Playing through Trailmakers’ campaign was an absolute joy from start to finish. I was initially hesitant to even play this game based on what I assumed it would be, but it surpassed my every expectation.

I didn’t look up anything online or rely on the game’s prefabricated blueprints, I just went in blind. By the time I finished my rocket ship and was ready to leave the planet, I had constructed my own cars, hovercars, tractors, submarines, tanks, boats, and airplanes.

The airplane was the most memorable for me, as the iterative process of construction and testing (and the lack of proper parts) was consistently challenging and exciting. Testing out my crappy glider using only the parts I had unlocked and then improving it and finding new parts until I finally made a jet airplane with fully functioning weapons, landing gears, fins, etc. was incredibly satisfying.

I crashed a lot, but every destroyed plane led to a better one.

Trailmakers was pure, mindful entertainment the whole way through.