Shinkansen 0

Shinkansen 0 | 新幹線 0号 is a J-horror game about a man who is dealing with anomalies on a bullet train on the middle of the night, He needs to go forward if there is no anomaly and go backwards if there is any anomaly. Later in the premium seats, the direction is reversed, and he must go forward if there is an anomaly and go backwards if there is no anomaly. 
== Synopsis ==
One late night, a man is travelling on a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Tokyo. On the train, he encounters a young boy who seems to be aware of the looping. He tells the man that the Shinkansen has a bunch of anomalies, and it is his job to find out whether or not the car he is in has one or not. Once he reaches the end, he will stop the train and end this nightmare once and for all. But why is this all happening? And why must he play this game? 
== Gameplay ==
The game starts with the protagonist (who is unnamed) riding on a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Tokyo. He is in the restroom area with various advertisements and a payphone that doesn't work. Three of the stalls are unoccupied but one of them is. The protagonist decides to head off back into the passenger carriage to find his seat. In the compartment, the protagonist notices that the place is mostly void of people, with the only passengers being a sleeping man, a young boy (who is awake), and a girl sleeping in the seat next to him. The boy looks at him but doesn't say anything. The protagonist then heads into the next car and notices that the place looks exactly the same as the car that he was in before. When he heads over to the door to head into the next car, that's when the boy from earlier, (who is sitting in the same seat that he was in the previous car) talks to him. The boy asks him if he's looping as well, and believes he is here to play "the game" like him. He also claims that his sister (the girl next to him) has been sleeping for quite some time and won't wake up. Now that he has someone to play with, he is excited on how fun this game will get.
The rules are simple:
The protagonist will travel in between train cars to get to the conductor's car to stop the train. The player must help the protagonist get to Car #0 while trying to spot anything different within the passenger carriage (these being "anomalies"). If they see something that seems out of place, they must head back in the opposite direction in which they came from. But if the player does not spot any anomalies within the train car, they can proceed forward. If the player guesses correctly, they'll move onto the next car. Ex: Car #7 will change to Car #6. If you don't guess correctly, then you will start back on Car #7. Anomalies will not be encountered in the restroom area. Most anomalies are in plain sight, while others will be very hard to spot. So, look carefully for them and pay close attention to all the small details of the train car. Because you might not realize that you're looking at an anomaly. Some of the anomalies can actually kill you, so make sure you quickly escape the train car in time before they get to you. Because if you don't you will have to start back on Car #7.
The boy will then wish the protagonist/player good luck and will meet him at the conductor's car. And with that, the protagonist will head off into the next car and the game will officially start.
*Tip: Before you start, try to analyze the car you're in before you officially start the game. The reason being is that the car where the boy gives you instructions has no anomalies. So, studying the passenger compartment is a good way to know what's meant to be there and what's not. As for another tip, the boy will not be present in any of the cars while you're playing the game so him being missing doesn't count as an anomaly.*
Each car that the protagonist is in will be randomized each time. So, there is no guide on what order or whether or not the player will encounter an anomaly in the cars. The player will simply have to study what's right and what's wrong.
Here is a list of anomalies that the protagonist can encounter in the blue car. (Bolded means the anomaly can kill you)
# Food is found scattered around the train car.
# The seats in the car are reclined instead of being in the upright position.
# A soda can unexpectedly appears on the floor, with a cleaning worker coming into the car to pick up the soda can before running away.
# The seats have a different pattern on them. (They're meant to be blue with white stripes).
# The headrests are crunched up to make it seem like there are faces on the headrests.
# The man who was originally sleeping is now awake. (If you stop to look at him, after a few seconds, he'll turn his head towards you, so don't look at him for too long).
# The holders have eyeballs on them.
# The seats are all gone.
# The assigned seats sign has the word "DEATH" written on it. (You'll find it in the assigned seat areas for D and E).
# A passenger who is strangely blending in with the seat pattern.
# The luggage that is located on the overhead bin where the boy's sister is sitting at changes into a person.
# A person is hiding underneath one of the seats.
# In the reflection of the windows, you'll see another person (an alter ego) running pass you in the window's reflection.
# A pair of eyes watching you from the windows.
# A pair of eyes watching you from the door leading to the next car.
# A window is leaking with water. After a few seconds, the window will break, and the passenger compartment will flood. (Run out of the place before it completely fills with water).
