Some of my earliest gaming memories involve The Oregon Trail. This legendary series has been killing us and thrilling us for over 50 years, and it seems like it just won’t stop. But I’ve recently been thinking about something. I’ve spent a lot of time playing all different types of survival games, all seemingly taking at least some form of inspiration from this franchise. But even as more games in the Oregon Trail franchise continue to release, they all stick close to the original format. At this point, I’d love to see them branch out and try something a little more daring. Potentially, a linear, 3D take on the game we know and love. Let us hunt and survive in the third dimension, please and thank you.
I Don’t Know. Something About Getting Dysentery in ‘The Oregon Trail’ in the Third Dimension Would Just Hit Different
Now, I just need you to hear me out on this idea. The general gameplay loop of The Oregon Trail that we know and love already, just expanded and built upon. Rather than it being our typical side-scrolling adventure, give us complete freedom to roam around. We can stay on the simple path that we’ve been traveling for years at this point, but give us some expanded options. Let us jump off our wagon, going to roam into the woods to hunt for food to feed our families. Survival/crafting games typically fall into one of two types of settings. High fantasy and post-apocalyptic. I want something a little more grounded in reality. Let me go chop down some trees so I can craft a wagon wheel, or a raft so I can ford across the river.
Maybe there’s already a game like this. But if it is, it’s been hiding in the endless halls of the Steam storefront, hidden from my view. I’ve been craving something like this for years, but I can’t find anything that seems to fully scratch that itch I have. The Oregon Trail was one of the first computer games I ever played. Back in Elementary School, slapping away on a Windows 95, I would love to feel that same feeling again. I’m tired of wading through the wastelands or fighting goblins. Let me hunt the Buffalo to extinction, and deal with my rumbling stomach later.
The Idea of Getting To Roam Around in Different Towns and Bartering Sounds Amazing
Imagine all of the possibilities. Crafting different weapons, trading pelts and furs for different equipment. Hunting, fishing, and everything in between. Give us a set number of days we need to try and travel across the Trail, and set us free from that point onward. The idea sounds like it could be something legendary. I think, more than anything, I just want to see something new and exciting come out of the Survival/Crafting genre. I’m a bit tired of the High Fantasy worlds and Post Apocalyptic lands I’ve been roaming for far too long. Yes, I know that ARK exists, but I just want something a little more grounded in reality.
I think if any property would benefit from this type of pivot, it would absolutely be The Oregon Trail. It’s a franchise so many people have been exposed to at some point in their lives, and I would love to see them take a risk and try something bigger and bolder like this. Will it ever happen? I can only hope so, because I would be first in line to try it out. But until it does, I’ll just keep continuing my search for that perfect survival game that checks all the boxes I need it to.
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