Note | The following post contains references to a game that deals with serious/heavy emotional topics and shows disturbing imagery (although it's not a horror game). This post also refers to a game that has never seen an English translation, so all translations are mine -- take them with a grain of salt! Lastly, heavy spoilers for 排気ガスサークル by DONZU.
Today's game is a bit of a special one. First, those who have yet to should listen to this song called 乗車券 (joushaken, passenger ticket) by BUMP OF CHICKEN, for the song inspired this 'adventure' game created by DONZU.
Here is a version of the song with an added lyric music video, created by a very talented person in MMD:
I may translate the lyrics into English later, since looking online I don't seem to see any for this song (which is a shame 'cause it freakin' rocks, literally ha ha sorry).
The gist of the song provokes a sense of panic on the outset as the "singer" tries desperately to get a ticket to get on "a bus" (whether or not this bus is a metaphor depends on the listener). Apparently, a "strong wish" or "desire" can substitute for a ticket, so the prospective rider desperately tries to catch himself a spot, angrily scolding those trying to get ahead of him and mocking those who give their seat up to another. Unfortunately, once he finally manages to sneak himself a seat, he realizes that there's something wrong -- that he got on without understanding what the bus was about -- and he wants off. The destination of the bus is not where he wanted it to be -- it's not what he hoped it would be.
So what does this song have to do with the game, 排気ガスサークル (pronounced "Haiki gasu saakuru" and abbreviated "HaiGas"; translated: Exhaust Fume Club)? For one, many of the key words in this song (exhaust fumes, passenger ticket, strong desire etc.) are featured as key points in the game. For two, the game is centred around... getting on trains and buses and riding to a "destination". And maybe even a metaphor or two about life.
Exhaust Fume Club is a game created in LiveMaker and released for free on May 17th, 2013. It is by creator DONZU, a team of (currently) 2+ people, who has also made 3 other games (though none with the fame that HaiGas has managed to get). DONZU is currently creating a novel called "霧のセレネイド" (Mist Serenade) online.
Time for a mini-lesson!
For those who may not know, LiveMaker (pictured above) is an engine (support ended officially in February 2018) created by company HUMAN BALANCE in Hokkaido. LiveMaker is specifically engineered to make Japanese "adventure games".
One must then define the Japanese "adventure game" which is not exactly how us Western gamers are used to envisioning the genre. Those who have studied the language are probably already aware of this, but (for a country that sealed its borders to outside influence out of fear for centuries) Japan loves to borrow words from other languages and then completely change their meanings.
Here is the definition of Japan's "adventure game" from its Wikipedia article, translation mine:
An adventure game, abbreviated ADV or AVG, is a genre of computer game. The player's current established situation is presented by text, graphics, or a combination of the two. In response to that, inputted actions by the player will result in their response displayed [by a change in situation], which prompts them to input further action...... This repeated operation progresses [the game] and composes a structure of interactivity between the player and computer.
There are no particular reflexive abilities required for gameplay; instead, it requires appropriate choice of action, reasoning/inference, and choice in response to the various information displayed, and is a "thinking" style genre. It is distinguished from similar "thinking" genres such as simulation games and role-playing games by the fact that "discrete/multiple numerical values that represent the strength and abilities of the main character (i.e. attack power and experience points)" do not exist.
To contrast, here is the definition of the Western "adventure game" from Wikipedia:
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media, literature and film, encompassing a wide variety of literary genres. Many adventure games (text and graphic) are designed for a single player, since this emphasis on story and character makes multiplayer design difficult. Colossal Cave Adventure is identified as the first such adventure game, first released in 1976, while other notable adventure game series include Zork, King's Quest, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Myst. [...] The Walking Dead by Telltale Games is considered to be a key title which rejuvenated the genre.
By the way, the English Wikipedia article briefly notes this difference between definitions and also has an entire section dedicated to talking more about visual novels and dating sims as Japanese adventure games. Sadly, there is always going to be a culture gap and bias here because the article totally misses most of the good adventure games and dismisses the rest as "dating sims".
Within Asian markets, adventure games continue to be popular in the form of visual novels, which make up nearly 70% of PC games released in Japan. Asian countries have also found markets for adventure games for portable and mobile gaming devices. Japanese adventure-games tend to be distinct from Western adventure-games and have their own separate development history.
To illustrate this difference, let's compare some of Japan's "adventure games" with adventure games elsewhere. We know that games like Telltale's The Walking Dead series (and their other ones like The Wolf Among Us), Myst, King's Quest and Monkey Island are classic representations of adventure games, as are many of Double Fine's productions (Some notable indie games are ones like The Cat Lady; Fran Bow, Journey etc.).
