The Trolley Solution Recensie (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

What started out as a blatant nod to an ever-famous dilemma—The Trolley Problem, as penned by Phillipa Foot in 1967 in an effort to illuminate moral philosophy in the form of a simple question—gradually transitioned into a sketchbook-skewered spiel about modern pop culture and tongue-in-cheek humor that, frankly, just didn’t deliver the freight. I think, really, I just wanted a little more from The Trolley Solution than a thread of minimalist mini-games and a web of witty jabs. Maybe I just couldn’t see the humor in it.

The Trolley Solution begins with a familiar question—a question that, thanks to Phillipa Foot, we’ve been actively pondering for decades: If a trolley was barreling along the tracks towards five people, would you pull a lever to re-route it so that it hit just the one person? There’s a piece of philosophy etched into all of this, but frankly, The Trolley Solution isn’t one to stick around and unpack it. Rather, it asks you the question, and then bombards you with a series of seemingly unrelated mini-games. There’s a bit of Subway Surfers in it, and there’s even a Crazy Taxi segment. There’s also a section where you can hatch your own Tamagotchi. Surprise, surprise — it’s a trolley. You can probably see where we’re going with all of this.

Strangely, The Trolley Solution doesn’t try to stick to the one track. Instead, it veers in all sorts of directions in an attempt to latch onto multiple genres. For example, there are moments where you’re barreling through a supermarket in a shopping cart, conversing with an NPC as a trolley, as well as areas where you’re simply acting as a trolley or, in certain situations, guiding a trolley along the tracks or pointing it in the right direction. Frankly, none of this amounts to a big payout. Simply, it gives you a bunch of nonsensical pop culture-referenced activities, and then it derails itself  in just under an hour, effectively leaving you to ponder an unanswered question.

I won’t deny that The Trolley Solution has its fair share of admirable moments. Despite the fact that it makes a mockery of cult classic video game franchises with its own off-brand collection of watered-down imitations, it does bring about some oddly enjoyable segments. Granted, there isn’t a lot of gameplay here, given that most of the experience is intentionally squashed down into troves of one-button challenges. In the opening sequence, for example, the game tasks you with selecting a cup that you believe is hiding a cat. Elsewhere, the game tasks you with flicking various levers as a trolley weaves through the tracks. And that same pattern more or less spreads throughout the majority of the hour-long journey. It’s simple, coherent, and yet, also a bit underwhelming.

Of course, The Trolley Solution is a game that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. Even with light philosophical elements, it isn’t a game that likes to ask the big questions. Rather, it’s a game that exploits a dilemma and ultimately turns it into its own drawn-out joke. Is there a punchline to it? Eh, yes and no. It’s all a little unorthodox, but it knows it all too well, as does it use its kookiness to its advantage to cover more ground and slip into conflicting genres. Is it a puzzle game at heart? Sure. Is it also something of a nod to cult classic video games? Yes. Is it a game that brings its own flavor to the tracks? Not really, no.

The problem with The Trolley Solution is that, while it does foster a pinch of, well, everything, it doesn’t do anything particularly well. To begin with, it’s good for a chuckle. The novelty of, ‘it’s Crazy Taxi with a trolley’ wears thin a lot quicker than I would have expected, though. It’s a one-dimensional joke that, while still applicable in a competition for World’s Worst Dad Jokes, just doesn’t possess that evergreen charm. With a punchline that often culminates in the same a-ha moment, it just doesn’t do a lot to keep you on the edge of your seat. It’ll make you chuckle at first, for sure.But, after ten or twenty minutes, it’ll make you roll your eyes and leave you wanting a little bit more.

When all’s said and done, The Trolley Solution is one of those types of games that you pull out from the bottom of the bargain bin on a whim, and then poke fun at for several minutes before coming to the realization that, pop culture references and the odd joke aside, there wasn’t much pulling you to the platform in the first place. It’s a curious find that piques your interest I’ll admit. But, it’s also a game that, once experienced, eventually leaves you feeling a little deflated and confused. Is it funny? At times, perhaps. Is it worth the time and investment? Probably not, no. And yet, given that it’s a rather niche concept, it might just appeal to you for all the strangest reasons you could possibly think of.

Verdict

The Trolley Solution sidelines philosophy and the moral dilemmas of the original Trolley Problem in favor of a nonsensical series of seemingly irrelevant mini-games and tongue-in-cheek jabs that target the likes of Crazy Taxi, Tamagotchi and Subway Surfers. Does it capture all of these areas in a meaningful way? Not really, no. Does the game, as a whole, do enough to pique your interest for ten or fifteen minutes? Weirdly, it does. But that’s the thing: it isn’t a game that you would naturally go looking for, but rather, an experience that catches your eye from the bottom of the bargain bin. It isn’t a game that will win any kind of award I’ll say that much. Still, if you have the cash to part ways with and a vague sense of humor, then you should take a moment to board this trolley. Just don’t expect a memorable experience, because you won’t find one here.