Trolley Problem, Inc. – Review
For those not aware of what the Trolley Problem is, it is a thought experiment that presents you with a very specific dilemma. In this case, you’ll have a situation where a trolley is headed towards a track that has five innocent people on it. The only way to save them is to pull a lever and guide the trolley to another track. Sadly, this track has one innocent person on it, who will then perish instead of the five other people. Many argue that saving more lives would be the best solution, while others state that to do so, you’re actively murdering a person. If you ignore the problem, you are not actively participating in the deaths of several people. Trolley Problem, Inc. is a game that presents you with many of these dilemmas, with an overarching bizarre and absurd story. We were very intrigued by this original game.
Story
The story of Trolley Problem Inc. is a simple one. You’re the newest employee of Trolley Problem Inc. and you’re starting your new job with a few tests. These tests start off with the actual age-old Trolley Problem, in which you have to choose to either do nothing and sacrifice five people or murder one to save those five people. No matter what choice you start off with, you’ll never pick the right one. As the game progresses, you’ll be presented with bigger and bigger problems, ultimately tallying up the lives of innocent people who have died by your choices. You will soon learn that you’ll have to make choices and get blood on your hands.
Graphics
Graphically Trolley Problem Inc. is a very simple-looking game. The title presents you with different problems via a Powerpoint-like format. You’ll get presented with small questions, and you’ll see a timer count down, as well as a few moving parts on the picture that is shown. Other than that, the screen will get distorted from time to time, and the small ‘story’ segments in-between problems will contain a realistic picture most of the time. Overall, the simple presentation works well for this game.
Sound
The sound design is top-notch. You’ll be treated to superb voice acting narrating the entire experience. The voice is very pleasant to listen to, and it adds a lot of charm to the equation. The voice acting goes hand in hand with the increasingly haunting music, as well as the few sound effects sprinkled in between. We could probably say that the sound design is what truly amps up the atmosphere of the game.
Gameplay
It’s hard to place Trolley Problem Inc. in a specific genre. The game simply presents you with certain thought experiments, with a story tying all these hypothetical situations together. You will always have two options for each of the questions that are posed, and you often have to decide which action is the best in your own personal opinion. It often boils down to picking the lesser of two evils by actively doing something bad, or ignoring what is happening and seeing how things play out. The game is extremely simple, and while it does turn grimmer with each question, it does make you think.
The game starts out with fairly realistic situations at the beginning, albeit in the sense that you can imagine how things could play out. The further you go, things will turn to the absurd, but the game does manage to remain interesting throughout its 90-minute span. You’ll also notice a few slight horror situations thrown in the mix, which is enforced by the great sound design and some spooky screen distortions.
As a whole, the game’s biggest draw comes from making you think and also by making you feel bad when it comes to the choices you have to make. We hope many people will never have to make any of the decisions that are presented here, but it’s a great way to see how you’d act in certain situations. The game then pushes you further by always showing the consequences of your decisions, such as people dying, customers getting angry, or even how it would affect your own health.
Conclusion
Trolley Problem Inc. is a very interesting thought experiment wrapped up neatly in a game. We loved the game from start to finish, and even though you could play the game again to see different outcomes, we also found this title to be a small bite-sized experience for in-between bigger titles. The game does one thing perfectly: it makes you think. Some may find this a superb experience, while others will probably be slightly disappointed by the game’s turn to the absurd. Nonetheless, if you’re interested in thought experiments, such as the original 1967 Trolley Problem, we suggest you look into this one.
Trolley Problem, Inc. - Review,
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