# Many hands appearing out of a window.
# The passenger car is inverted.
# The blinds on the windows are closing.
# The door that leads into the next car is opening and closing on its own.
# The electric signage claiming that "There is no anomaly in this car." When it should only say: "This is Shinkansen 0 headed to Tokyo."
# The postage signage on the floor is telling you the wrong car number. (The two signs will be different. Ex: One sign says 7, and the other will say 5).
# The train passes by a dark tunnel. (The lights of the Shinkansen will turn off).
# The advertisement of the cat has human eyes.
# The woman in the advertisement of a cleaning service company is a real person.
# The train passes by a concrete tunnel. (As noted through the windows).
Once the protagonist gets pass Car #0, he'll end up in a train car that tells him that the conductor's car is up ahead. However, while walking to the conductor's car, the train's horn and the sound of the train's brakes can be heard. Then, the conductor informs the passengers via. announcement that the train has stopped momentarily due to an injury and apologizes for the inconvenience. Regardless, the protagonist must continue forward. Upon entering the next car, a bright light flashes on screen before the protagonist enters the bathroom area. 
In the bathroom area, the protagonist finds the boy in one of the stalls. He informs the confused protagonist that he's at the halfway point, as he never informed him what car #0, he had to be at to get to the conductor's car. The boy tells the protagonist that the next set of cars he has to go through is the green cars. Just like with before, the player will help the protagonist navigate through the cars to get pass car #0 while trying to spot anomalies. But unlike the blue cars, the protagonist will have to walk forward if they end up spotting an anomaly instead of going back. If the car looks normal, then the protagonist will head back. However, there is a new rule added. If the player makes three mistakes, then the ghost will catch them, and they'll have to start back to Car #7. Just like with before, there are anomalies that can kill you or make you restart back to Car #7, so try to escape them before they get to you. After giving the instructions to the protagonist/player, he then asks the protagonist if he knows why their even here in the first place. But he forgets his random thought and tells the protagonist to continue forward.
Upon entering the green car, the protagonist can spot various things in the car. From a woman using her laptop, a mysterious man with glowing green eyes, a train attendant serving food from a food cart, and a man simply placing his suitcase in the overhead bins. Despite the fact that the first green car is just there to show the player what they should expect a normal green car should look like, they'll have to move forward no matter what. 
*Tip: Before you head to the bathroom area, try to analyze the car you're in just like in the blue car.*
When the protagonist heads into the next bathroom area, he notices an old man and decides to talk to him. The old man believes that we're not human, mostly because we're wearing a suit. However, the old man notices that the protagonist doesn't act like the others from what he can tell. So, he asks him how long he has been on this train, to which the protagonist can either say not too long ago or not say anything. Then the old man will ask who he encountered on the train. To which the protagonist must tell him that he saw the boy. Now knowing that the protagonist is indeed human, he tells him something that he has taken noticed. Some of the people on the train may not be human at all, as they never respond back when he tries to talk to them. He simply tells the protagonist that he (the old man) should never trust the men in suits, as he knows a human when he sees one. The old man then falls asleep while standing up after he tells the protagonist that information.
Just like before, each car that the protagonist is in will be randomized each time. So, there is no guide on what order or whether or not the player will encounter an anomaly in the cars. The player will simply have to study what's right and what's wrong.
Here is a list of anomalies that the protagonist can encounter in the green car. (Bolded means the anomaly can kill you or make you restart)
# The train attendant is not present in the car.
# The train attendant is watching the protagonist.
# The train attendant doesn't move at all. But after a few seconds, she'll run towards the end of the aisle at full speed. (Go into any of the aisles to avoid getting hit).
# An invisible being is seen standing in seat 14B.
# The man with glowing eyes has two heads.
# The man with glowing eyes stands up to peak at you before sitting back down and disappearing. (Happens when you're close to the end of the car while the protagonist is looking behind).
