Tough girl & rookie detective solve a strange world's mystery—escape in 3hrs or stay trapped! “Midnight Train: New Moon” [TGS2026]

The "Tokyo Game Show 2026" (hereinafter "TGS2026") was held at Makuhari Messe from Thursday, September 17, 2026, through Sunday, September 20, 2026.

In this article, we’ll share our hands-on experience with “Midnight Train: New Moon,” a remake of “Midnight Train”—a free RPG Maker game originally released in Spain in 2020—which was among the titles on display.

When you start the game, the story begins aboard a train known as the “Midnight Train,” which runs only at night. This setting alone is already so magical!

The protagonist, Luna Windel, is a lovely 18-year-old girl. The character profile revealed her stats: 5 stars in Agility and 4 stars in Strength out of a possible 5—quite the fighter’s stats.

As I controlled Luna and explored the train, it suddenly came to a halt, and at the same time, all the passengers who had been there vanished. The only ones left were Luna and Neil, a young man who had been sound asleep.

With the train at a standstill and pitch darkness outside, Neil—an apprentice detective—seems to be actually enjoying the situation. The two work together to escape the train.As for how they escaped: while Neil was examining a door that wouldn’t open—wondering, “Maybe there’s a mystery hidden here?”—Luna smashed the window and they made their escape… Hmm, that’s pretty wild.

Also, during their conversation before escaping, it becomes clear that Luna cannot speak. Since Neil doesn’t know sign language, he apologetically hands Luna a notebook, and the two communicate by having Luna write in it.
This notebook is updated as the game progresses, and players can view its contents as well. I absolutely love this kind of diary element!

The place they ended up after escaping the train turned out to be a strange, empty space with nothing but a suspicious-looking building. With no other clues, the two decided to go inside. But inside, it was a terrifying scene—with eerie eyes attacking them and spiked clocks flying at them.

Luna uses her physical skills, while Neil uses his wits, and the two work together to make their way through the building. Eventually, they find gifts addressed to each of them. When they open them, they find a pocket watch and a message inside. Reading the message, they learn that if they don’t find the next train within three hours, they’ll be doomed to wander this space forever…

Clutching the pocket watches—which are apparently necessary for boarding the train—the two promise to work together to escape from here.

In this demo, we were able to play through the entire prologue of the game. Originally released as a free game in 2020, this title reportedly retains the same story, exploration, and puzzle-solving mechanics while completely revamping the graphics, presentation, and game balance. The gothic atmosphere fits perfectly with the slightly classic gameplay!

Will Luna and Neil manage to board the next train safely...?

“Midnight Train: New Moon” is scheduled for release in 2027 on PC (Steam) via PLAYISM.