There have been so many video games about war, but very few are like Montreal-based Unreliable Narrators’ The Caribou Trail.
Instead of featuring the bombastic and desensitizing violence of something like Call of Duty, the Canadian developer has opted to tell a more grounded and human tale of everyday men who find themselves on the battlefield. Moreover, The Caribou Trail is based on the powerful true story of the Newfoundland Regiment, a battalion of inexperienced men from the then-Dominion of Newfoundland who shipped off to fight in World War I.
For many, this is likely an unknown part of Canadian history, especially since it’s about Newfoundland before it even became a part of Canada. The Caribou Trail hones in on a particularly crucial part of that legacy: the Regiment’s participation in the Gallipoli Campaign, the Anglo-French operation that sought to control the Dardanelles Strait, capture Constantinople, and push the Ottoman Empire (now known as Turkiye) out of WWI.
I knew none of this going into the game, so the premise alone caught my attention. But as I played through the roughly four-hour first-person narrative experience, I found myself utterly moved by the story of these soldiers. While not based on any one particular person, The Caribou Trail is nonetheless a beautiful tribute to the bravery and resilience of these Newfoundlanders in the face of unimaginable hardship.
Above all else, the game succeeds by really honing in on the fact that the majority of these soldiers are really just fishermen and, therefore, woefully unequipped for what they’re about to face. This initially gives the story a relatively lighter tone than you might expect, with protagonist Fisher Harding and his squad’s arrival on the Ottoman beaches being marked by casual and well-acted conversations about blue collar work back home in St. John’s. Naturally, though, things progressively get more somber as the gravity of their situation truly begins to settle in.
It’s a clever approach because it gives you the time to really get to know and admire the Regiment. In particular, the game’s beating heart lies in the camaraderie between the friendly and level-headed Fisher, the confident and reckless Gordon and the younger, pluckier Lonnie. Through a sort of slice-of-life structure, you’ll experience different days in the trenches alongside the trio, and it deepens your connection to them, from collecting the dog tags of fallen soldiers on the battlefield to sharing folk tales over barely edible food at night. This pattern creates a sense of comforting familiarity once the men are back at camp, and it also allows Unreliable Narrators to twist this formula in unexpected ways as time goes on.
That sense of surprise is effective in putting you in the headspace of Fisher and his friends, especially as they’re forced to confront unspeakable horrors. At the same time, Unreliable Narrators commendably doesn’t lean into a jingoistic depiction of the soldiers that demonizes the Turks. Instead, The Caribou Trail focuses on the psychological toll on fresh-faced men who are put in these circumstances, and it makes for a poignant coming-of-age story.
Their inexperience also informs the mechanics of the game. Refreshingly, there are only a couple of specific moments where you even pick up a gun, with gameplay instead primarily focused on light exploration, a handful of dialogue choices and a rich assortment of collectibles. I always found myself compelled to roam when able because I’d constantly come across endearing banter with soldiers, like Fisher agreeing to help shovel in exchange for some precious booze, or items that gave me fascinating historical context, like how the Regiment was called the “Blue Puttees” because they didn’t have enough khaki to make proper uniforms or “Ugly Stick” instruments fashioned out of unorthodox items like broomsticks that the soldiers used to help entertain themselves.
That sense of freedom and discovery makes up for the fact that The Caribou Trail‘s gameplay can sometimes be a bit dull. Besides Fisher’s painfully slow running speed, the occasional minigames that you have to complete, like cutting barbed wire, are pretty basic and repetitive. It left me wishing there was even a bit more variety. That’s a small gripe, though, especially when the narrative is so strong.
Image credit: Unreliable Narrators
Indeed, I came away from The Caribou Trail deeply touched by the story of Fisher and his brothers-in-arms. I’ve never been a history buff, but using the interactivity of a game to tell this story was the perfect way to engage me. And if anything, the simplicity of the gameplay only makes it more approachable for other people who are like me. For anyone who likes a good narrative game, and especially Canadians who want to learn more about our history, I can’t recommend The Caribou Trail enough.
The Caribou Trail is now available on PC (Steam/Epic Games Store) and will release on PS5 on July 7.
Image credit: Unreliable Narrators
