Japanese Rail Sim 3D

Overview

Japanese Rail Sim, originally known as Japanese Rail Sim 3D and known in Japan as Tetsudou Nippon! (which loosely translates to "Railway Japan!") is a series of Japanese train driving simulation games developed and released by Sonic Powered. They were released mostly on Nintendo's handheld platforms (the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch), with one game (Journey to Kyoto) later receiving a port for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

Similar to the Train Simulator series, the game uses real-life footage as full-motion video for the cab window, giving a realistic illusion of the train being driven. As with other FMV train simulators, the footage speeds up and slows down depending on the train's speed. The series features realistic reconstructions of the interior of each train cab, with the 3DS and Switch games featuring the use of touch controls.

As the name implies, the series focuses solely on railways throughout Japan. The original "Rosen Tabi" (or "Route Trip") series tended to focus on local lesser-used train lines, especially sightseeing lines in rural areas, while the later "Real Pro" series focused on more express routes. Some entries of the series focus on different types of trains, such as monorail trains and steam locomotives. Each entry features an unlockable travel guidebook to the areas encountered (and their surroundings) in an effort to boost tourism.

Gameplay-wise, each game in the series focuses on the same progression system, with players going through each section of the route (station-to-station) followed by an unlockable full route and free-form mode. Similar to other Japanese train simulation games, such as the Densha de Go! series, players follow the changing speed limit, the strict timetable, and the positioning of each platform stop, and are graded on their performance.

While most of the earlier games received localized ports for overseas release, most of the later entries remain exclusive to Japan.