# A cake is seen on a tray table in seat 8C.
# The woman's laptop is displaying what the protagonist is seeing.
# The woman using her laptop's reflection in the window is instead looking at the protagonist.
# The passengers have no eyes. (Only the train attendant and the woman using her laptop).
# The man placing his luggage in the overhead bin has his legs changed into wood.
# A hand is trying to close the blinds in seat 12D.
# Smoke appears in the cabin and the windows show that there are clouds outside.
# All the passengers have wide grins on their faces.
# A hand is covering up the light in seat 11C.
# The train attendant's cart is filled with different food items. Most of them being organs and gore. (You'll notice a sign that says: "Conductor's Bullshit").
# The man with the glowing eyes is always looking at you. (Turns his head as well by 180 degrees).
# The man with the glowing eyes leans out of his seat to look at you before disappearing.
# The man with the glowing eyes is standing up from his seat and staring intently at you. When you're close to the end of the car, he'll quickly chase after you. (Run away before he gets to you).
# The passenger carriage starts to compress. (Run to the next car as quick as possible).
# The passenger carriage starts to sink. (Run to the next car as quick as possible).
# A black silhouette pushes the door from the end to the other side of the aisle. (Go into any of the aisles to avoid getting hit).
# An announcement will come on telling everyone that the ticket inspector is coming and to sit in your reserved seat. (The sign will tell you where to sit. Sitting in the incorrect seat, standing in the aisle or simply interacting with the inspector will make you restart the level).
# An announcement will come on telling the protagonist that they'll be playing a game of red light, green light. You can move if the announcement light is green, but when its red, you have to stop. When you're close to the end of the car, the player will encounter a red figure wearing a daruma on its head. Which will quickly jump out and hide in another row of seats.
# An announcement will come on telling the passengers that an intruder has boarded the train. Regardless of if you're in the aisle or not, nothing will happen to you.
# A forest is in the car. In this car, the protagonist can encounter the boy again, in which he asks us if we'll get out of here alive. No matter what the protagonist tells him, he doesn't respond back.
If you make any mistakes while in the green car, a voice will tell you (in Japanese) that you made a mistake. After hitting the third mistake is announced. A bed is seen coming out of one of the bathroom stalls. And when the protagonist enters the next car, the lights will turn off as the ghost will come and get you. You will have to start back to Car #7 if this happens.
Once the protagonist gets pass Car #0, he'll end up in another train car that tells him that the conductor's car is up ahead. Unlike before, nothing suspicious happens before he enters the restroom area. The protagonist will then enter the conductor's car to find out that the conductor isn't there at all. But he does find a green button on the control panels. He presses it, and the train stops.
The protagonist will then leave the conductor's car and notices a bright light coming from somewhere. Turns out, one of the train doors is now open, and the protagonist can decide to leave the train or not. (Doing so will end the game). But if the player decides to not make the protagonist leave the train, the player is then required to head back all the way to the blue cars until they find the sister of the young boy. (Who is now awake).
The protagonist proceeds to explain the situation to the girl. Who admits that she finds it hard to believe but has no choice to believe him. But she admits that she doesn't remember getting on the train at all. After the protagonist tells her that he saw her brother (revealed to be named: Naoki), she now remembers what had happened before. She claims that she was with him before she lost her memory. She then asks the protagonist if Naoki said anything to him and if he saw him on the way to the conductor's car. No matter what the protagonist tells the sister, she now knows that her brother is on the other side, and they must find him and get out of the place. However, she wonders if there is a way to prevent others from ending up on the train in the future and if there is a way to end the time loop. That's when the girl has an idea. She tells the protagonist that if the two of them were to run in the opposite direction really fast and start the train again at the same time on both ends, they can finally end this once and for all.
She tells the protagonist that she'll head to the normal car side while we can head to the green car side. Upon this point, the player will decide on what path should they take. Depending on the path you take, will depend on the ending.
== Endings ==
=== Ending 1 (Get off the train): ===
If the protagonist agrees to the girl's plan, the two of them will head off to start the train again. (Luckily, the player will not have to travel far). Once the protagonist reaches the conductor's car, he will press the red button (same button as before), and the train will run again. Upon leaving the conductor's car, he notices that a bright beam of light is coming from somewhere. The light was actually coming from a door that has opened. Seeing this opportunity, he gets off the train.
=== Ending 2 (Sad Reality): ===
If the protagonist tells the girl that he will head to the normal side instead, the sister will be a bit unsure at first since Naoki is on the other side. But since the protagonist did stop the train, she decides to trust him and wishes him good luck.
