Hope for Hot Springs Action in More Japanese Rail Sim on PS4

Japanese developer Sonic Powered has been steadily chugging along for years now, delivering FMV-based railway simulations on a regular timetable for the Nintendo Switch.

A handful of these have made stops on the PS4, including the delightfully autumnal Japanese Rail Sim: Journey to Kyoto, which actually was localised for Western release.

Now there’s hope another instalment could be imminent, as Trophies have hit Sony’s servers for Japanese Rail Sim: Hakone Town of Natural Beauty and Hot Springs, with fully translated descriptions.

There’s no release date attached, and we couldn’t find the game available to wishlist on the PS Store. It’s also worth noting that a similar situation occurred with Japanese Rail Sim: Operating the Meitetsu Line in 2023, but the title is currently only available in Japan.

These games differ from the likes of Train Sim World 5 because they use video footage as opposed to rendered graphics. That can make the gameplay experience awkward when you don’t perform exactly to the game’s expectations, but it does make for some stunning scenery on each route.

The Hakone Town ride is a particularly attractive one, as it runs around Lake Ashi with Mount Fuji overlooking everything.

This game is available in English on Steam already, so we’re hopeful these new PS4 Trophies are pointing to a Western release. We’ll check in with Sonic Powered and let you know what the situation is.