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

Wall Town Wonders gives off the vibe of a futuristic casual game, where the day of always-on AR glasses has arrived. Imagine managing your own little town with Sim-like characters floating around on hot air balloons right in your living room. The visual appeal is undeniable, but the gameplay doesn’t quite have the depth needed to hold interest for long, making you wonder if perhaps the genre is trying a bit too hard for the current capabilities of XR headsets.

Wall Town Wonders Details:

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

Gameplay

As you’d anticipate from a casual game, Wall Town Wonders doesn’t push the limits of difficulty. It’s designed to create a mellow vibe, which is apparent from the start. The real fun begins when you start peeking into different town buildings and seeing villagers engage in their everyday tasks. Whether you’re watching a tiny chef whip up a pizza or two villagers taking a joyride in a bi-plane, it’s entertaining in its own way.

After about an hour spent in the tutorial, the game then opens up to a wider experience filled with various mini-games that you unlock as you progress. These include defending a tower farm from pesky bugs using a mini-crossbow strapped to your wrist, fishing in a pond, or using hand gestures to guide airplanes around your room.

However, much of your time will be spent waiting for your townsfolk to produce resources like wood, money, and food. These aren’t tasks you need to complete actively; your villagers handle them automatically. Most of the game revolves around constructing and upgrading buildings, leading to a grand total of over 100 buildings you can customize. You’re free to paint and reposition them, creating a unique setup that really invigorates your room with lively activity.

Still, the game tends to run itself, letting your villagers autonomously go about their tasks. This allows you to observe how your vertical town evolves or participate when you wish. You can mine, farm, and explore, with these activities often represented via optional mini-games.

Initially engaging, my interest began to wane once the novelty faded, leaving me wishing for more stimulating content as the villagers continued their routines around me. While the mini-games aim to fill in the quieter moments, they came across more as arbitrary tasks rather than engaging challenges.

Immersion

I’m a huge fan of virtual dioramas. These mini-worlds can feel incredibly life-like because of how they condense details, making everything seem more vibrant. The style of small European villages animated across your walls is charming and endearing.

However, despite innovations in virtual desktops and XR productivity, I’m not writing this in-headset. Much like others, I have only limited time available at the end of the day to explore games and social platforms—it’s not often part of my work routine unless it’s review season.

As technology advances, I’m hopeful that one day I’ll type as comfortably in a virtual space as I do on a physical monitor. Once headsets feel so comfortable that you can wear them all day, then casual games like Wall Town Wonders might find their place.

For the moment, the game feels like it wants us to overlook these XR limitations, but its mix of mini-games and fish tank-like calm doesn’t captivate enough for prolonged sessions on the Quest.

Of course, it could just be my perspective. Fans of The Sims or Townscaper might argue that I’ve missed the point of Wall Town Wonders’ laid-back charm. That’s fair!

Yet, the game heavily leans on point-and-click interfaces, allowing brief interactions like sending villagers on quick exploration trips or using wrist-spawned tools like arrow-shooters or plant-watering guns for mini-games.

It does encourage hand-tracking as a primary input method, though I found console controllers more practical for these actions. The laser pointer UI simplifies managing your town from a distance, but it also seems like a missed opportunity to create more immersive interactions beyond the basic jerk toys found during mini-games.

Comfort

With its extensive range of buildings, Wall Town Wonders encourages players to stand and explore available wall space within their rooms. While you can play seated, the game seems more engaging when you’re actively moving around.

Most structures can be positioned at eye level, yet some of the activities that are aimed towards the ground may strain your neck if you’re sensitive to such things. One of the game’s key innovations is situating the village at a comfortable height, making it more enjoyable than constantly tilting over a tiny map or shifting the virtual world to get a better view.

I aim to see more XR town simulators adopt this wall-level approach in the future. Wall Town Wonders certainly brings some fresh ideas, even if it doesn’t yet solve the comfort challenges that come with these kinds of games.