TROLEU Makes a Simple Trolley Ride Feel Like the End of the World (Review)

The absurdist cousin of Bus Simulator and Papers Please, TROLEU is a concentrated dosage of wacky gameplay packed into a tight package. Developed by andrground, TROLEU feels like the Adult Swim-style parody of simulator games. The addition of combat, chases, and dinosaurs complicate a potentially basic gameplay loop, adding funny touches of weirdness that give it a sense of clear personality despite its short run-time. Some aspects of the game work better than others, with the finicky controls benefiting the feeling of chaos baked into the premise — all while it makes simple tasks surprisingly tricky.

It’s a good thing, then, that the game’s approach to comedy lends itself to the sense of unexpected challenges that comes from its game design. While it may not be a very long or particularly deep game, its sheer commitment to chaos makes it at least an entertaining ride if you’re willing to purchase an affordable ticket. With throwback visuals and a gleefully chaotic sense of comedy, TROLEU is one of those rare titles that feels like unfiltered goofiness recreated as a game — for better, and for worse.

RATING: 3/5

Pros:	Cons:
Unpredictable turns lead to genuinelly chaotic turns, all for an affordable price	Short run-time
An absurdist sense of comedy makes for an entertaining riff on established genres	Limited number of levels and gradually repeitive challenges reduces replayability
The best moments perfectly blend chaotic gameplay and a wacky concept for a hilarious expereince	The purposefully tricky controls can be frustrating to adapt to

TROLEU Is So Bizarre, This Type of Story Can Only Happen In Gaming

TROLEU puts players in the role of a trolly conductor, whose job is to ferry citizens around. Players largely spend their time checking on travelers, collecting fares, and keeping an eye out for unpaying customers. Nominally, the challenge is to collect the right amount of cash to complete the bus route, all while avoiding a professional inspection that can get you thrown off your own trolley.

Reach the end of the line with the right amount of fares, and players can advance to the next level. The trick is that TROLEU leans into a sense of wacky chaos that wouldn’t feel out of place in an absurd Adult Swim comedy short, from the blocky visual execution down to the gameplay mechanics. The act of checking tickets requires players to rush up and down the bus, confronting patrons and occasionally getting into fist fights with them even as the bus moves into absurd locales like outer space and the stone age.

The graphics are throwbacks to an older era and fit that thematic style well, with static character designs giving way to bizarre bus patrons like walking fish and green aliens. The jagged edges and tampered colors can blend together, only adding to the wild sense of disorder that quickly sets in while playing TROLEU. There’s a sense that anything could happen in this world, which is exactly the kind of hilarious stress the game wants to force on the player.

TROLEU’s Biggest Fault Is Its Short Length

The biggest knock against TROLEU is the overall length, but that might be a blessing in disguise given the game’s standard gameplay loop. The game only has six levels (12 if you count the harder “Night Shift” versions as their own stages), making for a quick and chaotic experience that can be cleared in a matter of hours. That’s not to say the game isn’t challenging, however. That largely stems from TROLEU‘s design, especially the controls, which feel purposefully iffy and encourage careful moves before sloppy fights break out.

Players control each hand on top of having to move, interact with passengers, and occasionally fight people. The simple act of collecting cash or pushing a mop to clean up the bus becomes much more difficult with this design style, to the point that the first few playthroughs can easily become frustrating. Luckily, the game’s sense of humor made all those little errors and mistakes funny, the ensuing chaos becoming the punchline. Sprinting up a train, kicking an old lady, and then trying to escape a perpetually smiling inspector by throwing unsuspecting travelers at him is a lot of fun, at least for a little while.

Less effective is the game’s timing-based combat mechanic, which forces players to time their strikes and blocks perfectly to deliver knockout blows against unruly passengers. This is where the mechanic feels most controlled and the least exciting, as it’s a fairly straightforward style that at least takes on some funny elements by pitting players against bizarre creations. A better example of TROLEU‘s go-for-broke approach is the attempted escapes from the Inspector, which reflect the rest of the game’s commitment to chaos. The mechanics can become aggravating at times, but the short run-time and low price keeps TROLEU from overstaying its welcome and becoming genuinelly frustrating.

The Bus Ride From Hell Has Enough Chaotic Comedy To Become Charming

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed in TROLEU, especially as new riders pack in quickly and the situation becomes untenable for any reasonable trolley employee. Players will need to adjust to the controls, and even then be prepared for anything and everything the game’s bizarre world will throw their way. That’s part of the charm, however, especally as the game progresses and the threat of the Inspector coming for you becomes more pressing. Playing further into the title unlocks new items and tools that can improve your experience, making it easier to spot forged tickets and adding a bit of variety to the separate runs.

These elements, coupled with rouge-like elements like different passengers and creative challenges, add to TROLEU‘s replayability. It’s hard to recommend TROLEU as a relaxing way to unwind or for fans of intricate storytelling in their games. However, for anyone who loved the madcap antics of games like Sam & Max or sardonic takes on established genres like High on Life, TROLEU is a blast. While it may be short, TROLEU might also be just the right length to keep the controls from getting aggravating or wearing out the wackiness of bit, ensuring gamers can leave the trolley satisfied and giggling.

TROLEU is now available on Steam, and ComicBook was provided a Steam code for the purposes of this review.