No, that is not a typo. If you grew up in the 80s or 90s (and maybe even if you didn’t) you probably remember playing some version of The Oregon Trail, likely during your early years of school. Advertised as an educational game, to children it was more an excuse to shirk classwork in order to hunt unnecessarily large amounts of game (only able to carry back 200 pounds? 1200 pounds of buffalo should do it!) and see if it’s possible to make it to Oregon stocking nothing but bacon.
The Organ Trail is a re imagining of the classic game, except set in the present day and with zombies. It features throwback graphics and classic controls (no mouse here, just selecting numbers from a menu). Instead of contracting dysentery, party members might come down with a bad case of the T-Virus. Zombies are your prey instead of rabbits and elk (though I don’t think you’ll want to carry any back to eat), and forget about fording rivers, on the Organ Trail you’ll ford seas of zombies.
If you remember how The Oregon Trail played, you’ll feel right at home. Instead of spending money at the beginning to gear up for your trip, you spend hours scavenging for certain supplies. Once on the road in your station wagon, various random events, both good and bad, interrupt your progress. You might find extra gas in an abandoned vehicle, or yes, one of your party members might get dysentery.
Cities and landmarks are interspersed along the way, giving you a chance to trade with others or buy extra supplies. Once you get near the end of the trail, the game becomes a balancing act between your dwindling supplies (do you trade your last remaining spare tire for some desperately needed food, or just cut the rations of your party members?).
Though still technically in Beta, Organ Trail offers plenty of fun and an excellent way to burn about an hour. My final score upon arriving in Oregon was 2290, are you able to beat that? Let us know in the comments section!
If you liked The Organ Trail, look back at previous Friday Fun articles and see if anything catches your eye!
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