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

Wall Town Wonders feels like a playful glimpse into the future of casual gaming, where AR glasses become a regular part of life. Imagine managing your little town of Sim-like dwellers as they float around you in vibrant hot air balloons, all from the comfort of your own home. While it’s a visually stunning experience, the gameplay doesn’t quite have the depth to keep me hooked long-term. It makes you wonder if the tech is just a little ahead of its time for today’s XR headsets.

This intriguing title is brought to us by Cyborn, and it’s available on the Quest 3 and 3S. I spent my time reviewing it on the Quest 3, with its release slated for November 21, 2024, at a price point of $20.

Now, diving into the gameplay, Wall Town Wonders lives up to its casual roots with a very low difficulty level, perfectly complementing its aim for a laid-back experience. The initial charm lies in poking into various buildings to watch villagers busy with their tasks. You might catch a glimpse of a tiny chef whipping up a pizza or watch as two villagers take a thrilling ride on a tiny bi-plane soaring through your living room.

Once you wrap up the hour-long tutorial, you find that the game largely revolves around unlocking buildings which unveil new mini-games. You’ll find yourself defending a vertical farm from pesky bugs using a mini-crossbow on your wrist, fishing at a virtual pond, and guiding airplanes with simple hand movements.

Majority of your time, though, is spent watching villagers produce resources like wood, money, and food. This is all part of the core gameplay loop of filling out and upgrading over 100 different building types. You can even customize building positions and colors, creating your own vibrant town layout. The result is an immersive array of lively set pieces that make your space feel bustling and alive.

On the flip side, you could argue that the game has a tendency to play itself. The villagers are pretty autonomous, so you can choose how much you want to interact or just sit back and observe, like watching fish in an aquarium. You can dip in to play mini-games, help with mining, farming, and exploring, but these activities are optional diversions.

However, after a while, my attention began to drift. I found myself wanting to engage in something more stimulating than waiting on town resource cycles. The mini-games, meant to be the spice of the gameplay, often felt more like chores than engaging activities.

When it comes to immersion, there’s something undeniably charming about virtual dioramas, with their dense detail that makes everything feel more lifelike. The game successfully creates this warm aesthetic with its quaint European village vibe.

Still, with the current state of XR technology, I’m not reviewing this in-headset but in front of my trusty monitor. Ideally, we’d have headsets that let us work and play seamlessly all day long, but we’re not quite there yet. Until then, Wall Town Wonders seems to ask us to overlook these limitations in exchange for a few moments of escapism with its assortment of mini-games and ambient environment.

If you’re a fan of The Sims or Townscaper, you might find my take a bit too critical. You could feel right at home in the whimsical world of Wall Town Wonders. Yet, I couldn’t help but notice how the game often falls back on a basic point-and-click interface for interactions. You get brief windows of opportunity to engage with the villagers or use gadgets like bug-zapping arrows or a watering gun, triggered automatically from your wrist.

Hand-tracking is prioritized here, but the accuracy needed for many actions inclined me to revert to the traditional controllers. The laser pointer UI might be convenient for managing things from a distance, but it misses potential to introduce more engaging, hands-on gadgets.

On the comfort front, you’ll find yourself up and about, checking on your virtual town by utilizing your entire room’s wall space. Though playing while seated is possible, a lot of activities will have you moving around, which could be tiring. Luckily, the game’s innovation in placing your town on the walls means a more comfortable gameplay posture compared to constantly balancing over a virtual map.

In conclusion, Wall Town Wonders might not click with everyone, but for those who enjoy casual town management games, it offers a unique, albeit laid-back, XR experience that brings a slice of animated life into your living room.