The Oregon Trail is an ancient educational game that could also be called the first survival game. The game has had several successors and is set to be re-released in November 2022, receiving a more modern look.
What kind of game is this? In The Oregon Trail, you are to manage a group of pilgrims in the Wild West of the USA in the 19th century along the eponymous route. To do this, you must pay attention to their various needs and fulfill tasks:
- Distribute resources correctly so that everyone survives
- if someone dies, the person or animal remains dead (‘Permadeath’)
- Injuries, illnesses, or accidents like snake bites make the journey harder
- Weather like snow and heat pose additional hurdles
- With fishing and hunting mini-games, you can supply your group of pilgrims
The Oregon Trail, with its mechanics, is a predecessor of the survival genre and practically the first survival game ever. The game was released in 1971 originally as an educational game for children to learn about responsibility and the history of the pilgrims.
Here you can see the trailer for the remake:
The Oregon Trail – Remake with many new features
What does the remake offer? In the remake, the gameplay is expanded with random events and more story. It will also be possible to play with Native Americans to explore more facets of history.
You need to manage your resources better through an inventory system. Food and materials must be kept from falling out of the wagons and spoiling. Along with health, you should also pay attention to morale, endurance, and hygiene for your pilgrims.
In total, there will be 15 playable journeys and 7 tasks inspired by historical events. Information about real people and places will be collected in a diary. Additionally, you will be able to discover and collect various species of animals on your journeys.
When is the remake coming out? The remake for PC on Steam is set to be released in November 2022. The Apple Arcade version for mobile is already playable now. According to the official website, the game will also be available on the Nintendo eShop and the Microsoft Store; however, dates are still missing.
The Oregon Trail is not voice-acted but comes with a fully translated text interface in English.
If you want to browse now for the best games in the legacy of The Oregon Trail, you can find the 25 best survival games for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox here.
