Off the Shelf Media

Before we start this review, I want to preface it with the understanding that I have a deep interest in and respect for Allied Veterans and a particular interest in World War I (WWI), or The Great War. I am not just a casual fan of history; I received my degree in history from Hofstra University in 2019, so while this review may be in stark contrast to the average Steam review, it is not from outside factors related to those events but an analysis solely focused on this game. 

It was the description that drew me in, from the Steam store page: “The Caribou Trail is a visceral, first-person narrative experience about a band of friends sent on some of the most unlikely missions of the Great War. Inspired by real testimonies, The Caribou Trail blends history with fiction to portray a rarely explored front of WWI: Gallipoli, from the landing to the final evacuation.”

That piqued my interest as a lover of history but also as a game coming from an indie developer focusing on the brutality of war, which most games exclusively ignore. Even more so, the focus is on the Gallipoli front, for which, outside of the movie Gallipoli (1981), I cannot think of any other forms of media that try to capture that moment as their sole focus. It is a mix of many things that do not get enough attention when they are well deserved, and for me brought nothing but excitement when it was released. It was at the top of my list of games to play this year, but sadly, it fell short of expectations.

Gameplay: 1

From the beginning, I was expecting more tedious and mundane gameplay and controls. This game is clear about not being focused on getting hit markers, but telling the story of life in the trenches of WWI. An environment where danger is on all sides, as disease is more likely to take a life than direct fire. This element of warfare is almost entirely excluded from popular media and also from this game. Not to suggest the game absolutely needs infection and famine to be a mechanic, but the outright lack of it feels incongruent with the description. Especially considering the unusually harsh weather conditions the Newfoundland Regiment found itself forced to endure. While the weather is touched upon during one section of the game, it fails to demonstrate how costly it was through either exposition or gameplay. 

Players can expect to spend most of their time doing two activities: Using a crudely drawn map to walk around and making stew. This does give an understanding of the banality of such combat, where soldiers spent their time waiting in hand-dug trenches for the next charge that forced either the enemy or themselves over the top. From an immersive WWI game perspective, this is a good quality to have; however, walking and stew are simply not enough to move the needle more. Most of the side objectives, which include fetch quests and clicking dig five times, are completely missable. Even if they are completed, very little is given in terms of immersive gameplay or historical understanding. Most items are accompanied by flavor text to offer insight into their historical significance, which seems like a missed opportunity to offer some type of in-game use for them in a practical sense. 

The game is described as “not about winning the war, but enduring it,” yet fails to offer any example of such experience for the players. The hardships are fleeting and explained rather than experienced; there is no element of fear. I’m not sure if your character can fall on the battlefield, as most of the gameplay is highly linear and scripted. It falls in an awkward position of trying to be immersive and educational, yet never achieves either. An amount of tedium is expected with a game trying to capture the life of a soldier during WWI, so those history buffs wanting to play the game should expect such, yet somehow it avoids immersive and educational opportunities with how quickly the game progresses. 

Story: 1

That story’s progress is largely focused on preparing meals around a campfire after each day/chapter ends. During which, players man a ladle as their friends tell stories, largely about home and each other. They are quiet moments of contemplation, bringing players closer to the story. 

The problem is not with having to do this repetitive task, but that it only happens six times. Each time you have the ingredients readily available, and while some additional ingredients can be found, there is always enough to eat. It lacks the desired immersive effect because of how little it happens and fails to go deeper into the hardship of preparing the food that soldiers faced at the time. The normally simple act of eating was anything but for the actual soldiers. 

(Spoiler ahead) Even after the Ottoman sniper hits Lonnie in the game, you continue to cook every meal using an open fire, which was a genuine threat to troops on the front for the exact reason of alerting enemy soldiers to your position at night. 

Atmosphere: 0

There are obvious positives that the game offers. There is no HUD, well, sort of; instead, you have to equip a hand-drawn map and compass to navigate and open your inventory to know what you have on your character. The music, composed by Nicolas Des Alliers with principal sound designer Clovis Blain, is excellent and appropriately sets the wide range of moods players encounter. 

Unfortunately, they are completely sidetracked by the animation style. The lack of fear I mentioned earlier largely comes from the design of characters and their movement. You can read many of my previous reviews and find that I do not mind poor graphics or seeing every pixel. The issue is not that the graphics are bad; in fact, they are rather good if compared to other indie studios. The problem is that the design removes any jagged edges to make every texture look smooth and rounded. It looks like a Pixar movie, and I hate to say it, but even the Fortnite characters have more definition. It removes a lot of serious undertones when everything appears soft, without any other visual elements to counteract the design. 

Value: 0

The game is listed as $12.99, but it often can be seen on sale for $10.39. You simply will not get your money’s worth even on sale. I have seen playtimes running from three to six hours. I personally completed it in three hours, trying to explore the areas, but not achievement hunting. 

Assuming someone played the game twice, let’s say their first playthrough was quick, around three hours, and they knew they missed some things they wanted to hit next time; at most, that second attempt would be six hours, but realistically, it would be less because they would be familiar with the area and controls. So they would only get around nine hours of gameplay at most. That is assuming they would want to play through it again purely to achievement hunt because it is a linear story.  

An argument could be made that there is more value in educational games, with which I would strongly agree. Educational games do not put gameplay first, but rather, their intent is to offer new information using a hopefully more captivating medium. The Caribou Trail falls short historically because it is self-described as immersive and a blend of history and fiction. 

The lack of overall content fails to put players into scenarios long enough to learn about them. While the flavor text does let players learn more, it cannot be the leading educational factor because the first thing to compare it to is a book, which will far exceed the amount of information available, and text boxes are the father of breaking immersion in a game.

Duration: 0

The game is too short. It is the obvious culprit for most of the game’s shortcomings. The moments of making fish and brews, which are intended to make the game feel relatable, are so much longer than every other task that they feel heavy-handed just to move the story along. 

This focus is too strong without preserving enough historical realism, making it feel awkward and ending up as an annoying minigame that is dragged out long enough for the exposition to hurt. I was able to beat the game and still receive a refund because of how short it is. 

Total Score: 2/10

I started playing this game with high expectations. I was not anticipating an action-packed war game, but a focus on how even the simple tasks became impossible or even deadly on the frontline in WWI. 

I thought a developer hoped to capture the circumstances that mentally deteriorated so many soldiers who went through the war and clung to those who survived, without focusing on just making another shooter and telling the often unsung song of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in Gallipoli. 

With so many moments to inform the player being completely avoidable as optional exposition from non-player characters (NPCs), it is hard to call the game educational beyond the setting. It’s too quick to feel captivated and too soft to find suspense. In theory, I should be the exact audience for this game. I wrote this review for those who love to support Indie developers willing to take risks, and people interested enough in history to play a game just to learn more. Unfortunately, this game does not deliver enough in any category. 

If you would like to learn more about the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, you can visit their museum or website. You can also visit the Trail of the Caribou and learn more here.