I don’t know how old you are, but I must admit that, in my case, I had to do some research to find out what was in my hands. In 1974, the Minnesota Computer Education Consortium decided to make a game for young people to learn about American history. It worked. Since then, The Oregon Trail has gone through nearly two dozen releases and re-releases, with better or worse results.
In 2021, this version launches for Apple Arcade, and we tested it on Switch. We found the original to be a nice makeover, where the gameplay systems that made it popular (such as fishing, hunting, etc.) were respected while adding features that made it a perfect Roguelite. The format change brings it closer to a large audience and makes it the perfect platform for those who don’t want to rely on their phones to play their games.
We find ourselves in the middle of the 19th century, in the midst of the colonial expansion of American immigrants to California. Our mission:Choose Four Brave Pioneers and Bring Them Safely to Oregon. The task will not be easy, bad weather, raids, disease and all kinds of adventures will come between us and our precious target. The game starts in the town of Independence, where we have to choose the four members of our group with whom we will leave our carriage. The options are very diverse and we have to be very careful to have as many skills as possible to meet the needs that may arise. Farmer, banker, adventurer, nun… Each profession has certain advantages, but also disadvantages. In addition to occupation, each character has its own personality: paranoid, kind, lazy… everything counts when there are real problems on the road.
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Once moving, there are many things to keep in mind. The characters have health, hygiene, happiness and energy bars,we can’t forget them for a moment. In addition, we have a Resident Evil-style inventory, the management of which will be essential if we are to survive the entire journey. The Oregon Trail is Roguelite, which means we can’t give up if we can’t make it to Oregon on the first try. What’s more, with each of our journeys, we unlock new routes and benefits that we can take advantage of on our next attempt. Replayability is guaranteed.
If there’s one aspect that must be emphasized in The Oregon Trail, it’s how well it adapts Old West tales.taste. This new edition draws directly on the great classics of American literature and cinema, which also extends to the interpretation of American history itself and the very specific context of the settlement of the Oregon land. Throughout our journey we will admire different scenes depicting all the landscapes that the old pioneers traversed on their journeys to the West: from dry deserts to snowy mountains.
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Another of The Oregon Trail’s most immersive features is its soundtrack. Whether we’re going back and forth between feature sheets, or across half America, this classic piece of music is an absolute marvel, always paying homage to the best of John Ford or Ennio Morricone’s films. This music is the perfect complement to the many stories and characters we meet throughout our journey. The game itself lacks a storyline or plot, instead weaving a giant spiderweb in which each thread is the story of a secondary character intertwined with others. Every traveler tells a story, and that story flows throughout the experience.
I will miss you dear NPC
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oregon trailis a good example of how to perform side quests, prolong and enliven our gaming experience. In our many forays, we have encountered different characters who will come to us for clarification in their own undertakings. It’s important to realize that if we use our precious resources to help them, they can in turn make our lives easier on our journey down the road. For example, a scientist who asked us to help develop a better van might provide us with a better model to try next time. The unity of the frontier has been rewarded. Of course, this also applies to our bad behavior. The difficulty of our adventures doesn’t just affect our health or hygiene, but things like aiming or mechanics. These skills can also be lost if our team becomes frustrated or sick. You have no idea how much you’ll grow to like one of your characters after winning twenty negotiations in a row, only to be brought down by a fever or an animal attack. You will have to say goodbye to them and even bury them in a grave.
Performance on the Nintendo Switch was so smooth that we barely saw any loading screens throughout our adventure. Add to that a gorgeous setting and sounds, and the Oregon Trail is one of the easiest roguelites we’ve played, and it’s also incredibly accessible. For 90% of our adventures, we needed next to nothing but the move button and the accept button, which was more than enough to provide us with outright fun.
