People always talk about how IO Interactive and the James Bond licence are a match made in heaven, but we think there's a new pairing that takes the biscuit.

Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor has just been announced, and it comes from Dovetail Games, the studio behind Train Sim World.

Here's the debut trailer, which is sure to hit readers of a certain age right in the nostalgia:

Developed in collaboration with Mattel, the game has you taking control of several characters from the popular kids' books and TV series, including:

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  • Thomas
  • Percy
  • Gordon
  • Diesel
  • Emily
  • James (separate purchase, or included in the Deluxe Edition)

The entire island of Sodor (recreated as "faithfully as possible") is present and yours to explore in the game, and there are a few ways to play.

Firstly, there are eight Stories to play through, which include "classic and original tales" inspired by the source material. These Stories are narrated by Mark Moraghan, who provided his voice for the TV show for many years.

Secondly, there's Timetable mode, which lets you play a "day in the life" of one of the characters, carrying out their duties.

You can also do as you please in Explore mode, allowing you to walk around Sodor in first-person, and ride and drive trains at your leisure. You'll be able to freely place characters along the route to create your own scenes, too.

There's also something called Shunting Challenge, in which you need to move Troublesome Trucks into a certain order in as few moves as possible.

The game has simplified controls to make it accessible to players of all ages and skill levels, but for Train Sim World fanatics, there will be some realistic control options available.

There's no release date in place yet, but the game is coming to PS5 and PS4, where it'll cost £29.99 / €34.99 / $39.99 for the standard edition.

What do you think of Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source youtube.com, via wondersofsodor.com, support.dovetailgames.com]