The First World War isn’t an event that gets much attention in video games. Yes, there are some notable releases like Battlefield 1. But when it comes to war-focused games, it doesn’t get the same attention as others. At the same time, the lack of focus creates opportunities to try something different. That’s where The Caribou Trail comes in. Yes, this is a war game, but it focuses more on storytelling. If you look past some of the issues, the game’s story is why you should play it.
Not exactly a walking simulator
The Caribou Trail focuses on Newfoundland’s involvement in Gallipoli in late 1915. We play as one soldier, who, along with his two squadmates, takes part in a few missions while stationed in Turkey. Told through a flashback, we see your landing all through your eventual departure.
The core gameplay here involves you and your squadmates walking around completing tasks. Other than a few rare instances, you are never in direct combat. One sequence involves you collecting ID tags from fallen soldiers in No Man’s Land. In fact, you will spend more time mashing and stirring a stew than doing anything else.
Sure, most of the game is you walking around and completing tasks. I don’t want to call this a walking simulator. That label seems unfair here since you’re not only walking around. Fine, digging a hole or searching for items isn’t very action-centric. You are getting a history lesson, and the characters are very strong.
Stay for the story
Even with the limited gameplay, the focus here is on the storytelling. There is a lot to discover and learn. From my own knowledge, I don’t know too much about the history of key battles and scenarios. Even in Canada, we weren’t taught about the Dominion of Newfoundland’s involvement. It’s glossed over in books, but something like this was never mentioned.
It also helps that our main cast are very interesting. There are three very different characters, all with strong backgrounds. We get to learn a lot about them, even with our short time together. What’s also impressive is that even the minor side characters have personality. The one that stands out the most is the super talkative Cliff. He’s got some interesting stories, and how you interact with him can impact a given situation.
While this is a fictional account, the story references real events. I love games that use historical events. Most of the time, I will jump online to get more information. I was following up on events, people, and places that the game references. They do a great job of educating the player if you choose to examine items left in the game. “Trench Foot” was something I had never heard about before playing the game.
The few issues don’t hold the game back
The game’s voice work is its best aspect. However, I did find that the musical score would overwhelm some sequences. While interacting with a few NPCs, the music would be too loud and start to drown out the characters. I couldn’t tell if this was on purpose or by accident. In any case, it was noticeable enough that it was a distraction.
There were also some strange graphic hiccups here and there. This would include side characters standing in awkward and unnatural positions. While these don’t distract from your experience, they were noticeable nonetheless. However, what did stand out were some of the animations.
Any time characters take or grab an item from you, it looks strange. The same is true for how characters ran. This is when you notice the game’s limits, and sometimes it took me out of the experience. There is a part early in the game where your squad is running through the trenches. Watching your squadmate run in an awkward motion took me out of the moment. Most of the time, your character is leading the charge, so you don’t have to watch other characters. But that one section was another strange distraction.
Play it once
The Caribou Trail isn’t a game you’d want to play a second or third time. If you’re an achievement hunter, you’d go through it again to get what you missed. But the story has enough of an impact that I doubt someone would want to go through it a second time. Yes, this isn’t a gameplay-heavy game, but the focus is on telling a strong story, and it does that very well. For anyone with a fleeting interest in World War I history, this is an easy recommendation.
