Several years ago when I suggested the possibility of Dovetail Games obtaining the Thomas the Tank Engine licence for Train Sim World 2, I was practically laughed off the forum, and although my comment had a few likes from players who grew up reading the famous books and watching the TV series, it would seem that most TSWers derided the idea and weren't interested…
Three years or so later and here we are, in collaboration with Mattel, with Thomas and Friends in all their glory visiting the beautiful West Somerset Railway. Note: the add-on will require both Train Sim World 5 and the West Somerset Railway route. If the Thomas and Friends DLC is bought solus, it can be used on TSW5's Training Center and on the three routes included with TSW5 via the in-game Scenario Planner, or by simply spawning them on any route you own.
Clearly aimed at, but definitely not confined to attracting youngsters to TSW, the DLC offers tutorials for Thomas and Diesel, as well as 8 story chapters in which Diesel is as usual being a pain in the buffers. Told like an episode from the classic TV series, you drive Thomas or Diesel in a short but faithful story mode. This DLC uses a much-simplified control system which makes it perfect for kids: Right Trigger is go forward, Left Trigger is brake/reverse, coupling can be automatic as can points (switch) changes.
The entire thing is beautifully done–the engines and rolling stock, as you'd expect from Dovetail, look and sound perfect, and we even get Thomas's instantly recognisable "peep-peep" whistle and the proper theme music from the original (and best) TV series by Britt Allcroft. There is little here to criticise, other than possibly the lack of a Liverpool-accented narrator ala the original Ringo Starr or his wonderful replacement Michael Angelis, or the fact that two of the station masters inexplicably have Welsh accents... The only real problem is that it has Dovetail's usual and seemingly arbitrary use of red signals. This seems utterly daft in a DLC aimed at kids, and while it's indubitably important to teach youngsters the importance of adhering to red lights, whether on rails or road, there's a time and a place, and that's not in what should have been simple, enjoyable chapters in which either Thomas or Diesel are shunting trucks back and forth. It's not as if Thomas is hurtling by on the main line with Annie & Clarabel in tow, is it?
Dovetail also need to decide whether a stop marker indicates where the locomotive driver should stop, or the end of the train, as this randomly changes from move to move–which may be immediately apparent to experienced TSW-ers but will only add confusion and frustration to newbies and the kids they're presumably trying to attract. However, the fact that Dad might have to initially play along with the kids is, of course, not a bad thing.
I really think it's time that Dovetail made their "Free Roam" mode actually allow free roaming too. Regardless of the route, red lights all over the place put the kibosh on this mode and spoil the fun. Free Roam should be just that: with zero trains other than ones you spawn, no red lights and all points/switches changeable so you can use and explore parts of the route that are modelled but unused in any of the game's scenarios or timetabled services–of which there are a surprising amount. Ok, enough of the gameplay-related ranting, although where Thomas & Friends are concerned this seems more relevant than ever.
So we get Thomas, his coaches Annie & Clarabel and of course Diesel and his troublesome trucks for the £17.99 asking price, but we really need Percy, Duck, Gordon, Edward, Henry and James to name but a few to make this experience feel authentic. Hopefully this excellent addition to TSW5 will be properly supported and we'll get more of the famous engines created by the Reverend W. Awdry. A completely modelled Island of Sodor (Thomas's home) would be amazing, but maybe I'm hoping for too much...
Many thanks to Dovetail Games and Indigo Pearl for the review code.