Game Review: The Trail

Looking at game similar to the Voyageur idea, I'm seeing how other games approach certain elements which we might be looking to achieve ourselves. The Trail, developed and published by 22cans and Kongregate, puts the player in the shoes of a character that appears to be on a pilgrimage. Set in a low poly 3D environment, it has aesthetical charm that works well with the platform I'm using, an Android phone.

Looking at the journey itself, it is spelled out nice and clear for the player at the very start. To walk the Trail and after a little bit of a walk, I'm shown what appears to be the whole journey on top of a hill looking down into a valley. Indicated towards the pit stops which are signified by flumes of smoke from campfires. What is nice about this game is how the direction of travel is removed from the players control, and it is just the speed of travel that the player manipulates. Stamina in turn is consumed the faster the character walks/runs. Giving a gameplay element to the speed at which the player moves through the game.

The 'tutorial' or the helper who appears at the top of the screen with advice can get very annoying. Besides the useful tip of how to control the game's mechanics, a lot of irritating chatter comes from this agent and begins to ruin the early experience. Taking what feels like far too long to finally shut up. On the subject of audio, the birdsong and subtle background sounds make for a very pleasant atmosphere.

What I've learnt from playing this game is how removing character control from the player isn't a bad thing if I am providing something else for the player to do. With only a concern for the sleep at which I was travelling, I could pay attention to the environment and look for what was important to the player and the progress of the game. This game also only moves the character forwards on the journey, only able to look back while spinning the camera. Again this matches what we want to do with our game, to enhance the feeling of the character is on a purposeful journey. I will return to play this game when working on the sound to study exactly they do it in this. I will also consider the amount of tutorial affordance and information we should be giving to the players, as the target is none at all, though understanding that unusual controls need clear explanation.