The protagonist will hurry over to the other side of the train to start it back up again. While heading over to the other side, the protagonist will notice a black stain on the ground that greatly resembles blood coming from one of the restroom stalls. And upon entering Car #4, a monster will start chasing after the protagonist! The protagonist will then have to get pass several anomalies while heading to the conductor's car. In Car #3, the chairs will block the protagonist's path and he must go around them. In Car #2, the car will start to compress, and finally in Car #1, the car will start to sink. If the monster at any point catches the protagonist, the player will have to start the level over again.
After arriving at the conductor's car, the protagonist will press the red button to activate the train. Upon pressing it, the protagonist will notice that the train has travelled to somewhere different. The place the train has traveled is completely dark, and there are red trees everywhere. After some time, the train arrives at the station and then comes to a complete stop. The protagonist will notice that Naoki is standing on the station's platform. Naoki is relieved that the protagonist finally arrived and is happy to see that his sister is here and is finally awake. The sister is happy too finally reunite with Naoki as well. Naoki then thanks for the protagonist for his help and asks him if he wants to come with them. But the protagonist tells them he won't, to which the sister agrees with his decision as he has to get back home. She tells him that "it's not his time yet". After thanking him for all his help, the two-wave goodbye as the train leaves the station.
The screen cuts to black for a few seconds before the protagonist is seen waking up inside a bathroom stall of the Shinkansen. In the room, he is lying on a makeshift bed and is accompanied by a train attendant and a man with a tie. The two are relieved that the protagonist woke up and tells him that he collapsed on the floor due to a light form of deep vein thrombosis. (Economy-class syndrome). Luckily for him, an off-duty doctor was on board and helped him. However, the train attendant tells him something that shocks the protagonist, while he was knocked out, the train came to a stop due to an injury that occurred not too long ago. And upon overhearing the conductor talking to someone on the phone, he reveals that a young boy and woman were involved in an accident. Upon realizing this, the protagonist realizes that the two people that the conductor was referring to was Naoki and his sister. And that both of them are actually dead and was helping them get into the afterlife.
The screen cuts to black again before cutting to the final scene where Naoki and his sister are happily walking on the tracks of the Shinkansen as cherry blossom petals fall around and birds are happily chirping. Showing that the two of them are reunited and are heading to the afterlife together.
== Controls ==
WASD - Move
Left Click - Interact　
Right Click - Zoom
Shift - Run
ESC - Options
== Characters ==
* The Protagonist - A man who is riding on a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Tokyo. On the train, he encounters anomalies while riding the train and must try to identify them in order to stop the never-ending loop. It is later on revealed that he collapsed on the floor during the train ride due to a light form of deep vein thrombosis. His name is unknown.
* Naoki - A young boy that the protagonist meets while on the Shinkansen. He's travelling on the train with his sister and is also stuck in the never-ending loop along with the protagonist. He helps the protagonist/player on how to play the game and what to do if he sees an anomaly. It is later on revealed that he and sister were involved in an incident, and that they were on the Shinkansen in order to cross into the afterlife.
* Sister - The older sister of Naoki. She's travelling on the train with her brother and is also stuck in the never-ending loop along with the protagonist. For most the of the game, she is asleep and doesn't interact with the protagonist till towards the end of the game. After the train stops, she and the protagonist run to the conductor's cars to start the train in order to end the loop. It is later on revealed that she and Naoki were involved in an incident, and that they were on the Shinkansen in order to cross into the afterlife.
* Male Passenger (Blue Car) - A passenger who is travelling on the Shinkansen. He is seen in the blue car fast asleep.
* Old Man - A passenger who is travelling on the Shinkansen. The protagonist meets him in the restroom area, just before he starts finding anomalies in the green car area. He at first doesn't believe that the protagonist is human, but eventually realizes he is. He explains to the protagonist that the train they're on has passengers who aren't even human. And that the train is used to trade real people who are on the train, which causes them to be trapped and reach an unknown destination.
* Train Attendant - A train attendant on the Shinkansen. As an anomaly, she is seen with a food cart trying to serve some passengers in the green cars. In the real world, she along with the off-duty doctor help out the protagonist after he collapsed on the floor.
