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The Galactic Railroad SNES Game

gnosis

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Ihatovo Monogatari (SNES), an obscure, untranslated JRPG-style SNES adventure game was a Japan-only release in 1993. Ihatovo Monogatari received an unofficial fan translation, and has some of the best video game JRPG music composed by Tsukasa Tawada.

This game's stunning soundtrack has been arranged by the composer on his Youtube channel: Ihatovo Monogatari (イーハトーヴォ物語)

After composing the music for Ihatovo Monogatari, Tawada went on to compose for other video games like Pokemon and Harvest Moon, and worked as the sound designer for the Dragon Quest series.

Developed by the studio Hect, or Hector, Ihatovo Monogatari (SNES) is a rare game released in Japan on the Super Famicom home console, and each chapter of the game was inspired by a different story written by Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa.

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0:00 introduction
4:32 story
24:51 analysis

#jrpg #snes #raregames #retrogaming #adventuregame #gamemusic

20 Comments

@gnosis_gaming Creator 1 year ago (edited) Pinned

Which chapter is your favorite? To avoid major spoilers, skip the ‘story’ part of this video.

Ch 1 - The Shellfire 5:21
Ch 2 - The Cairo Brigade Leader 7:23
Ch 3 - The Kenju Park Grove 8:56
Ch 4 - The Fox and the Earth God 10:21
Ch 5 - The Life of Bud Gusko 12:41
Ch 6 - Ozbel and the Elephants 14:42
Ch 7 - Gauche the Cellist 17:28
Ch 8 - Covered in Snow 19:45
Ch 9 - Galactic Railroad 22:12

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@SuPeRNinJaRed 1 year ago

This game is essentially the grandfather of the “cozy narrative driven indie” genre... without anyone even knowing it

@zachnaps 1 year ago

please keep reviewing more underrated games, i genuinely can't find content like this anywhere else (let alone with this amount of polish), keep up the good work!!!

@millstonelite5497 1 year ago

This is probably the most beautiful snes game I've ever seen.

@TheNotSid 1 year ago (edited)

I played this game a few years ago after watching SNESDrunk's video on it. It's such a tranquil game. The setting is very comfy, the characters are all unique but grounded. The soundtrack is beautiful. The gameplay might put people off as it's almost non-existent. However, if you're open to a unique set of stories told through exploration then Ihatovo Monogatari is more than worthy of your time. Just like Gnosis, Gauche the Cellist was my favorite story as well.

Thank you for doing a video on this criminally underrated gem. I hope everyone reading this gives Ihatovo Monogatari a playthrough.

@obbm 1 year ago

So crazy to see someone talk about this game. I played it on a whim on the plane to tokyo and was blown away by its unique charm. Very special game

@pixiemoon5176 1 year ago

I had never heard of this game but I recognized his work of The Galactic Railroad. What an interesting person he was, and this game is a beautiful tribute to his works. The way you crafted this video to share this game and the one who inspired it is brilliant. I look forward to more of your content. Thank you for sharing this masterpiece AND showcasing the music of the talented composer for the game.

@urgulion 1 year ago

Noo, poor stove cat!!

What a beautiful SNES game and what a great video. I'm so glad youtube recommendations introduced your channel to me last week

@NotStoop 1 year ago

I saw the thumbnail image with the bowler hat and it reminded me that we have a silhouette of Kenji Miyazawa in my city as we're part of a sister city program with Hanamaki. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I'll have to play this now that I know there's a translation of it.

@smartperson1 1 year ago

I had no idea art like this was made for the SNES back in the day, too. "To the Moon" is a new game with similar vibes to me.

@Sabin184 1 year ago

Love the pixel art in this game. I'm happy to see a revival of this style in recent years, but these SNES era games are special.

@catnip4193 1 year ago

what an incredible game for 1993... my favorite was the one with the cedar grove. one of my friends is growing a maple grove on his land :)

@The_Gallowglass 1 year ago

I don't know what's worse, the typical nature of amphibians cannibalizing each other or reducing them to drunken debt slavery.

@GamerRoman 1 year ago

There seems to be so many games that are just hidden like this until someone decides to pick them up and translate.

@kchankful 3 months ago

30年以上前の子供の頃に何度もプレイした大好きなゲームです。内容も音楽もとても素晴らしいです。海外版が出ていることを初めて知りました。なんだか嬉しくなりますね✨

@shafaatoo9328 1 year ago (edited)

Brother, your videos awaken a deep and unspoken longing within me—the thrill of uncovering obscure, underrated atmospheric games buried somewhere in the depths of my subconscious. Games that carry a strange, almost haunting nostalgia, even if I’ve never played them. They stir up dreamlike feelings, the kind that surface only in rare, quiet moments on certain special nights. Hahaha.

You remind me a lot off Dungeon-chill and Mandaloregaming. And a more laid back version of grimbeard. I especially appreciate your focus on retro games—it creates this incredible mix of nostalgia and warmth that I can’t quite put into words. The games you cover feel like games I would have maybe played growing up, but never got the chance to. Thank you Hahahaha.

Keep going, brother. I’ll be here to support you all the way.