Posted By Jessica Lugo on July 31, 2013

It’s lunchtime, and that means it’s time to fight past your classmates for a chance to settle down at the classroom’s single Apple II computer to boot up The Oregon Trail and spend the rest of the period trying to reach the Western frontier. Nerds of a certain age tend to share a collective memory crafted during our formative years. Take that memory and hold it tight. Now add zombies, because the Men Who Wear Many Hats released a treat just for you. In Organ Trail, you’ll play as the leader of a surviving group trying to reach a safe haven on the opposite American coast. It’s retro nostalgia at its finest.

Fans of the original Oregon Trail will be delighted to see the tongue-in-cheek twists embedded into America’s next major cross-country move. Fording rivers is no longer a concern for a traveling party, but how will you progress when you encounter a massive zombie mob? Wagon wheels are too old to matter, but a trip like this will wreak havoc on your station wagon’s tires, batteries, and mufflers. Scavenging for food was a fun excursion when players could act as predators. But now they are prey in a larger food chain, forced to shoot to survive or be overrun by a zombie hoard. It’s bound to be a treat for fans of the classic game to see what has become of their favorite settings after the zombie outbreak has ravaged everything.

The controls are still broken and impossible, but this time it’s intentional.

Though at first Organ Trail can come off as a simple reskinning of the old Learning Company mainstay, the game is more than a quick paint job. In addition to the standard merchant options in town settings, players now have the ability to upgrade themselves or their vehicle. On the screen devoted to tending to the traveling party, a “kill” option is present. Are you worried about that guy in your team who went out to pee and came back with a bite wound? Kill him where he stands. Worried that your healthy party members are running through too many rations? You can get rid of them too. But be forewarned: the endgame challenge provides a scenario where your useless friends are critical to your continued success. Cautious players will take care to preserve as many allies as they can.

Don’t mess it up.

If you happened to pick up Organ Trail while it was dirt cheap during this year’s Steam Summer Sale, don’t let it become one of the games you buy but never install. It’s a short-but-sweet adventure that provides a stunning link between Manifest Destiny fiction and contemporary zombie lore. How will you keep your party alive when shops are stocked with consistently fewer items? What happens when you car breaks down and you find a boss battle on the side of the road? It’s up to you to forge a trail through the worst of society. Try to make it out alive before lunch is over.

Organ Trail is available from the following vendors: Steam, Desura, Amazon, iPhone/iPad, and Android

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Categories: Gaming
Tags: indie games, organ trail