Review of ‘Wall Town Wonders’ – Possibly Too Casual for Modern Mixed Reality

Wall Town Wonders gives off an intriguing vibe, resembling a leisurely game of tomorrow where all-day AR glasses are as common as smartphones. Imagining a bustling mini-town of Sim-like characters floating in your space through hot air balloons is exciting. Despite its visual allure, the gameplay doesn’t quite captivate for extended periods, making me ponder if the gaming genre is a bit ahead of the current XR headset capabilities.

Wall Town Wonders Information:

• Publisher: Cyborn
• Platforms: Quest 3/3S
• Tested on: Quest 3
• Release Date: November 21, 2024
• Price: $20

Gameplay

Wall Town Wonders leans into the easier side of gaming, embodying a soothing ambiance. Initially, the enjoyment stems from peeking into buildings to watch villagers hustle through their day—like a pint-sized chef whipping up a pizza or two villagers zooming about in a bi-plane in your living room.

Once you’ve navigated through the initial hour-long tutorial, you’ll notice the game revolves heavily around mini-games, which unlock as you build new structures. These activities involve tasks such as defending a vertical farm from bugs using a wrist-mounted mini-crossbow, fishing at a virtual pond, or directing planes with your hand gestures.

The core gameplay involves a lot of waiting as villagers autonomously generate resources like money, food, and wood. You’ll find yourself focusing primarily on expanding your town, upgrading structures, and checking out over 100 buildings. The freedom to repaint and reposition these buildings allows you to craft your own unique village scenery, imbuing your space with a vibrant life that buzzes with activity.

You might find that the game somewhat "plays itself" as villagers work through their routines, leaving you to decide when to jump in or just watch like gazing at fish or ants in their habitats. While interacting with villagers—helping them mine, farm, or navigate your room through mini-games—can be engaging, it doesn’t truly hold attention for long.

After a couple of hours, the novelty begins to diminish, and I found myself drifting back to more stimulating activities, limiting my gameplay engagement to a few sessions over several hours. The mini-games, while intended to spice up resource gathering, sometimes felt more like mundane tasks to tick off a list.

Immersion

I’ve always had a soft spot for virtual dioramas, as they manage to shrink worlds into charming, vibrant pieces of art. The quaint, little European village aesthetic painted across your walls invites nostalgic "awwws."

Despite the strides made in XR technology and virtual workspaces, there’s a reason I’m not drafting this review within a headset. The limited time most of us have for gaming in a day, after work and other responsibilities, makes it tricky to justify long sessions in the VR realm—unless I’m specifically reviewing something, of course.

Imagining a future where display resolutions rival or surpass what we get from current monitors, making long sessions in a VR headset comfortable, for games like Wall Town Wonders becomes more feasible. The thought of casually playing here and there, akin to how you’d use a smartphone, sounds ideal, but for now, Wall Town Wonders seems to overlook the real hardware limitations of today’s XR gear. Its composition of random mini-games and aquarium-like vibe is a tad too low-key for committed playtimes on Quest.

I must acknowledge that fans of games like The Sims or Townscaper may find my grievances trivial and see Wall Town Wonders as delightfully charming. Fair point!

In essence, Wall Town Wonders leans heavily on point-and-click laser interaction. It offers moments to whisk villagers away on brief excursions or auto-generate wrist gadgets for tasks like bug hunting or plant watering. Despite its reliance on hand-tracking from the get-go, I reverted to controllers for easier navigation. While the laser-pointer UI makes distant interactions with your town straightforward, it feels like a missed chance to dream up more immersive and interactive tools.

Comfort

The game encourages movement as you scout your walls for engaging activities due to the sheer number of structures to check out. Though you can play seated, the setup leans towards mobility.

Most buildings stay at eye level, simplifying interaction. However, several ground-level tasks could be trying on the neck if you’re not careful. Intriguingly, Wall Town Wonders cleverly positions the bulk of its village on your walls, offering a novelty in town-building games in XR that others could learn from.

Wall Town Wonders Comfort Settings – November 21, 2024

Turning:

• Artificial Turning: No

Movement:

• Artificial Movement: No

Posture:

• Standing Mode: Yes
• Seated Mode: No
• Artificial Crouch: No
• Real Crouch: Yes

Accessibility:

• Subtitles: Yes
• Languages: English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
• Dialogue Audio: No
• Adjustable Difficulty: No
• Two Hands Required: No
• Real Crouch Required: No
• Hearing Required: No
• Adjustable Player Height: No

Wall Town Wonders is an intriguing endeavor that balances quaint aesthetics with a casual gaming approach. While it offers delightful moments and a soothing atmosphere, the game ultimately hinges on its immersive potential, dependent on advancements in XR technology.