The golden generation of WWI and WWII shooters – namely, Call of Duty and Medal of Honour – left a legacy on the gaming space that still echoes to this day. Tales of blood and mud as players pummelled lead into Germans and other Axis forces across a range of theatres of war were formulative to the contemporary video game medium.
Though, WWI and WWII shooters have largely had their day. With tastes favouring more modern or futuristic warfare, aside from a few exceptions including Isonzo and other historic war multiplayer-focused titles. Fortunately, the greatest wars in humankind history haven’t been forgotten in the gaming space and live on through more narrative-led games including the terrific Valiant Hearts and its spiritual successor, Letters of War. As well as other titles such as 11-11 Memories Retold.
The Caribou Trail is an indie title from Unreliable Narrators which tells a first-person tale of brotherhood, loss and the hunger to fight for a motherland against seemingly all odds. With themes of PTSD, hallucinations and other trauma, alongside tales of heroism, companionship and brotherhood, this is an emotional narrative story.
Our mostly spoiler-free review of The Caribou Trail.
Story
A war story that will almost certainly be new to all players, The Caribou Trail tells the tale of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment from Canada during the battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. The British and The Empire fought a bloody and failed attritional battle against the forces of Turkey here that is a tale a little less told. The regiment, consisting of fishermen and other everyday men from Newfoundland travelled halfway across the globe to join the British to fight a threat against their way of life.
Caribou is an intimate story of three men thrust into a world unknown to them. Gordon, a real talker and man full of fight and enthusiasm; Lonnie, someone who truly doesn’t belong at war; and our character, Fisher. Fisher is the soul of the trio and the tie that bonds the men together. The game is proudly made with Newfoundland heart – the accents and dialect, as well as the ‘fish and brewis’ that are enjoyed by the troops around a campfire. This cultural relevance is what separates this from being simply another ‘Yanks on the Western Front’ video game.
What the game does depict well is the feel that these three men are not soldiers. These men know that they’re not going to win a gargantuan fight against the Turkish might. They appreciate they are in water far too deep to swim in. But much like many men in WWI, they’re here to play their part in a war that is far from home, but will impact their life, their families and their world. Having – genuinely enjoyable and engaging – conversations with other NPCs in the trenches added to this feel even further.
During the game there are some emotional moments which I don’t want to spoil. But what I can say is that The Caribou Trail took me to the frontline. Moments sat around the campfire eating basic rations. Touching dialogue with the enemy during a temporary ceasefire to collect bodies. Alongside some impactful and necessary readables, including some from the regiment postmaster added to the feel of how far from home these young men were. The 4-5 hour campaign runtime feels right and by the time the credits rolled, I felt the story had been well told.
If you decide to play the game, I do recommend you then replay the opening few minutes again after you roll credits. It adds a very reflective element to what you’ve experienced in Fisher’s tired boots. “Home before the leaves fall, they said”.
Gameplay
Although a first-person war adventure, this is not by any stretch an action game. In many ways, The Caribou Trail is a walking simulator. Don’t expect to be emptying gas cannisters into ‘Johnny Turk’s’ trenches. Even the very few opportunities to pull a trigger are entirely optional to the player.
Gameplay is mostly dialogue-led, though there are stealth and escape sections. Between a variety of environments from the trenches, creeping across a barbaric No Mans Land, to slightly paranormal segments, there is enough variety to keep the game fresh throughout.
Though not the most captivating gameplay in its own right, the small interactions you have during your time ‘dug in’ immerses you with the feeling of trench life. Cooking with your ‘b’ys’ (boys), propping up a helmet on a stick to bait a sniper, or rigging an artillery barrage to ruse your enemies. Considering the contemporary real-world technology heavy wars of today, The Caribou Trail is a reminder of the ingenuity of humans to survive, even with what is comparison, primitive weaponry. The game is not about killing your enemies, it’s about outliving them.
Audio, Visuals and Presentation
Visually, The Caribou Trail has a unique non-realistic art style, with parallels here to the likes of Firewatch. This is not intended to be a brutal depiction of artillery, gunfire and death, thus the style lends itself to telling a human war tale.
The games environments are well designed and evolve as the game progresses and you return to them. Different times of day and weather effects contribute to the mood of the respective scene including rain, haze and nightfall. The game’s lead characters and other soldiers are well crafted, as are their animations.
Caribou Trail’s audio shines bright. With a captivating soundtrack that drew me into the game’s individual scenes, alongside a range of excellent audio effects, I was very impressed by the game’s sound design.
Complimenting the ambient music and effects is the voice acting. Ensuring authenticity to the Newfoundland accent, Fisher, Gordon and Lonnie’s voices are well written and acted. Their lines and tones help to create their various intended personas. Other characters you speak to around the beach camp and in the trenches are equally engaging, and speaking with them exhaustively is the right way to play the game.
Though not Verified, I played this game entirely on Steam Deck in a mix of docked and handheld modes. The game ran at frame rate between 30-40fps with solid visuals. With some optimisation, this could be a very good Deck game.
Conclusion
The Caribou Trail left me caring for an unknown war story. Fisher, Gordon and Lonnie’s human tale of small island men being cast into a global conflict is equal parts sombre and heartwarming. The title’s great voice acting and audio design immersed me into this short story deeply.
The Great War is full of untapped stories. The Caribou Trail is an example in how video games can excel in telling war stories and I hope we see more from the Unreliable Narrators.
The Caribou Trail launches on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) on May 14, 2026. The game will also launch on PlayStation 5 on July 7.
GSC would like to thank publisher and developer for a code provided for review. The review was played on Steam Deck.
