The Caribou Trail Review — Our B’ys

The Caribou Trail tells the story of three soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the Battle of Gallipoli, one of the most brutal campaigns of the First World War. Far from home and fresh from training, the story doesn’t follow the three through exciting battles and high-intensity action, but rather through the day-to-day realities of trench life. It focuses on small conversations, the anxiousness that comes before battle, and the line between ghost stories and reality as it begins to fade in the dark, death-soaked trenches of one of history’s most tragic conflicts.

The first thing you need to know about The Caribou Trail is that it is a very narrative-focused game. Another way to put this is that the game very proudly and openly wears the “walking simulator” tag.

Choosing to set your story in the trenches of the Gallipoli campaign is an ambitious decision, as it is a setting absolutely ripe for storytelling if done right. It’s safe to say that the game does it right, not only taking into account real-world stories to shape its narrative, but also choosing to be a grounded, heartfelt tale of a small cast of characters dealing with the horrors of war. The First World War, as a setting, is perfect for thrillers and psychological tales, especially those with horror elements, and I feel like an easy way to ruin the setting is by trying to make it an action game. You don’t get to be the hero in a world where going over the top is almost a guaranteed death sentence.

While the setting and storytelling in The Caribou Trail are strong, the gameplay unfortunately takes a back seat. Mechanical input from the player amounts to small, meaningless interactions where you essentially just push the same two buttons over and over again as a distraction from long segments of dialogue. Beyond these segments are literal “walk from point A to point B” sections, again designed to make you feel like you’re doing something as the characters tell the story around you. You can argue that there are points in the game where you feel some tension, afraid that if you poke your head up, you might get shot, but you quickly lose that sense of tension when you realize that the narrative you’re meant to pay attention to won’t allow you to make meaningful mistakes. You can just keep going in the direction the game points you, and these segments will play out as intended.

The walking simulator gameplay is occasionally made worse when you have to find something, using the game’s immersively poor map to navigate confusing trench lines and the ruins of no-mans-land. It’s not a huge problem, but it happens often enough that you start to pick up on it, and I personally spent a bit too much time in my playthrough just being lost.

The Caribou Trail is one of those titles that would have been better if it weren’t a game. Player input is insultingly tedious and unimportant, and I really would have just rather sat down to watch an animated film about the game’s events.

The story in question, however, is pretty interesting. While the characters are a central pillar of the narrative, the story’s real strength lies in its blurred lines between fiction and reality. See, the entire tale is told as a memory by our protagonist, and as he says at the beginning of the story, it’s hard to tell what was real and what was fear warping what we see around us.

This is a brilliant storytelling device that allows the narrative to blend folktales and superstition from our protagonist’s rich culture. Any segment where these blurred lines are at play is phenomenal, creating a really creepy atmosphere and genuine horror elements that I adored. If there were an argument for The Caribou Trail being a game rather than a movie, it would be that being in the driver’s seat during some of these moments made them a little more impactful.

This concept also allows for some beautifully shocking imagery, with scenes where literal mountains of corpses leave you wondering if that truly was a real sight or the warped imagination of our protagonist. The game makes the genius decision of never really answering this question either, and I commend the developers for this decision.

Unfortunately, the game’s story also suffers from the title’s short length. You can beat the game in just about four hours, and the time allotted doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for character development. There isn’t no character development, but I was left feeling like there was more to be said between our three main characters. I wouldn’t describe the ending as disappointing, just as leaving a little to be desired, that maybe another hour or an hour and a half of content could have satisfied.

The Caribou Trail is not a bad game in the slightest. It is not even the worst mechanically of the “walking simulator” titles I’ve played. However, it is so story-heavy that the game’s mechanics are clearly given a back seat, leaving you questioning why it was a game at all. The narrative, however, is really good and uses its unique premise pretty well. The experience feels a little short, but for just $13, I think it delivers plenty for its price. You may feel a bit on autopilot while playing, but give the game a try if only to appreciate its strong storytelling.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a Steam code for this PC review of The Caribou Trail. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! The Caribou Trail is available on Steam and Epic Games.