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0 The beautiful illustrative experience, Short Trip launches today on Steam at an introductory price of £1.52. Created by Alexander Perrin, we first covered the news of the game coming to PC earlier this month. And ever since I have been very excited about getting my hands on it!
Purrfect Tramsport
We all use games to unwind but for cosy game fans this may the best one yet! What’s your perfect way to unwind? Let us know in the comments.
Gameplay
The aim of Short Trip is beautifully simple. Drive a tram across a mountainscape whilst picking up and dropping off cat passengers as you go. The developer of the game Alexander Perrin has said this is more of an ‘interactive illustration’ than a game. And I’m inclined to agree. Especially knowing every single asset within the game is hand drawn and a culmination of 5 years of work. I wish I were committed enough to dedicate 5 years of my life to something.
Within Short Trip there are two modes: Classic and Scheduled. Classic is a cosy free-for-all. Use your arrow keys to go left and right up and down the tracks. Stopping only for the tram stops where your cat commuters can board and alight from the train. Taking care to mind the gap of course. However, there are no steadfast rules in Classic mode. You can ride right through it if you don’t want to stop at a station. Along with your arrow keys to move, don’t forget to press your space bar to toot your little horn as you clickety clack over the tracks. I will say a thing I loved about this game was just how simple it is. The controls are simple meaning it is incredibly accessible.
Tramvesty Free Zone
Scheduled mode gives some structure to players. In this mode, you must aim to stay on your tram’s timetable arriving at stations perfectly on time to earn yourself the most points. You also earn points from the amount travelled to get that perfect tram station parking. It becomes a fine art to press your left and right arrow keys at precisely the right time to maximise those points and pull into the station at just the right spot for the passengers. And yet still, this was never frustrating. There was no penalty gameplay-wise, for not getting the tram position just right the first time. Yes, you don’t get as many points but I found I didn’t mind this. Which as a somewhat competitive person *ahem* is growth. I liked the structure the scheduled mode gave me, more than I wanted to get a good high score.
Short Trip is a really nice palette cleanser game, that at the same time I am completely hooked on. I found myself playing for a few minutes over lunch after some stressful deadlines. I played once the kids were in bed and I just needed something cosy and untaxing. A game where no one is really asking anything of me. If that doesn’t scream parent I don’t know what does!
Graphics & Audio
The graphics within Short Trip are nothing short of stunning. The artistry from Perrin is clear for anyone to see. As I mentioned earlier, as everything is hand drawn the game took 5 years to bring to life. Honestly, the love and attention that has gone into the drawing is quite breathtaking. I really liked that you could choose your paper type within the options menu too. It makes different aspects pop due to their slight colour changes.
The audio adds to the immersion of the game wonderfully. The tweeting of the birds as you pass through a particularly more wooded area is subtle but there for you to notice. The tram’s click-clack’s change when you’re going over a bridge which was a nice little touch. I will say despite having the audio turned all the way it was very very quiet. I had to turn my computer speakers to max to hear things like the birds tweeting. Safe to say the game is best played in a very very quiet place or with headphones turned all the way up.
Longevity
What you see is what you get with Short Trip. There are no achievements. It is a literal 5-minute game. Classic mode is technically endless in that you can go up and down the singular track as many times as you want. The scheduled mode could appeal to the purrfectionist high score collectors. The longevity of the game is really down to personal preference. Some players will play the game once and never touch it again. Others, like myself, will use it as a grounding tool after a hard day.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed my time with Short Trip. It was not as short as I had feared. The time I mean. The game itself is very short. I was quite weary going in that I would play once and be done. Instead, this slow play game left me feline relaxed. It’s beautiful and tranquil. Just as intended.
I do wish there were some cosy achievements in it. Not even just ones for getting high scores in Scheduled mode. Things like “Completed a Journey” or “Took your time” just to lean into the unwinding and cosy vibes that are present. We all like being told we’re doing a good job. And Short Trip is a great little game that I wouldn’t be surprised to see on some positive vibes and mental health gaming lists. Who could say no to a game that costs less than £2, I was gifted the game for review, but I would pay £2 an day for the amount of joy and relaxation the game brought me.
I award Short Trip the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received to write this review.
If you’re looking for other cosy games to unwind to, check out our cosy game reviews to find a new favourite!
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