruiter so Essi has no idea how to handle him.  Oure is a sweet young boy that Essi treats as such.  Anon is the school pervert, so he tends to piss her off big time.  Each one also has a hidden depth that you can discover by playing each of their plots while answering a few questions about the mystery.

The game is a visual novel and a dating sim.  In between days, you participate in mini-games to train Essi’s psychic powers.  Each power has a connection with a specific guy.  Clairvoyance is Yuon, Psychokinesis is Oure, and Telepathy is Anon.

During the game, you can also collect notes related to the mystery.  At the end of each chapter, the game gives you a password so you can continue where you left off.  After you’ve reached eight endings, you get a password that unlocks the extra gallery of the game.

The game is intriguing and addictive.  I give it 9 out of 10, it choked me up a bit but I never cried.