Note that the Adventure genre is usually misrepresented on sites like Steam that include non-adventure games like The Witcher (RPG), Ori (Platformer), Elder Scrolls games (RPG).
In contrast, games like Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney), Professor Layton, STEINS;GATE, Fate/Stay Night, Love Plus, 428 〜封鎖された渋谷で〜 (428: Shibuya Scramble) and others are Japan's "representative" adventure games. Although there are a lot of similarities between the Western and Japanese adventure game genre, there are also a ton of differences. This sentence (found later on in the Japanese Wikipedia article) sums it up the best:
The word "adventure" originally refers to the meaning of exploration and travelling, but in Japan when one says "adventure game" it does not mean any of these and almost always refers to a game in which the style includes "character sprites" and a "message window" (often across the bottom third of the screen). The method of advancing the story is mainly through conversation.
Okay, mini-lesson over. Basically, LiveMaker is a now-defunct software that creates Japanese adventure games, which means it makes games that have message windows/dialogue boxes and characters talking at each other. So...to most Western gamers that screams "visual novel". In Western terms, pretty much all Japanese adventure games are visual novels, but in Japan the phrase "visual novel" doesn't really exist at all.
Now we finally get back to HaiGas, our Japanese adventure game of the post. The premise starts basically just like the BUMP OF CHICKEN song. Over the years, there's been a persistent string of suicides at a train station in town where people fling themselves onto the tracks -- and it's getting worse. News reporters, students, and passersby keep wondering if the deaths are suicides, a haunting, or something else.
The main character hears everyone talking about an urban legend that revolves around "a passenger ticket" and a strange train showing up at the station. Apparently, a "strong wish" can become the passenger ticket to this strange train...which can take you to "the place of your dreams", according to the legend. (By the way these exact lyrics show up in BUMP's song.)
Our main character shows up at the station in question with a scrap of paper in hand. Words flash across the screen accompanied by static. "Even if it's cursed... If something like that really exists, if my wish can be granted..."
Suddenly, the colour fades from the world -- everyone at the station is gone. A train has pulled up to the station. After some frightening imagery of an eye and a noose show up, the main character is shoved through the open doors. They drop the scrap of paper they're holding and look up from the metal floor of the train where they've fallen. The one who pushed them has their face completely obscured by white hair... they pick up the scrap of paper...
And the door slides shut.
Thus our protagonist (who we are able to give a temporary name) falls into a strange and colourless world that seems to be falling apart at the seams. Without a proper passenger ticket, the protagonist has been embroiled in this world where it is safest to keep (1) your name hidden and (2) your face hidden. Unfortunately, the protagonist starts off without anything to cover their face... And they quickly make a goal to chase down the white-haired person/man who seems to have shoved them into this world.
Along the way the protagonist makes friends with their formless partner, default nickname "Shadow", a strange organization called the "morticians" (or undertakers, depending on your translation), and a separate team called the MAG Troupe, among others. Here is the leader of the Morticians, Luna:
Both the Morticians and the MAG troupe have put their original activities in this world on hold to team up and try and stop the world from its impending collapse. Apparently, the "Master" of this world has disappeared (which is causing everything to start breaking down), and the protagonist risks losing their humanity if they continue to stay in this area for long.
Here is the information-gatherer of the MAG Troupe, Eiar (or Ear, though that sounds kinda lame) talking about the 4 "groups" that exist in this world.
Now the protagonist, with the help of their new friends and partner, must learn the secrets behind this monochrome world, search for a way back home, and discover the dark secrets that sent them here in the first place. Only, there are some things that are best left unknown...
Game System
Dungeons
Battles
Mid-game spoilers!
Story
Explanation about the world
Masks and their "fragments"
Mask effects on "shadow"
The mysterious white-haired man (I know it looks like he's got a plastic bag on his head but that's all hair)
"Nameless"' s past and the reason they are in this world
Endings
True End
Another End
Bad End
Note | As long as this note is up, this post is going to be updated with more information and images as I go through the game a few more times to pick up any extras and complete all the endings. Come back later for more!
You can find Exhaust Fume Club here:
You can follow the creator DONZU here:
A lot of further reading, alternate explanations and theory-crafting can be found online across various blogs. Many wonderful videos can also be found on NicoNico. Those interested can look them up independently or contact me for translations and resources! I really wish such a wonderful game could be known to more people.
Thank you for reading up to this point!
Storm
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