* Female Passenger - A passenger who is travelling on the Shinkansen who is seen in the green cars. She is seen using her laptop throughout the entire time. As an anomaly, the laptop she is using can change to see the player's perspective, her eyes can be missing, or her reflection in the window is different.
* Mysterious Passenger - A mysterious man with glowing green eyes who is seen in the green cars. As an anomaly, he can either chase the protagonist to the end of the car, stare at him in weird ways, or even have a second head on him. It is unknown if he is truly human.
* Male Passenger (Green Car) - A passenger who is travelling on the Shinkansen who is seen in the green cars. He is seen trying to stow away his luggage in the overhead bins. As an anomaly, his legs can turn into a tree, or he would have a wide grin on his face.
* Conductor - The train conductor of the Shinkansen. He is never seen when the protagonist is stuck in the never ending loop. But in the real world, he is seen talking to someone on the phone telling them about the incident that occurred earlier with Naoki and his sister.
* Off-Duty Doctor - A doctor who helps out the protagonist after he collapsed on the floor due to a light form of deep vein thrombosis.
=== Anomalies ===
* Cleaning Worker - A cleaning worker who is only seen in the blue cars. After a soda can appears on the floor, she will quickly come into the car to pick it up before running away.
* Advertisement Woman - An advertisement for a cleaning company can be seen in the blue cars. As an anomaly, the woman in the advertisement will become a real person.
* Camouflaged Anomaly - A person (or being) that blends in with the seats of the blue car.
* Stowaway - An anomaly who is seen hiding underneath one of the seats of the blue car.
* Human luggage - An anomaly who replaces the suitcase in the blue car with a human.
* Invisible Figure - An invisible being who is seen standing in seat 14B in the green cars. 
* Ticket Inspector - An anomaly who checks the passenger's tickets in the green cars. If the player is in the aisle or did not sit in the correct seat in time. The conductor will confront the protagonist and force him back to Car #7. It is unknown if the Ticket Inspector was ever a real person in the real world.
* Human Daruma - When the protagonist encounters the red light, green light anomaly in the green car. The player will encounter it close to the end of the car. It most likely exists as a jump scare to throw off players. The figure is red with a daruma for a head.
* Ghost - If the protagonist fails to go into the correct cars in the green car area. The ghost will attack the protagonist and make them restart back to Car #7.
* Monster - A monster (or ghost) that chases the protagonist while he tries to reactivate the train in the normal car.
== Trivia ==
* This game was heavily inspired by the horror game: "Exit 8". (Created by KOTAKE CREATE). The game has the player trapped in an endless loop. This being an underground passageway in the subway instead of a Shinkansen. The player is required to spot if the area has an anomaly in it or not and whether or not to advance forward or head back. Many of the anomalies can be easy or hard to spot, with some having the ability to kill the player or make them restart the game. (Just like in this game). Once the player reaches Exit 8, they can then escape.
** Ironically, KOTAKE CREATE created a sequel called "Platform 8" which takes place entirely on a train. However, it's on the Tokyo Metro instead of the Shinkansen.
* Before the plot twist is revealed that the protagonist was knocked unconscious in the sad reality ending. The player can discover a makeshift bed in the locked stall in the restroom area while they are heading back to the blue cars. The stall will become unoccupied, and the player can open it revealing the makeshift bed. 
** On top of that, if the player messes up three times in the green car, the locked stall will open up and the makeshift bed will be blocking the protagonist's path. Thus, preventing the player from heading back.
*Starting from this game, the in-game models for the characters now have lip-synched dialogue.
*This game offers checkpoints.
*The food cart anomaly contains a sign that says: "Conductor's Bullshit". Which may be a reference to the movie: "The Menu". In which one of the characters: Tyler was put in charge to make a meal for the guests. Only for the dish to come out badly due to his lack of culinary skills. With the dish being labeled as: "Tyler's Bullshit".
== External links ==
* Shinkansen 0 on Steam
== Gallery ==
File:Shinkansen(1).jpg|Official Picture on Steam #1
File:Shinkansen(2).jpg|Official Picture on Steam #2
File:Shinkansen(3).jpg|Official Picture on Steam #3
File:Shinkansen(4).jpg|Official Picture on Steam #4
File:Shinkansen(5).jpg|Official Picture on Steam #5
Category:Games