TRAILS

Explore iconic sites on beautiful trails across the US!

My family has always loved traveling the world and visiting the various national parks. When was released, we were itching to try it out. Partnering with the artist initiative FiftyNineParks, Keymaster Games started a beautiful journey to create a variety of exploration and hiking games. Released soon after PARKS, TRAILS was a new standalone game that felt like a minified version.

In TRAILS, you are hikers going back and forth across trails, collecting acorns, leaves, and stones along your path. You will also encounter wildlife! With each trailhead and trail end, you will collect new badges that describe your countless journeys. You will also photograph the awe-inspiring scenes you saw along your way. The more birds you spot, the better the chance you will take home the bird trophy. Whichever hiker earned the most points at the end of the game wins!

Mechanics & Categories: Family, Animal, Adventure, Resource Management, Set Collection, Worker Placement

ART STYLE - FLAT GRAPHIC DESIGN

Though there is a smaller variety of art than in PARKS, TRAILS still brings seven multi-sided views for both day and night, representing iconic scenes across America. Each element, including the tile artwork, is in flat design, a personal favorite of mine; very minimal and geometric. The art of beautiful sunny days and starry nights makes you reminisce on hikes you have taken.

STORYTELLING NOSTALGIA

In a quaint way, TRAILS reminds you of earlier times hiking in national parks and trying to collect all the badges of each location you have been to. Remember all the remarkable rocks you used to find along the way? Each location acts as a photographic location marked in these national parks.

EARTHY COMPONENTS

I really like when games use thick cardboard tiles for elements instead of cards. They tend to last longer. The canteens and sun are also in this thick cardboard as well. The cards also seem synthetic, which feels great and stands up to wear over time.

There are small, colored wooden cubes in earthy, natural colors of mossy green, light gray, and clay maroon. I wish these were actually shaped like acorns, stones, and leaves, like in PARKS. If PARKS did that, so could TRAILS. The single die is natural wood with engraved black iconography, which feels on theme with everything else.

The meeples are shaped like hikers, which is a nice touch, yet it is confusing they are in the same colors as the resource cubes, which, without reading the rules, often makes you think each player gets the corresponding cubes. There is also a large bear meeple which is always cool to see.

LOW COMPLEXITY

TRAILS is exceptionally lightweight yet has layers that make it fun even for the most strategic. Throughout the game, you are just moving your hiker and obtaining resources, and then using those resources to collect park badges. If you can count, you can play this game. Kids can even grasp this simple game.

However, you can only have eight resources at once, making things a bit more complicated. You can only move one or two spaces along the trail at any time unless you use your water canteen to push you further along the trail. These extra details add a bit of race to the game to try and beat your opponents to the badges or trail space actions you wish to take. Players who can seize these opportunities may fare better in the long run.

TRAVEL-FRIENDLY

Everything has a place in the nice, small, rectangular box. I’d even say you could bring it on a hike and play at the summit of wherever you are going! The real estate required to play the game is relatively small. Four people can play, so if you want to have a thematic game day with friends or family, play on a trail or at a picnic table nearby and enjoy nature around you!

You can even play this on a plane and fit it in a small purse. This is a great, lightweight option to bring as a break from all your exploring on any trip you pursue.

Improvements:

I don’t have any significant improvements to be made. I think for its complexity level, TRAILS has been designed quite well. Aside from the component cubes not being laser cut into the actual resources like its predecessor, PARKS, I would only change the photography. Though it does appear you can buy upgraded components, so clearly, they did think of this.

The reality of hiking is that you encounter a wide variety of wildlife. The photograph cards could easily have incorporated all different sorts of animals. The game would have told a better story if I could choose which wildlife I encountered and was able to photograph. Perhaps even scoring bonuses for a variety of animals found? Regardless, I love nature, and birds only scratch the surface.

Final Comments

TRAILS is a great, lightweight game. It moves quickly and doesn’t make your head hurt. No, it is not challenging, and sometimes your options for gameplay feel limited since there is so little to do. I like taking a break from the heavier games we play for an experience like this.

I also love the outdoors, and this game truly encompasses that feeling. The ability to play this outside on a nice day adds to the ambiance. This would be an excellent choice if you need a gift idea for some outdoorsy friends and family. Non-gamers will enjoy this little hiking game!

Similar To: PARKS, Summer Camp

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Publisher: Keymaster Games

Game(s) Pictured: TRAILS