Toy Trains Review (PS5 / PSVR2)

Something Random is made up of former SUPERHOT developers, but the studio’s debut game couldn’t be more different. Toy Trains is a cute, relaxing game that lets you relive the simple fun found in building model train tracks, and it does so quite successfully.

A train set in a dusty attic just so happens to be home to a tiny populace known as Railies. These puny people need your help to make tracks that’ll lead trains from mines and woodcutters to construction sites, building adorable establishments like a movie theatre and a power plant. Gameplay is super intuitive; using the triggers on PSVR2’s Sense controllers, you pluck the required track pieces, trains, and wagons from the user manual and plonk them onto the board in front of you. It’s satisfyingly tactile.

The topography of each landscape will dictate how and where you can build your tracks, but there’s no one right answer — as long as your routes meet the requirements, you’ll progress through a stage. With no time limits or scores to worry about either, Toy Trains makes for a relaxed, playful time. The presentation aids this too, with an attractive art style that’s easy to read and pleasant music throughout.

Each level introduces new elements, such as bridges to cross water or slopes so your trains can move vertically. Once you reach the 10th and final stage, you’ll be able to create some fairly complex tracks if you wish. Upon beating the game and concluding the covert but sweet story, you’re free to play each level again, but there’s little else to see and do here.

It’s on the short side, which isn’t really a problem, but especially in terms of options it’s quite barebones. In fact, there are no real settings to speak of, not even to adjust in-game volume or change height. Fortunately, this is a stationary game with minimal controls to worry about, so it arguably doesn’t need lots of options — but some basic stuff is missing.

All told, though, Toy Trains delivers a satisfying experience that’ll appeal to players of all ages. If you’re after a nostalgic and relaxing VR title, you could do far worse than choo-choo-choose this pleasant little game.