Trailmakers

About

Trailmakers is a multiplayer racing game. It was developed by Flashbulb and was released on September 18, 2019. It received very positive reviews from players.

"Trailmakers is a physics-based vehicle construction sandbox game, where you can build and pilot cars, planes, and boats in a variety of environments. The game features a campaign mode, rally mode to learn building, and sandbox maps for creative building. Multiplayer mode supports up to eight players for cooperative or competitive gameplay. Use various weapons and blocks to build and customize your ultimate combat vehicle."

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 20,493 reviews

gameplay237 positive mentions

stability262 negative mentions

The intuitive building mechanics and physics-based interactions allow for immense creative freedom and engaging gameplay.
The game's vibrant graphics and lively sound design create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
Players appreciate the humor and unexpected failures that arise during gameplay, contributing to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.

The game is heavily criticized for its reliance on microtransactions and DLCs that lock essential content behind paywalls, leading to a perception of it being a cash grab.
Many players report frequent bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly in multiplayer modes, which detract from the overall enjoyment.
The single-player campaigns are often seen as lacking depth and replay value, with some missions described as tedious fetch quests.

gameplay
920 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
51%
23%
The gameplay in Trailmakers is characterized by its intuitive building mechanics and physics-based interactions, allowing players to create a wide variety of vehicles. While many players appreciate the creative freedom and engaging gameplay loop, some express frustration with the limitations imposed by DLCs, bugs, and a lack of depth in certain gameplay modes. Overall, the game is often compared to Scrap Mechanic, with opinions divided on which offers a better experience, but it remains a fun option for those who enjoy mechanical construction and sandbox gameplay.
- “The gameplay loop is good; it is a bit limited without spending, well, near 4 times the game's price... but nonetheless fun!”
- “Makes you want to be an engineer; the gameplay loop of trial and error and the eventual completion of your creation is super satisfying.”
- “The intuitive building mechanics are easy to pick up, yet offer immense depth for those who want to push their designs to the limit.”
- “The physics are cartoony, the building mechanics suck, and the UI doesn't make sense.”
- “The gameplay is riddled with bugs, bad sound design, and poor physics.”
- “The bad - a large amount of the game is locked behind expensive DLC, and what isn't is a bare-bones campaign and a sandbox mode where you run out of things to do very fast unless you can find friends to create emergent gameplay with.”
graphics
420 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their vibrant, colorful, and stylized aesthetic, which enhances the overall gameplay experience. While many players appreciate the beautiful visuals and smooth performance, some report optimization issues and performance drops on lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics are considered appealing, though they may require a decent graphics card to run optimally.
- “Visually, the game embraces a colorful, stylized aesthetic that is both charming and functional.”
- “The graphics are resplendent with vivid colors and meticulous detail, rendering the game world both visually appealing and immersive.”
- “The game's graphics and environment design create an atmosphere that encourages exploration.”
- “I can't even enter the game; I need to lower the graphics, but it crashes when I create my character and wait in loading.”
- “The graphics could use some work; the game is poorly optimized, and I get 11 fps on minimum graphics.”
- “My computer isn't amazing but still comfortably meets required specs, yet even using low graphics settings and other suggestions I've seen, the issue does not go away.”
story
378 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
66%
11%
The game's story aspect has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the creative building challenges and the campaign's structure, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. Many find the missions to be tedious fetch quests that detract from the overall experience, and some express disappointment in the limited narrative and character development. Overall, while the game offers a fun sandbox experience, the story mode is often seen as a secondary feature rather than a compelling driving force.
- “The fact that they've taken an antique concept that's never been done right (digital legos) and given you the complete freedom to design according to your own whims, and have a decent campaign story to use them in... someone finally got it right!”
- “The story mode is well paced; I admire how it motivates learning new mechanics by providing the variety of obstacles and challenges.”
- “The addition of the story modes gives the game a lot more depth and keeps the game interesting.”
- “The story is a bit empty but there's a story I guess, but the world is fun to explore but difficult and getting a bit bland after many hours.”
- “The main thing being the length of the game, my game time is about the entire story mode with some missing parts (that I'm just too lazy to try and find) and about 3/4 of the bolts you can find.”
- “The new campaign is just a grind with utterly uninspired quests (kill, fetch, escort, etc.).”
