Toy Trains VR is essentially a train-set simulation for VR. I mean, we have Goat Simulators, Power Wash Simulators so why not a Toy Train Simulator?
In Toy Trains, you are someone who unearths a train set in your grandparent’s attic. While waiting for your Mam and Dad to arrive home, you open the train set and let your imagination run wild. But in this imagination-fueled world in which you lay the tracks, there are living people called Railies who need you to carry out tasks for them.
I Choo-Choo-Choose You!
The Railies live too far apart from each other and rely on you to make sure they can interact. It’s also very important that you include the construction site in the loop because every level sees new and improving benefits for the Railies. Sometimes they are building a cinema, and sometimes they are building an airport, but you are always the catalyst for making a better life for the Railies that rely on you.
With every successful level you complete, you earn different track pieces. Earning the ability to add bridges, slopes and even sharp turns, transforms the landscape of your Railies quite literally.
Also, as you help your Railies, your own personal story develops. I don’t want to elaborate on that anymore as it is something that should be experienced, not described.
Graphically, the game is gorgeous. There is not one thing I can fault about it. VR games often try too hard to be super realistic and come across Uncanny Valley or they just look basic. The visuals in Toy Trains are spot on. Proper blend of nostalgia while looking crisp and legitimate. There are also a good few little hidden easter eggs and interactive areas that feel so natural and help add to the immersion.
Also, when you complete a level, you can “decorate” it as you see fit. This is one of the most surprisingly fun aspects of this game. Watching the interactions, improving the aesthetic and pretty much doing anything you wish to your own landscape is bizarrely cathartic.
Don’t you know I’m Loco? (motion)
I genuinely can see people using this game as a stress reliever and not just as a narrative-driven game. It is genuinely calming and soothing to be able to just have a little go and let your imagination run wild.
The controls are very intuitive and very easy to use. Sometimes with VR games, there is a disconnect, but everything you do in this game feels natural. Whether it is selecting a slanted section of track or discarding a bridge section in the bin, it feels realistic and authentic.
Toy Trains VR is not what I would call a traditional “game”. It is a puzzle game, a train sim, and a building sim all rolled into one. It is more of an experience than a game.
Toy Trains has a beautiful, heart-rending story that is fantastically told. More importantly, it is entertaining too. There were times when I was stumped as to how I would be able to run the track the correct way in order to serve all the houses. I actually cared for the people in my world when they were struggling.
On The Right Track
Toy Trains sounded like something I would have absolutely zero investment in. I have no interest in model railways. I don’t care about building sims. How in the world would a VR Sim about a train set interest me in any way?
The answer is… by charm.
Toy Trains VR is undoubtedly one of, if not THE, most charming games I have ever played. As I said earlier, It doesn’t feel like a game, it’s more of an experience. It won’t pique the interest of people who want to have an adrenaline-fuelled gaming session. It won’t tantalise the grey matter of those who want to be challenged mentally. What it will do though, is make you feel warm, relaxed and okay.
It’s wholesome.
I didn’t know what to expect from this game but what I got from it was more than I could have imagined.
A great little gem that I thoroughly recommend to anyone who might want a little detox from the norm.
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Toy Trains is launching January 16th 2024! Build the model railway of your dreams and solve satisfying puzzles in a nostalgic miniature world, coming to PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 3 and 2, and SteamVR.
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