Showcased as part of the LudoNarraCon, Jump the Track is an interesting blend of genres. Created from the minds of Seed by Seed, Jump the Track combines elements of visual novels with pinball/pachinko machine gameplay. With wit and conscientious themes of fighting the system, this choices-matter demo has plenty of promise.

Sam’s predicament

In Jump the Track, the story begins as the protagonist, a young man named Sam, following a lead at the local casino. See, Sam’s boss needs a certain number of tickets, but one of their other workers had their phone stolen. Sam tracks down the thief, an elderly woman named Henrietta, as she gambles away the stolen earnings. Soon enough, the two of them find themselves to be something of kindred spirits. Though, how friendly their relationship remains will depend on choices made.

After meeting Henrietta, the game introduces its first genre-bending gimmick: how dialogue choices and events are handled. 

Pinballing between options

Up to this point, it would be easy to mistake Jump the Track as your standard visual novel. Which, mind you, is far from a negative. You read dialogue, make a choice, progress the story based on that choice. But when you are about to make that choice, the game tosses in a pinball-like mechanic. 

The closest comparison I can make is imagining Peglin, but without the roguelike and RPG elements. Instead of making choices or succeeding an action right away, the player opens options by scoring high enough in categories to unlock new alternative dialogue. These options include diplomacy, fierceness, or telling lies.

To balance this out, not every unlocked option in Jump the Track is helpful or “correct;” some can actually make a situation worse or exist to be humorous. As an example from the screenshot up above, one of the options has Sam flipping the bird at Henrietta rather than adding anything substantial to the conversation. And after playing the 15-minute demo an extra time or two, I did find that some of the choices do lead to alternative scenes, even if the destination is understandably the same. 

Final Thoughts

Jump the Track has a promising demo that is rich in character writing and its comic-like art. This is shown best with the ending cutscenes, containing action as Sam slips away from bouncers to be met with his mother. The game makes itself interesting by including gameplay elements but remains accessible by not being too challenging or dependent on making the “right” choices. I recommend it for those looking for a short, casual experience.

Jump the Track is planned on being released sometime in 2025 on Steam. This demo was reviewed for LudoNarraCon.