stability
267 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and inconsistent physics that disrupt gameplay. While some players find the bugs add a humorous element to their experience, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration, particularly in multiplayer modes where issues like disconnections and freezing are common. Despite its creative potential, the game's numerous technical problems detract from its enjoyment, leading many to recommend caution before purchasing.
- “With no glitches or collision problems whatsoever.”
- “Thanks for working hard to make it bug-free; I hate laziness in the area of programming, and you guys really did an outstanding job.”
- “The game runs great, having had even more optimizations in a recent update; I'm able to host a game with me and a couple of friends playing, and it runs smoothly even on my 4 core/4 thread Intel i5-7600 CPU.”
- “The game is not worth 25 dollars; there are a surplus of glitches that happen way too often, and every update the devs add new parts, but never fix anything.”
- “The game is very well made (except for a lot of glitches and crashes).”
- “The game is extremely buggy and crashes a lot.”
optimization
141 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
61%
18%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, particularly in multiplayer settings and when handling complex builds. Users have noted frequent lag, crashes, and low frame rates, even on higher-end systems, indicating that the game is not well-optimized for a broad range of hardware. While some players find it playable with adjustments, the overall sentiment is that substantial improvements are needed to enhance stability and performance.
- “The environments are well-rendered with enough detail to feel immersive without detracting from the focus on vehicle building and performance.”
- “More optimization and smoother performance would enhance the overall experience.”
- “The game itself is optimized well as my 7 years old 750 ti is able to run it well.”
- “The optimization of the game is just straight up bad; there are a lot of bugs and glitches that go ignored by the devs. The campaigns add nothing of value to a game that is advertised as a sandbox, and the amount of blocks and specific building materials are lackluster, with 20% of them being blocked by a paywall.”
- “The game is seriously unoptimized to the point that multiplayer is unplayable, at least for a somewhat low spec build that includes a GPU of GTX 1050 or lower.”
- “Sadly, the game is poorly optimized; I get 11 FPS on minimum graphics.”
humor
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players frequently highlighting its comedic physics and the hilarious interactions that arise during multiplayer sessions. Many reviews mention the joy of creating absurd contraptions and experiencing unexpected, often laugh-out-loud failures, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining gameplay experience. Overall, the game's quirky design and the developers' sense of humor enhance its appeal, making it a fun choice for those looking to share laughs with friends.
- “The physics engine doesn’t judge—it just obeys, sometimes with spectacularly unintentional results that send you cartwheeling off a cliff, laughing and screaming simultaneously.”
- “It’s the kind of game where creativity is king, failure is funny, and 'stable design' is for cowards.”
- “Watching your creation come to life—sometimes in spectacularly hilarious failures—is a big part of the charm.”
grinding
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
24%
73%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly in the early stages and during resource collection. While some appreciate the depth it adds to vehicle building and crafting, others feel that the repetitive tasks and resource farming detract from the overall enjoyment, making progress feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that while grinding can enhance creativity for some, it often leads to a frustrating gameplay loop that may deter others.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Despite how simple the missions are, enemy spawns, resource shortages, level grinding, janky physics, and vast distances between points A and B make even simple tasks feel like chores.”
- “The new grindy resource system slows everything down, making early-game progress frustrating instead of exciting or fun.”
- “No one wants to harvest rocks, trees, and other resources for hours just to build for tedious fetch quests and a boring story.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
47%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the lively soundtrack and satisfying sound effects that enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. However, some users criticize the music for being either too quiet, repetitive, or forgettable, suggesting that it may not be engaging enough for a game that requires focus. Overall, while the sound design is generally well-received, the music itself varies in quality and impact, with some players finding it enjoyable and others deeming it lacking.
- “Accompanying the visuals is a lively soundtrack and satisfying sound effects that enhance the playful and adventurous tone of the game.”
- “The delightful sound effects and music enhance the atmosphere, creating an unforgettable gaming experience that keeps you coming back for more.”
- “The soundtrack is great, the game is good, the sandbox mode is fun, but what I really enjoy is coming up with unorthodox problem solving in expedition mode using the limited tools I've unlocked at my disposal.”
