Survival games really are some of the most interesting and exciting IPs in the video game world; consisting of such variety, whether they have a focus on crafting and scavenging, or maybe it’s surviving a zombie horde with an assortment of weapons. Here’s the thing though, all these survival games just wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for The Oregon Trail, the defining text-based educator that launched 51 years ago.
In 1971, The Oregon Trail was released (a year before Pong even) and was developed as a computer game to teach school children about the harsh realities of 19th-century pioneer life on the infamous Oregon Trail. The original version of the game didn’t contain any graphics (that’s kind of crazy when you think about it) due to them being developed for computers that used teleprinters instead of computer monitors. Not long after, an Apple II port added a graphical shooting minigame.
The game features mechanics and concepts that have more than aged over the past 51 years, which is to be expected but don’t count it out yet because we now know that it’s making a swift return. The Oregon Trail is being remade for Steam, and it aims to honor the presentation and history of the original game while also making it a lot smoother, way prettier, and a little bit more accessible too. It is set to be developed by Gameloft, who is known for creating mobile versions of Splinter Cell and The Prince of Persia and hopes to keep all the classic hazards that made the original series so tricky to navigate.
It’s all very serious and bleak because if you’re not careful, your settlers can starve, break bones, or develop diseases and die. It was always quite the task to avoid these troubles once upon a time, but combined with fresh mechanics like new random events, several unlockable achievements, and a much larger health and management system, this game could very well be worth the experience.
This remake wants to include a much fairer representation of history than what was once told. The Oregon Trail remake will focus on the struggles of the Native American people as they struggled to defend their lands, instead of solely focusing on intruding pioneers. Gameloft explained that it has carried out “thorough research… to ensure accuracy and respectful representation of all peoples depicted in the game.” It will make a nice change for some truthful adaptations as well.
In the original game, players assumed the role of a wagon leader who is guiding a party of settlers from various towns to Oregon City in his covered wagon in 1847. On the journey, the player must purchase supplies, hunt for food, and choose how to travel on the trail while encountering several random events such as storms. The full remake will be available on Steam in November, but a specific release date has not been revealed.
