A cab, a row of levers, and the very real weight of a train you slowly learn to tame.

The profile is still fragile, just a few votes per criterion, but one line jumps out. The controller feel puts Derail Valley ahead of 87% of games, and that is by far its best card, to confirm on few votes but in line with what the game offers. The rest follows more modestly. Fun and sound hover around the lower-middle, attachment and the desert island stay in the bottom third, the art style too. And then that rediscovery, right at the bottom, ahead of only 8% of titles. There lies the tension: a driving sensation that hits home, but one that does not quite leave you longing to feel it fresh again.

Against other simulators, Derail Valley keeps its promise exactly where you expect it, in the act itself, especially in virtual reality where you truly operate the controls with your own hands. Emotion and looks take a back seat, which fits the genre.

So, who is it for? For you if you dream of physically feeling a locomotive respond under your fingers. Much less if you want a world that bonds with you or a visual knockout.