Trolley Problem, Inc. Bringing Misery April 21
Rejoice, or suffer, as Trolley Problem, Inc. barrels onto Steam on April 21. If you love being shamed for your moral choices, it will start at $10.99 (or local equivalent). It’s also part of the London Games Festival on Steam, perhaps rather dubiously listed as “Games Are Good for You.”
Jan Ravens (Dead Ringers, Spitting Image, Skins) narrates the scenarios. There are 55 questions spread throughout the game’s runtime, estimated at approximately 90 minutes. Each question is an ethical quandary, where the player’s actions determine who lives and dies. Forbes has described Trolley Problem, Inc. as “2022’s most important game, but you’ll probably hate it,” intended to provoke thought.
The various questions address opinions on concepts such as war, immigration, vaccines, corporate espionage, and religion. It even gets a little meta in regards to decision making itself. As a new recruit for the fictional company Trolley Problem, Inc., they’ll answer some initial screening questions with two choices and a timer. Then it picks up with a streamer mode, multiple profiles, and various unlockables.
“Everything is awful at the moment, so what better way to take your mind off that fact by playing something which will make you feel worse? Trolley Problem, Inc. presents some genuinely testing and morally challenging scenarios based on philosophical problems and has been designed to spark debate in a format only possible through videogames. The journey isn’t entirely bleak – there are moments that I hope will make players laugh out loud – but ultimately, it’s a game about making hard choices and discovering more about yourself and how your moral compass compares with the rest of the world.”
Samuel Read-Graves, Developer
Read-Graves is a solo developer working out of Bury St. Edmunds. He focuses on small interactive experiences with offbeat narratives. Other works include Gang Beasts (executive producer), Dream, and Mainlining.
Publisher Yogscast Games, founded in 2017 by The Yogscast, seeks out indie experiences to publish. Other titles include Caveblazers, Helheim Hassle, and Landlord Super.
