Cannon Fodder once told us that war could never be so much fun, but in reality, it’s so far from that. The Caribou Trail is an upcoming narrative-driven adventure set against the backdrop of World War I trenches. We’re provided with a quick indicator of the timeline and introduced to the Turkey lines that need to be won to reach Russia. Of the three soldiers this revolves around, not one of them is going to be taking any land with their might.
Tasked with a reconnaissance mission after an allied plane goes down, the trio embark on a dangerous mission to go over the trenches and behind enemy lines. Anyone will know that heading over ground is fatal, but the three lads are relatively naive to what’s in store, believing that their mission will be taking them on an exciting adventure. They have reason to be optimistic: the boys are moving forward, they have the firepower, and as long as they have their pals with them, they’ll come out on top.
Alas, The Caribou Trail is based on a very real event, and even if it were fictitious, it can’t end well. Unreliable Narrators interactive fiction mutes the terrors of war with a Firewatch-like aesthetic that is inviting, despite the obvious undertones. Ok, crawling through trenches isn’t paradise, but it sure does look good. In this preview, we play as Fisher, and the first port of call is navigating the labyrinth that we know as the trenches.
Granted, this is a demo, so just a teaser. However, in the first five minutes, I found myself hopelessly lost, with my daughter chuckling away as I completed a full circle to a pair of soldiers who might be wondering why I hadn’t left yet. Once pondering through the street names, I managed to find my way out, gaining access to a pair of industrial wire clippers to get through the barbed wire and complete my mission.
Though set in the war, The Caribou Trail isn’t an FPS and adopts a pacifist approach. The Steam page will show Fisher armed with an Enfield, shooting at targets, and while the inventory page will show this, the demo is about sneaking through a warzone undetected. On top of that, the controls are simple in that to operate the bolt cutters, you hold down the mouse buttons to cut, shift to dash, ctrl to crawl, and the spacebar for points of interest.
Naturally, the effects of war kick in and one of your friends returns to the base, leaving you with … Gordon? Without giving everything away (as you should play it yourself), Fisher’s reality bubble pops, and he’s suddenly faced with the atrocities of war, and now it is about survival. Both protecting himself from physical harm, as well as protecting the fragility of his well-being. Has that piqued your interest? Go check out The Caribou Trail on Steam now. It’s a very short experience, though very much worthy of your precious time if narrative-driven tales are your thing.
