I’d like to thank Ultimate Games for the review key to this title.

Not all games have to cover larger-than-life experiences. Some cover very mundane, real-world experiences. Being a game, they occasionally will add in some weirdness just to keep it interesting. Toll Booth Simulator is a game that does this very thing, albeit not entirely competently.

First, a bit of history. Toll roads are a concept that dates back to antiquity. Toll roads have had many reasons to exist throughout history, ranging from the tolls charged to maintain the road, to screening out undesirable foreigners, or simply to regulate traffic on certain avenues to prevent gridlock.

Toll Booth Simulator starts with the knowledge that your character tried to escape from prison. Instead of sending him back, the government decided to force him to pay his debt to society in a more literal fashion. Hence why you must man a toll booth and earn the money to pay off your debt.

Much of the basic gameplay resembles a real-world toll booth operator’s job. You operate a toll booth with a gate that is closed as a car approaches. Once the party wanting to pass stops, they present their identification. After verifying that their ID and passport match, they are either allowed to pay after paying the toll fee or are declined for not meeting the requirements. You are given additional directives at times from your superiors, which include scanning all vehicles for contraband items, body scans on the people wanting to pass for illegal weapons, checking if proper vaccination or other required stamps are on passports, and so on.

It’s worth noting that not all of this will go smoothly. The occasional stopped motorist you detain for false information might get violent and try to retaliate. Some may have breakdowns, such as running out of gas, that you may need to assist with. Some will try to skip the checkpoint or pay the toll with various excuses. Given that you are paid on commission and you have a crushing debt to pay, doing your job properly ensures steady pay.

There are other things you can do besides run a toll booth. You can mix “mocktails” (non-alcoholic fruit drinks) and sell them for money, start up a garden (with all varieties of mundane and bizarre fruits), and explore a rather open world area around the toll booth and the nearby town. On the less legal side of the ledger, you can also try to burgle houses to find cash and valuables to make some extra money as well.

I do need to mention that all the above works fine in theory. In practice, while the game is easy enough to learn, especially the toll booth part, the other mechanics feel a bit tacked on. Despite the game being finished, it still feels like an early access game.

Graphically, the game has a cel-shaded 3D graphical art style. It looks very cartoonish. Given that it includes rather wacky elements like cliché space aliens and UFOs, this was almost certainly intentional. Animations look a bit silly as well, again complementing the art direction. None of it really stands out, but none of it is overly bad either.

The sounds and music are rather understated. There is little in-game music, and the sounds are limited to realistic things like car horns. Since the gameplay loop requires concentration, this minimalist approach is not a bad idea.

This game is playable with a keyboard and mouse only at this time. The keys are not remappable, but they are simple enough to learn. There is no controller support at this time either.

This title runs natively on Microsoft Windows. It has no Linux support, and the developer has confirmed it is not playable on the Steam Deck as of the time of this writing.

Morally, there are a few concerning things.

Violence is generally limited to self-defense, mainly against disgruntled people who were rejected from the toll crossing and decide to get violent. You have to presumably knock them unconscious, with no blood or gore. The same can happen to you if they overpower you, forcing you to pay a hospital bill on waking up.

There is no crude language or sexual content. There are a few skeletons, but no undead, and they mostly exist in the desert for humorous purposes. You are given the option to attempt to burgle houses for money, with the knowing risk you may be caught by the police.

Overall, Toll Booth Simulator was a decent if not outstanding game. Technically, it’s solid. Morally, the violence and potential theft options make this not fit for any save older teens on up. If you can get this on sale, Toll Booth Simulator can be somewhat entertaining if a little underbaked in some regards.