- “The music in the game is serviceable, but in a game that requires planning and concentration, the music may be the first thing that the player turns off.”
- “Racing is fun though building your own karts, but the lack of music and good AI is a letdown.”
- “There's limited music: a sort of sci-fi minimalist track for the menu/title music and a very brief ditty soon after you first start out, but sound effects are prevalent and good enough that the lack of music is fine.”
monetization
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
30%
61%
The monetization in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players feeling that it is excessively reliant on microtransactions and DLCs that lock essential content behind paywalls. Users describe the experience as a cash grab, with frequent advertisements for additional purchases detracting from gameplay enjoyment. While some acknowledge the game's potential, they express disappointment that the monetization strategy overshadows its quality and fun factor.
- “Great game minus all the things locked behind microtransactions.”
- “Please reconsider your approach to monetization.”
- “What seals the deal for me is that instead of some optimization, quality of life improvements and a bit of love for the game, we get stale microtransactions that should have been unlockables.”
- “I really thought this game would be an upgrade to Plane Crazy in Roblox, but man, the microtransactions are wild. You need to pay to get landing gear and good engines; also, parts to make a race car are behind a paywall too. Such a scam.”
- “The game is quickly turning into a cash grab.”
- “This game was once beautiful, but has devolved into a money/cash grab game, with every update having a $10-$20 DLC just to get content that should be free.”
replayability
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
45%
10%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, particularly for players who enjoy creativity and building mechanics, with many praising its sandbox elements and community-driven content. However, some users noted that the single-player campaigns lack depth and replay value, and the absence of dedicated servers affects the multiplayer experience. Despite these drawbacks, many players find themselves returning to the game for its engaging mechanics and the potential for endless creativity.
- “This social aspect adds significant replay value and fosters a supportive community of builders who inspire each other with ingenious designs and engineering feats.”
- “This game has basically infinite replayability with an amazing dev team and an amazing community.”
- “Overall, great replayability and challenging tasks that inspire unique vehicles.”
- “Lacking official dedicated servers really kills the multiplayer part of the game for me, and while the single-player campaigns are fun, they don't take long to complete and they don't have any replayability.”
- “The campaign modes have little to no replay value.”
- “Badly optimized game with no replay value.”
emotional
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
7%
13%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, praising the developers for their active engagement and consistent updates, which foster a wholesome and supportive community. Many reviewers highlight the nostalgic joy the game brings, reigniting feelings of creativity and fun, despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics and story elements. Overall, the emotional experience is characterized by a sense of belonging and appreciation for the developers' efforts.
- “A heartfelt thanks to the developers.”
- “Trailmakers made me feel like a kid again!”
- “This game made me feel good about everything, it enhanced my imagination and kept my creativity awake.”
- “No one wants to harvest rocks, trees, and other resources for hours just to build for tedious fetch quests and a boring story.”
- “Janky building mechanics, an overdone and boring story, and the campaign is just about finding rocks and pushing them to a spot to win.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The atmosphere in the game is characterized by its vibrant art style, engaging sound design, and a sense of exploration that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of accessible mechanics and deep gameplay, although some suggest improvements to the realism of atmospheric interactions. Overall, the game's visuals and audio contribute significantly to a memorable and immersive environment.
- “The game’s vibrant art style and intuitive mechanics create an atmosphere that feels both accessible and endlessly deep, making every hour spent in Trailmakers feel like a meaningful blend of play and invention.”
- “The delightful sound effects and music enhance the atmosphere, creating an unforgettable gaming experience that keeps you coming back for more.”
- “The game's graphics and environment design create an atmosphere that encourages exploration.”
- “This game needs a lot more 'atmosphere' though.”
- “The physics are heavily unrealistic; the atmosphere in this game is about 8x as high as Earth, and thrusters are about 4x as powerful.”
- “Maybe add an option to change the amount of atmosphere a map has.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the character design and artwork, highlighting the creative freedom and diverse camera perspectives that enhance the overall character development experience.
- “I love the artwork and character design, as well as the various camera views and the freedom to customize everything.”
- “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing for meaningful choices that truly impact the story.”
- “Each character feels unique and evolves in ways that make the narrative feel personal and engaging.”