Review: Tall Trails will take you to the heights of cozy enjoyable with this exploration platformer about discovering your goal

Quick Verdict: Tall Trails is a 3-6 hour sport the place you discover the panorama by way of platforming. The stage of issue scaled effectively with out being irritating. I loved the whole lot of this sport, from the gameplay and aesthetics to the music. Tall Trails is a superb sport for a comfy gamer’s shelf.

Game:	Tall Trails
Developer(s):	Brady Soglin
Publisher:	Brady Soglin
Review Score:	10
Cozy Score:	10
Price:	$12
Pros:	The vibes have been 10 out of 10 cozy, I discovered the artwork model to be so quirky and charming, and I didn’t run into any bugs. I felt just like the problem stage was completely balanced.
Cons:	There’s an enormous bathroom in one of many ranges that you would be able to very simply get caught in even with three objects on the backside that will help you out.
Platforms:	PC
Genres:	Exploration, Platformer

Tall Trails is an exploration platformer the place you play as a small golem named “Alp”. Every golem has a goal in life, whether or not that’s to develop mushrooms and even eat sand. Each golem does their half in furthering “The Big Plan” set forth by the wizard who oversees the lands.

However, Alp doesn’t have a goal, so he has no means to assist contribute. In an effort to search out his goal, he decides to speak with the wizard, however to be able to get into the tower, he has to repair the damaged clay machines that energy the door.

Alp will take you thru three completely different domains with a number of islands in every space to be able to discover clay and restore the clay receptacles. Each island is completely different and has distinctive challenges and diversified objects that can be utilized to be able to discover the clay scattered round. Along the best way, you’ll discover pinwheels to spin and pals to assist. 

Tall Trails is usually an exploration sport, however to be able to attain the tallest summits, you’ll must do some platforming. Fortunately, the stakes are pretty low in the case of scaling issues. The hardest problem was on the finish, and whereas it was nerve-wrecking, I solely fell as soon as. And, as an alternative of beginning me again on the backside, I used to be popped again on the place I jumped from.

So, in the event you’re involved in regards to the platforming bit, don’t. It’s a fairly chill expertise. In truth, the factor that pissed off me probably the most wasn’t even the leaping round. The final world is type of swampy and slows you down, in order that was the factor I discovered to be probably the most hindering of the whole lot.

Watch the trailer for Tall Trails!

Personally, I actually loved enjoying Tall Trails, and I wasn’t anticipating a sport primarily based on foolish little golems the place you climb constructions to have such a constructive and heartfelt ending. 

If you wish to simply acquire clay and do the naked minimal, then you definitely’re most likely a couple of 3-4 hour sport. If you’re like me, nonetheless, you’ll wish to do the whole lot doable earlier than leaving. Usually, this simply means discovering the pinwheels scattered round. Once they’re activated, it’ll provide you with a bit of stamp. When you get 4 stamps, you’ll be given a random merchandise, often a star that you need to use to improve badges.

Badges are one thing you earn by way of finishing sure challenges or shopping for them from the store. The badges might be utilized to Alp to assist him climb higher, soar larger, and many others. These are invaluable as a result of the issue within the panorama positively scales up as you progress by way of the lands.

Along with the pinwheels, you might be given duties by the opposite golems that hand around in the campsite the place the store is. Or, you might discover a present that one of many golems would recognize.

By taking the time to do the additional stuff, you’ll be rewarded with beauty objects, cash, stars, or clay. Since I attempted to do the whole lot I may, my sport ended up lasting round 6 hours of gameplay. 

Through exploring, you’ll come into contact with objects that you would be able to decide up and use to assist launch your self to better heights. When launching, you’re usually utilizing consumable objects, however you’ll get passive objects that work greatest with leaping as effectively, that are two separate methods to climb. You can solely maintain three objects at a time, so determining what takes precedence is a part of the problem.

Personally, I most well-liked the passive objects that affected my soar or gave me the power to hover longer. These objects have been crickets, frogs, leaves, and many others. Since they have been passive, I didn’t have to fret about launching.

I felt that crickets have been the most effective passive objects, with the frogs as an in depth second.

Launching meant that I may give Alp a big increase that could possibly be completed 3 times in a row, and to push you up additional than merely leaping. Sometimes, objects may simply be used as soon as, like rocks or mushrooms. However, you could possibly decide up a cherry or a watermelon that might pop open the fruit and use the seeds as additional ammunition to succeed in better heights.

You do have a stamina bar to be conscious of, however there are badges that may assist prolong that gauge.

Overall, I discovered Tall Trails to be a pleasant little sport. I didn’t run into any bugs, the music was nice, and the artwork model is simply so charming. The golems are foolish little guys, which longtime readers know is my absolute favourite kind of character to play.

I had lots of enjoyable, and I believe it’s a fantastic sport for others to dive into for a comfy expertise. Plus, when you’ve completed the principle storyline, you possibly can replay the sport with a randomly generated world. It’ll be the identical premise, however the whole lot shall be circled so you possibly can discover the world once more.

I extremely advocate this indie sport completed by a solo developer. It’s all the time a marvel to see what one individual can assemble. Hell, I even love the MS Paint-style loading pictures. Something about it felt fashionable whereas feeling like I may have performed it again in my heyday of Newgrounds.

If you’d like to provide Tall Trails a strive, you possibly can seize it from Steam for $12. It’ll be launched on August 4th, and I positively assume it’s well worth the cash. Otherwise, you possibly can take a look at a few of the different video games I’ve reviewed currently: Spray Paint Simulator and Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping.