What I’ve found in this generation, which at first felt like more of a revelation, but I’ve simply come to plainly accept, is that not all game experiences are meant for all people… and that doesn’t make them bad by any means. The more classic days of physical games being released by a limited number of publishers created a perception that what the mainstream was looking for pretty well ruled. Sure, there were oddball games that would slip through the cracks at times, but for the most part purposely niche experiences were tougher to find, at least outside of the import market. For me, Locomoto is a fair reminder of this current reality, as I believe it may be so thoroughly committed to delivering a cozy experience that it has actually ended up feeling quite watered down… but I can imagine that it still may have appeal with the right audience.

In the game you’ll play as a would-be conductor, who has the great luck of commandeering a train in the hopes of revitalizing a number of communities along an old rail route. Your job will be to go to each stop and work to help people out, most of the time completing simple quests to find or craft something for them, accumulating new tools and blueprints for things you can create along the way. In general, this tends to be a very low-pressure affair, so there’s a limited sense of urgency, allowing you to simply take the world in, find new customizations for yourself and your surroundings, and simply enjoy yourself. As you check off tasks at each stop, you’ll then generally pick up new passengers and set off for another destination, where you’ll end up doing more of the same.

Now, obviously, this is an area where people’s tastes will begin to divide opinions. Even among the various sims I’ve played, the scope of activities here feels quite a bit more narrow than normal, though at least many of your activities are at least novel. Your enjoyment really needs to come more from the feeling that you’re helping people out than what it takes to do so, as over time it isn’t hard to feel like you’re simply engaging in a series of fetch quests that don’t offer a great deal of differentiation. Another issue I had was with the lack of some proper means of inventory management, as the number of different materials you’ll run into exceeds what you can properly carry. Given the laid back nature of the game, I suppose this wasn’t a big deal, as I’d just collect things where I could get back to them later, but it feels like this could have been handled better by allowing you to carry more or have better overall means of storing and organizing things.

How you’ll likely feel about the game then will come down to the experience you’re looking for. If you’re just showing up for something pleasant and relaxing, where you’ll get to journey around helping people and enjoying more simple pleasures it will likely be fine. If, however, you’re looking for a bit more structure and variety, the game could well make you a bit nuts. I do wish it was a little more polished and thoughtfully designed as a whole, but I’ll admit that it has a certain earnest charm that I also found endearing.