Japan Train Models - JR East Edition

A cute, relaxing puzzle game - great if you're into Japan and trains! I would describe this more as a toy than a game - the puzzles are straightforward snap puzzles in which you assemble various train components, ultimately completing the entire train car. You can choose from three difficulty modes, with two of them providing guidance on where to place the pieces. The game doesn't judge your performance, but it does keep track of your completion time and offers achievement challenges. The layout mode is purely for relaxation and it allows you to choose from several different landscapes to build on, you can decorate each with all kinds of objects, place your trains, and enjoy the photo mode. It evokes the feeling of playing around with a nice model train diorama. The encyclopedia mode is a nice way to learn more about each of the three featured trains, and you will be able to step inside each one to take a closer look. The trains in this game are all licensed but you won't find any real tracks, stations or station melodies, sadly. The presentation is well done, I had one small issue where a certain puzzle piece was invisible against the background (white on white) and the cont…

Really charming game. I intend to get lost in this for a while yet. I'd love to see more customization rollouts for things like changing road layouts or tracks, changing ground type, and of course adding people and new types of buildings. But so far this is absolutely worth the price of admission, and I'm very much enjoying myself.