The Caribou Trail | PC Review

May 26, 2026 Joel Cieslinksi

The Historical Context

The Caribou Trail is a first person narrative game depicting part of the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. The country of Newfoundland joined British Commonwealth and French soldiers to control the Dardanelles strait. This was an attempt to push the Ottoman Empire out of World War One. Just over 1,000 Newfoundlanders took part in this campaign. Of note is that they were the only North American unit to fight on the Gallipoli peninsula.

Story Telling at Its Finest

The story is excellently told through the eyes of one of the soldiers deployed into this foreign land. You aren’t a super soldier or a commander of many men. Instead you are a normal person doing what you can to make it through the hell that you find yourself in. The main story focuses around you and your two friends and life in the camp you are stationed at when you arrive. There is some definite dark imagery used. It would be impossible to tell a story like this without it. There are also some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

Simple Gameplay

The gameplay is incredibly simple. There aren’t many controls and it’s more of a walking simulator. No reflexes needed here. Instead it’s more of an interactive book that you actively participate in. You can crouch, run, and climb things. There is some limited exploring of the area. Occasionally there are some special interactions, however you are always told what controls to use and what buttons to push to make it past.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics use a simple art style that I really enjoyed. You can see what everything is and it looks like what it’s supposed to. Nothing amazing, but what’s there is well done. It keeps the story centered without getting in the way. As far as sound goes it is also simple but well done. Nothing gets in the way, and it helps to drive home the story.

To hear me talk more about The Caribou Trail, be sure to listen to the May 29th, 2026 episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on a PC copy of The Caribou Trail provided by Unreliable Narrators for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 5.