Review of ‘Wall Town Wonders’ – Perhaps Too Laid-Back for Modern Mixed Reality

Imagine a time when popping on your AR glasses and watching your mini-Sim-like town float around your living room in hot air balloons is just a part of your daily routine. That’s the vibe Wall Town Wonders is aiming for—though it seems like the game might be getting a bit ahead of itself. It offers some visually stunning scenes, but is there enough meat on the bones to hold our attention in today’s XR headset market? That’s the real question.

Publisher: Cyborn
Available On: Quest 3/3S
Reviewed On: Quest 3
Release Date: November 21st, 2024
Price: $20

Gameplay

Wall Town Wonders doesn’t set out to challenge you with its level of difficulty. Instead, it welcomes you into a relaxed play environment. The initial charm comes from exploring tiny buildings and observing your villagers’ antics—watching a mini pizza chef whip up orders or seeing villagers buzz around the room in a bi-plane.

As you delve deeper past its one-hour tutorial, you’ll find the focal point shifts towards unlocking new structures and their accompanying mini-games. Whether you’re defending a vertical farm from pests with a wrist-mounted mini-crossbow, fishing in a pool at your feet, or steering model planes with hand gestures, there’s a variety to keep you occupied.

However, a significant part of your experience involves hanging around while your virtual villagers produce essentials like wood, money, and food. These resources are collected over time, allowing you to build and upgrade your structures from an impressive catalog of over 100 creations. There’s a creative element, too—you can repaint and rearrange these buildings to suit your taste, turning your room into a bustling little hub of activity.

But there’s an auto-pilot element that can’t be ignored. Villagers autonomously manage many tasks, giving you the choice of dipping in for some casual interaction or just enjoying the sight of them bustling like a charming little diorama. Yes, there are mini-games meant to spice things up, but they quickly began to feel like mundane chores rather than truly engaging activities.

Immersion

Who doesn’t love a virtual diorama? There’s something special about a world that feels dense with charm, even when it’s a small European-style village displayed across your walls. It’s an engaging experience that can tug at your heartstrings.

Still, despite these immersive environments, I find myself pausing to remember that, much like you probably do, I only really dive into my favorite VR games once work is done. The appeal of casually slipping on a headset to engage in something like Wall Town Wonders is limited by current hardware constraints—resolution, wearability, and comfort.

It’s easy to imagine a future where slipping into an XR headset will be as effortless as picking up your phone, but right now, Wall Town Wonders seems to ask its players to ignore the limitations of today’s XR tech. The game’s mix of mini-games and its mellow, aquarium-like ambiance is charming yet perhaps a tad too laid-back for more extended play sessions.

I won’t dismiss the appeal Wall Town Wonders might have for fans of games like The Sims or Townscaper. If they speak to you, embracing the laid-back whimsy and aesthetic charm of Wall Town Wonders might just be your cup of tea.

However, it relies heavily on point-and-click mechanics via laser pointers, making it easy to interact but also somewhat detached. Hand-tracking is meant to add sophistication but often results in reverting to controllers for ease. It’s convenient from a distance but feels like a missed opportunity to create more engaging tools instead of the random gadgets used in mini-games.

Comfort

To make the most of Wall Town Wonders, expect to be on your feet, exploring every inch of wall space available. While seated play is possible, the experience truly demands a bit of movement, with many activities situated at ground level—watch those neck muscles if you’re prone to strain.

The brilliant part? The game’s villages are placed at head height on your walls, providing an immersive yet comfortable experience. It’s a smart design choice, sparing you from craning over a small map. I hope this approach becomes the norm for future XR town simulations.

Comfort and Accessibility Settings

• Turning: No artificial turning
• Movement: No artificial movement
• Posture: Standing required; no seated or artificial crouch option
• Accessibility: English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish subtitles provided. Dialogue audio is absent. No adjustable difficulty or player height options, and no requirement for two hands or real crouch.

In all, Wall Town Wonders carves out a charming space, trying to marry engaging gameplay with the limits of current XR technology. Whether it succeeds is up to each individual’s threshold for whimsy over serious gameplay, and whether you can suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy its delightful miniature world.