Hello, conductors of Frostrain from all around the world! It’s already September. Here where our dev team is located, the cool autumn breeze has begun to blow. How is it in your country? Wherever you are, the time to prepare for winter has surely come. That’s right—winter, the season of Frostrain, is upon us again! (Of course, we know some of you enjoy warm winters too. But since the first game launched in winter, we’ll go ahead and call it Frostrain’s season 😄)
Let us share what we’ve been working on. Frostrain2 will be participating in the October Steam Next Fest, which means you’ll soon be able to play the demo. We would love to hear your feedback! As we are a very, very small team of just three people, your input is invaluable. In truth, Frostrain2 is a project we are creating together with you. We look forward to your continued support!
The Young Revolutionary, Joe Mimi
Do you remember Joe Mimi? She burst onto the scene at a young age and seized control of the train. But she was given a challenge—she had to prove her worth to passengers who doubted her. What happened that led her to become a conductor? And what lies ahead for her?
Oh, and earlier I mentioned you’d be able to enjoy the demo during the Steam Next Fest in October, right? Here’s a small hint: the story begins with Conductor Choi Soon-ja. From Choi Soon-ja to Im Seok-dae to Joe Mimi, you’ll be able to follow the conductors’ stories one after another. Stay tuned!
Artifact Drone Supply
I love artifacts. Trains are wonderful, but artifacts have a charm all their own. They make possible the things that a train alone cannot. That’s why artifacts are special—because they deserve to be treated with care.
So… we made this! It may not be as essential as the train, but it’s just as special. You’ll even get to see the infamous “Sadism” artifact we revealed earlier. Doesn’t it just radiate uniqueness?
Clearer Tooltips
We love clear tooltips! Take a look at this screenshot:
Ah, this is from one of the Decisions we introduced in the last Developer Letter! Executing this Decision causes you to lose Backlash. But… what is “Backlash”? (Am I the only one suddenly reminded of the “What is zeal?” meme?)
When you hover over an underlined keyword like this, you’ll get a clear explanation of what it means. By knowing exactly what you gain and what you give up, you’ll be able to plan your train operations with greater clarity.
That’s not all! When you hover over a train, you can also see in detail what paths contributed to its Happiness gain.
Richer Exploration
One of the weaknesses of the first game was that the environmental elements were limited, which made exploration feel a bit lacking. This time, we’ve added new features to address that.
Here’s Frostrain2’s world map—this is the first time we’ve shown it publicly! As you can see, visibility is restricted. There are several reasons, but one of the biggest is the mountain ranges. From the valley, you can’t see what’s beyond. But once you climb up…
The view expands dramatically, revealing a much wider world! At times you may feel frustrated when the mountains block your sight, but that only makes the satisfaction of unveiling the landscape from above all the greater. Suddenly, I just want to climb every mountain I see.
More Diverse Events
The more events, the better!
In the demo, the number will be limited, but in the full release we plan to include a wide variety of events with different rewards. Of course, not all events will be pleasant. Sometimes you’ll have to put up with inconveniences, and sometimes you’ll have to leave things to chance. That’s life, after all.
And also…
You might just find yourself with an adorable cat! Haha.
In Closing
We’re truly excited that the day is near when we can finally show you the demo. At the same time, we feel the weight of responsibility. Once the demo is released, we’ll make another announcement. It’s really not long now! We look forward to your feedback—thank you!
With gratitude,
nemoman