Trails

[b]TLDR[/b] Simple line-drawing puzzle game, smooth gameplay, not that challenging except for later stages. [13/20⭐, 14h🏅, 3/5💡] [b]Context[/b] A line drawing puzzle game, the player draws paths for ships delivering resources in a grid map. The closest that comes to mind is [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/macwh/recommended/583270/]Cosmic Express[/url], the main difference being that here paths may overlap. [b]Writing[/b] There is not really a plot, you essentially set the path for a couple of sand-surfing ships to deliver resources to towns. [b]Aesthetics[/b] The visuals are simple and stylised, adequate for a game of this kind. The acoustic guitar soundtrack is decent, but inevitably gets tiresome after long sessions. The map is annotated with messages in a constructed language, but are not essential for the gameplay [spoiler]except for the final achievement[/spoiler]. [b]Gameplay[/b] Gameplay takes place in an obstacle grid, and for most of the levels, you must draw a path for a couple of ships until their destination. Each path cannot overlap, but they may overlap with each other. As the game progresses, new mechanics are introduced, such as the need to pick and drop re…

🔹EXPECTATIONS: a pathfinding puzzle game with its own twist of quirky mechanics. 🔹REALITY: a cosy and gentle pathfinding puzzle game. 🔶 Trails is a pathfinding puzzle game that feels cosy, welcoming and warm (not just because it is set on a desert). Everything around it feels gentle: music, visuals, mechanics, progress and even with its settings. 🔸 Difficulty wise, it starts pretty easy, but it steadily keeps getting harder until the challenging final levels. It has over 40 levels in the main path, keeping the hardest ones to the side, plus some really hard that need special requirements to be unlocked. 🔸 It introduces new mechanics by themselves and then mixes them up with previous ones, to make up for some tricky challenges that keep up the interest. I only wished they were more unique, innovative or surprising. 🔸 What I praise the most of Trails are its quality of life features, that add up to that feeling of gentleness previously mentioned. "Unlock all levels" right from the start speaks for itself, but others like path locking (to modify only 1 of some overlapping paths), how easy it is to mend already drawn paths (adding new sections/extensions), or the play bar, th…

[quote]I wrote this review for the [url=https://thinkygames.com/games/]Thinky Games Database.[/url] Check out the Thinky Games [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44830649-Thinky-Games/]curation group[/url] for more reviews on Steam![/quote] [b][i]Trails[/i][/b] is a line-drawing puzzle game about giving directions to sand ships across the desert. The paths from each ship may overlap when drawing routes on the map, but you must avoid collisions by making sure that no two ships ever meet on the same tile. It’s a serene game that includes both gentle puzzles and tricky optional content, with reflective tones set by tranquil visuals and an acoustic guitar soundtrack. The ships start at fixed positions on a grid-based map; they must be guided to specific finish tiles by drawing color-coded paths. Ships cannot visit the same tile twice (i.e. they cannot cross their own path), however the paths from two ships may overlap, as long as they don’t visit the same tile at the same moment. Once you’ve drawn the appropriate lines, you hit play to watch the ships follow their paths in parallel, one tile at a time. If they’re able to make it to their respective ends without any untimely,…

The first few puzzles were really simple, so I was a bit annoyed to have to go through all of them in order. But then I noticed that it is possible to unlock all puzzles in the settings. After that I picked a random one from further down the path. That one was a real challenge and it took me quite a while to find the solution, even though all the individual mechanics are straight forward. I wouldn't recommend playing this whole game in one sitting, unless you are trying to melt your brain. Instead, it is perfect for doing one or two challenging puzzle when you are in the mood. One thing I would criticise is that the CPU on my laptop went way up, even when nothing on the screen was moving. Since you will spend a lot of the time thinking, there is quite a lot of idle time, so I think this could be better optimized.

This is a really good puzzle game, especially for that price. Graphics are functional, but always well readable, which is the most important thing for a puzzle game. You move ships across a playing board by drawing lines. The ships move turn by turn and are never allowed to a) collide, b) cross their own line. The game explains none of this in text, it has really well-thought-out puzzles that teach you those things. Later, it throws new elements in the mix which are introduced in the same fashion. Puzzles are brain-teasers which may need a round or two, but are never unfair and have a nice progression. Worth more than 10 EUR.

I stumbled upon Trails and honestly didn’t expect much, but was I wrong. This cozy puzzle game surprised me in the best way. The atmosphere is super relaxing, thanks to the beautiful music. The game offers a ton of levels, and while most are chill and satisfying, a few definitely had me scratching my head (in a good way). What really stood out to me is how the game hints at deeper themes, like resource scarcity, without ever being preachy. It’s subtle, but it's there if you're paying attention, and I really appreciate that kind of storytelling. For the amount of content you get, the price feels more than fair. If you’re into puzzles and enjoy games that make you think without stressing you out, this one’s absolutely worth checking out.