I am the tyrant of the trolley line and I will fist fight you
Troleu is a new game from publisher Critical Reflex that tasks the player with managing a trolley, and gives them near infinite authority to match.
I live in Toronto, a city with solid public transit. I can get anywhere in an hour, thanks to living in a neighborhood that’s right between two subway stations. While the TTC is reliable, it’s not always the most pleasant experience. Sometimes people will play music through their phones, eat a stinky snack, or just be impolite. I always smile and ignore these things, but part of me wishes I could take matters into my own hands. Imagine my delight when I discovered Troleu, a new game on Steam about running a humble little trolley with the iron fist of a tyrant.
Finally, this game puts the power where it belongs: right in the hands of transit authorities, who can finally sock it to ungrateful transit-goers who have had it too good for too long. If someone has an expired ID or mismatched photo, I have to kick them so hard they’re knocked unconscious, at which point I throw them off my trolley. Sometimes the trolley is moving while I do this and I have to fumble to open the door. These are the sacrifices I have to make to maintain order around here.
I roam the trolley like a spectre [Ed. note: sigh. Canada.], making sure everyone is in order. If you’re playing music on your phone, I’m there to make sure you’re on thin ice. Is your baby crying? Get it together, baby. Sometimes, people refuse to pay the fare – which, I may remind you, is a pittance compared to the costs of car insurance, maintenance, and gas – and decide to square up. I’m not afraid to fight anyone. I will win, I will throw your unconscious body off my trolley, and I will steal your phone.
Video:andrground/Critical Reflex via Rogue | A short clip of Troleu, showing me fist-fighting an unruly guitar playing patron and then tossing him unceremoniously from my trolley.
At least, this is what I think at first, until I am rudely disabused from this notion by my new nemesis and a dreaded predator: the ticket collector. The ticket collector is a burly, polygonal dude who shows up during your route to check in on everything. Or, at least, that’s his stated motive. I am 100% sure that he is actually here to try and murder me, because if he finds that I’ve been slack on my duties, he will attack me. Every time I watch him as he goes through his routine, and each and every time a rider’s ticket is in order, he visibly hunches over and makes a frustrated gesture.
I think this motherfucker is out to kill me.
That is when the true nature of Troleu clicked for me. This is not just a simple job simulator game, nor is it truly a game about a trolley. This is an ecosystem.
At first, I delight in the thought that I am a predator. I learn the rhythm of a route, practicing the patterns of the shopkeeper and ticket inspector. I pick up extra passengers when I’m overwhelmed with a rush, just so I have extra ammo to kick at him when he inevitably spots an infraction and loses his shit. But then I realize that there’s someone above me, and they’re engineering all of my obstacles: the municipal transit authorities.
The first time I recognized the trap they had set was during my first run outside of the tutorial. I was a third of the way through the route when I noticed I was growing critically low on tickets. The only way to buy more tickets is to wait for a visit from the shadiest merchant since Resident Evil 4. Who is this guy, and why is he running a black market for tickets, fighting upgrades, and other equipment the city should really be taking care of?
Then, like a twisted game of Simon Says, word comes from above that little girls are no longer allowed. I’m forced to kick out every little TikTok preteen who comes on the trolley, lest I want to get fined for the infraction. Sometimes, I have to bust prohibition out on the trolley because there’s a new rule that says no beer, and the next thing I know, I’m fist fighting an old lady because she’s sick of me hassling her.
The nature of my cage becomes even clearer once I unlock more difficult routes. The very first level, the suburbs, is positively tame. I only get into about two dozen physical altercations a day, The biggest danger, I quickly realized, was attracting so many rule breakers that they would all drive each other into a frenzy and inspire a physical fight.
The level after that, Night Shift, has more aggressive passengers and the train no longer has enough electricity to sustain a route, so I have to power up a generator in order to keep things going. Is this game a love letter to mass transit, and a warning to cities who continually cut the funding of public transit? Or is it a reflection on human nature, testing the conditions until we all descend into Lord of the Flies?
I’ve seen some shit, man. I’ve fought a mother who’s holding her infant. I’ve watched travelers rob me blind while I try to get the lights back on. I’d say it’s bleak, but it’s hard to be sad every time I toggle back to the main menu and I watch the ticket inspector dance his silly little dance while goofy music plays.
Troleu released on Steam on Sept. 15, and is available for $7.99 until Sept. 29, at which point the price goes up to ten bucks.