NOSTALGIC TRAIN Screenshot Contest Winners Announced

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Winners of the Screenshot Contest to Commemorate the 4th Anniversary and the 1st Anniversary of the Release of NOSTALGIC TRAIN Announced.

NOSTALGIC TRAIN, launched on Steam by Japanese indie game creator Tatamibeya on June 13, 2018, was celebrated its fourth anniversary. The Nintendo Switch™ version of the game, which was ported by Amata, will also celebrate its first anniversary this August, and to celebrate, a screenshot contest was held across all platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 / PlayStation®5, and Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S.

We sincerely appreciate the many applications we received. Thank you very much.

NOSTALGIC TRAIN developer Tatamibeya, Amata Games representative Hiromichi Takahashi, and professional photographer and in-game photographer Yuichi Yokota judged the competition.

There were so many wonderful entries that we could not narrow it down to just the awards we had set. Therefore, we have decided to also award each judge’s favorite work, so the number of award-winning works has increased since the beginning of the contest.

Award-winning works

Best Award: nokAman

Prize: A reproduction of the winning work (A4 size) and PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Tatamibeya
The striking Rokujizo peeking out from the shadows of the trees, the water reflecting the sky, and the other elements like the composition and color correction, capture the world of NOSTALGIC TRAIN to a very high degree.

Judges’ comment: Yuichi Yokota
Among the many landscape shots we received, this one is very dramatic for the striking framing of the forest in the foreground and background, and the reflection of the waterfront in the center. This was our unanimous choice.

Judges’ comment: Hiromichi Takahashi
Its, composition with the Rokujizo silhouettes amid the shadows of the trees surrounding the perimeter, and the highlighted light in the center is very striking. NOSTALGIC TRAIN has many nostalgic and beautiful landscapes, and this piece reminds us once again of the beauty of these landscapes.

Steam Award: きち｜KICHI

Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Tatamibeya
I was drawn in by the creative composition on this one; it creates a strong depth of field and forces the viewer to gaze at the train’s path.

Judges’ comment: Yuichi Yokota
There were many works where the viewer is looking through the windows of the train, but this one in particular gave me a sense of realism, and reminded me more of a passenger’s line of sight.

Judges’ comment: Hiromichi Takahashi
This one reminded me of the view I had when I peeked out of the window just behind the driver’s seat when I was a child.

Nintendo Switch Award: OGUROCK

Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Tatamibeya
This image has a composition that may not be replicable in real life. It has a powerful composition that can only be captured in-game.

Judges’ comment: Yuichi Yokota
I was impressed by the vigor of the picture. It seems to jump out of the looming screen from among the works of trains taken from on the tracks.

Judges’ comment: Hiromichi Takahashi
There were other works taken on the railroad tracks, but this one stands out for its compositional balance between the vanishing point on the tracks and the approaching train.

PlayStation Award: まつすけ

Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Tatamibeya
The use of the silver window frame as a picture frame together with the gray tone of the whole piece left an impression on me.

Judges’ comment: Yuichi Yokota
The weather and accounting for the floating seed in the bold window frame is very impressive.

Judges’ comment: Hiromichi Takahashi
The single floating dandelion seed stands out, and combined with the way the window frame is cropped, this piece feels like a painting.

Xbox Award: grfr360

Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Tatamibeya
The Rokujizo, bamboo bushes, and the train, all keys to the story, are very well balanced in frame, making this image a great representation of the worldview of NOSTALGIC TRAIN

Judges’ comment: Yuichi Yokota
Bamboo bushes and a Jizo statue at the end of the train’s line of sight. This image shows off the charms of the story.

Judges’ comment: Hiromichi Takahashi
The composition of the image neatly captures the train and Rokujizo. The image itself almost symbolizes the story of NOSTALGIC TRAIN.

Judges’ Special Award

Additional awards will be given to each
Judges’ favorite entries.

Tatamibeya Award: 野網千尋

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Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Tatamibeya
I was very happy that the author did his best to find a perspective that even the creators didn’t even notice when they were developing the game to produce this surprising shot. I would therefore like to award the Tatamibeya prize to this work with its unusual theme!

Yuichi Yokota Award: 増満勇響 HayatoMasumitsu

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Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Yuichi Yokota
The main subject of this photograph is a flag of shaved ice, which is a “symbol” that evokes not only the atmosphere of the town but also the feeling of summer. This work stood out from the many entries that focused on nature or trains.

Hiromichi Takahashi Award: 映像音楽マニア

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Prize: PayPal 3000JPY equivalent

Judges’ comment: Hiromichi Takahashi
A train at night, fading into sight amid the lights of the railroad crossing alarms and telephone poles. This image seems to capture even the humid summer night air, resulting in a striking shot.

Finalists

They were all very nice, so we’d like to
Here are the 25 finalists.

The Judges

Tatamibeya, Developer of NOSTALGIC TRAIN / Narrative & Environmental Artist

After studying Western History and Tanzanian Architectural Decoration at university, he worked as a 3D background artist in the video game industry.
2012 he left Japan to live in Czech Republic, USA Bay Area and Poland. He has worked on Cyberpunk 2077, Mafia 3, Malicious, etc.
He has been developing games using UE4 under the name of Tatamibeya, and his work NOSTALGIC TRAIN was recommended by the 22nd Japan Media Arts Jury, and Far Away Train was nominated for the “INNOVATIVE OUTLAW AWARD” at BitSummit THE 8th BIT, which is given to innovative works in terms of technology and ideas.

Yuichi Yokota, Professional Photographer / In-Game Photographer

Born in Koriyama City, Fukushima, Japan Prefecture in 1985, Yokota is a photographer living in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.
He began working professionally in 2010. He specializes in bold yet delicate pictures that convey the scale of magnificent nature.
He mainly photographs landscapes in Japan and abroad. In addition to taking photographs related to tourism promotion and regional development, he also writes articles and conducts PR projects on SNS and other web media.
He won the first prize in the international photo contest “IPA 2016,” and his work has been featured in numerous international media.
He contributes to the recognition and dissemination of in-game photography culture in Japan.

Hiromichi Takahashi, President, Amata K.K.

He has worked as a director and producer for 4 domestic game companies and 2 Korean game companies. He has experience developing games for a wide range of platforms, including arcades, consoles, PC online, mobile, and VR.
Director for “Doko Demo Issyo” at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., which was the recipient of numerous awards including the 1999 Multimedia Grand Prix Minister of International Trade and Industry Award and the fourth Japan Games Award.
His VR Escape-the-Room game “Last Labyrinth,” released in 2019, also created a buzz with its unique VR experience and won numerous awards at games and VR events around the world.
Currently, he is an active game developer, running a game development company and directing the VR Action-Adventure game “The Tale of Onogoro”

Click here for an overview of the contest