Help & support
Railcove is a free open alpha you play in your browser. Here’s how to find your feet in Rail Cove, what the game looks like in motion, and how to reach a person when something goes wrong.
Getting started
Create a free account to keep your progress, then begin Chapter One. The welcome guide in the game covers the same ground, and you can revisit it anytime from Settings.
Follow your curiosity
Tap a place on the town map, then choose Visit. Café Lucent is a lovely place to start: meet Maya there.
Find your own rhythm
People keep their own schedules, and places open and close through the day. Wait anywhere to let time pass.
Keep a little journal
Quests hold your next steps. Pin one to mark its destination on the map. Your progress saves after every action.
Stories & choices
Choose your words in story scenes. Tap Show full text to read at once, and skip lines you’ve already read. Turn on consequence hints in Settings for a gentle nudge.
Time together
Trust grows through shared moments, thoughtful gifts and keeping your promises. Each gift teaches you their taste. Close friends may ask a small favor once a day.
Make yourself comfortable
Settings has music and sound volumes, text speed, reduce motion and consequence hints. Your device’s motion setting is respected too.
See it in motion
Recorded Railcove gameplay, edited for length. The music is an added soundtrack, not in-game audio, and there’s no spoken dialogue: lines appear on screen. Captions describe the music and sound.
Railcove trailer
Two minutes in Rail Cove: the people, the pastry box that started it all, and a few things that go bump in the night.
Trailer edited from pre-alpha gameplay captures and game art. Music by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0); sound effects added for the trailer.Café Lucent: the wrong cake
Recorded gameplay, edited; music is not in-game audio.Shopping Street: meeting Aoi
Meet Aoi the florist, give a curious reply, and see what she asks you to find.
Recorded gameplay, edited; music is not in-game audio.On a phone: Ren’s question
Ren asks a question. Open the Log to reread the conversation, close it, then answer.
Recorded gameplay on a phone-sized screen, edited; music is not in-game audio.Questions
What kind of game is Railcove?
An anime romance visual novel and town-life game with an offbeat crime story. Explore a coastal town, get to know its residents, play short mini-games, and work out what to do with a ledger that was never meant for you.
How do I start playing?
Create a free account with your email address and a password, then begin Chapter One in your browser. There’s nothing to download.
What’s in the alpha?
Chapter One: the café, the misplaced ledger, and first chapters with Maya, Aoi and Ren, plus three mini-games. As an alpha, it’s still changing, and you may find rough edges. Bug reports are very welcome.
Does it cost anything?
No. The alpha is free to play. Purchases are Coming soon, and nothing is for sale during the alpha.
Can I buy Hearts or relationship progress?
No. Hearts are earned through play and can’t be bought, and money can’t buy relationship milestones. Major relationship steps need authored story events as well as relationship progress.
Who can I get to know?
Maya the illustrator, Aoi the florist and Ren, who runs Café Lucent, each have a romance path. Getting closer is your choice, and friendship is always an option. The rest of the cast have friendships, rivalries and secrets of their own.
Is the story written by AI as I play?
No. The branching story is written in advance. Web chat with characters is Coming soon. Once you’ve verified your email and chosen a character’s romance route, you can connect your own local AI agent, such as Codex, Claude Desktop or Hermes, for up to 10 messages a day. Your agent writes the replies; it can’t change your save, award items or skip story milestones.
What can I play on?
A current web browser on a computer, tablet or phone. The game has touch layouts and keyboard controls. There’s no app-store version.
Is my progress saved? Can I play offline?
Your progress saves to your account after every action, so you can sign in on another device and continue. Because saves live on the server, you need an internet connection; offline play isn’t supported.
I forgot my password.
Choose “Forgot your password?” on the sign-in page. We’ll email you a reset link that works for one hour. Resetting your password signs out every session.
How supernatural does it get?
The crime plot stays central. Optional ghost and alien encounters turn up in certain places in the evening or at night, and whoever is with you reacts in their own way. An encounter won’t solve the investigation or earn someone’s trust for you.
How do I delete my account?
Email privacy@railcove.com from the address on your account, or send a privacy or deletion request through the support form. The privacy page explains what is deleted.
Still stuck?
Email support, or send a message through the support form. The operator reads every request and replies by email.
For privacy or account deletion requests, email privacy@railcove.com. Read the privacy notes.