Trawl

Before purchasing this game based on the overall user reviews, which currently stands at "Mostly Positive", be sure to note that the majority of positive reviews all consist of people who received the game for free. That said, I bought this game thinking it was similar to Jalopy. In other words, a game that looks simple but unraveling into something more as you continue playing and trigger a story to unfold. In fact, that's exactly what I thought would happen when my radio blew up after I was chasing the signal. Here is the thing... that's the last even that happens in the game, and it only takes 2 minutes for that to happen. Do not purchase unless you get this game for free or you want to waste your money on a unity demo.

I like the concept of giving the player a chance to express themselves, but this infuriating typewriter sim doesn't do it well. The developer says himself that the typewriter is the centerpoint of the game but you literally cannot sit and type anything substantial without setting off a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bell (which is exactly as loud as you'd expect a naval bell to be) that rings unendingly until you go and cycle the trawl, at which point it will be silent only so long as you don't try to write anything on the typewriter, because for some reason theose things are linked in a very un-subtle way. Meaning you can walk around the boat in silence and stare out at the dark ocean in silence but you cannot sit down and write in silence. It's like a bad halfway-point between really cool existential gaming (where nothing is encouraged or rewarded, and the correct action is always whatever the player chooses to do) and all the other straightforward clearly-defined-goal-oriented stuff. The player that wants to relax and enjoy the experience of creating something is prevented from doing so because the developers decided that the pace at which the player discovers items must be rapid and frenzied. However it is absurd that the devs are even considering the feelings of the goal-oriented audience in the first place since a game like this would not in a thousand years appeal to the goal-oriented audience. So here's my advice. Get rid of the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bell. Make a light that turns from red to green or something. If you absolutely must put some kind of intrusive trawl-alert, make it one that doesn't interrupt and actively discourage the entire purpose of your game. Also the list that is permanently overlaid on the typewriter pages grows over time, so if you discover too many items you can't see what you're typing anymore. Fix that, too. Oh, and there's a bug where the bell triggers even if you haven't put the trawl out, so you can just sit at the typewriter and write spam and spawn discovered items non-stop. I paid six bucks for the opportunity to give you my honest feedback so I hope you appreciate it. But I really do like the concept of the game.

I start on trawler I drive trawler I drop net over board I find item I collect item I drop net again I collect item I drop net again I collect item My radio breaks I write note and throw it over board Game complete In all seriousness I know this game is intended to be a make your own story kinda thing from collecting items, but it does get repetitive and after collecting three items I was almost happy my radio broke. The controls were like any other game smooth and the game ran well I just feel like one play through was enough for me and I didnt see $6 value. Ill give the game a thumbs up becuase while the game wasnt for me I can see how some people may enjoy the game and in all honesty it wasnt buggy and did play well. Anyway check out my video and make up your own mind :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3QJPgVwZPM

This is not really a game. It's more like a tool if you want to be doing some creative writing. I think it is really neat. The way the waves splash around you in the lonely night while you sit down in your cabin writing on an old typewriter! The best part is, that the "game" saves everything you wrote to a folder in your Documents section. Meaning, you can recover the things you write. If you have some money to spend, I absolutely reccomend this game. If you don't like to write, don't buy it.

https://youtu.be/vPCqm-z_F48 My video is short and to the point. Not sure there is much more to this game. There is low key and then there is trawl. I think it is solid but more at the 2 Euro price point. It would be a true thumbs up if it was cheaper or had more (any) story. Its really a one out of two thumbs up from me

Trawl is arguably the neatest yet most unsettling experimental game on Steam. The whole thing consists of being stuck on a little old trawler at sea, dragging up mysterious items from the depths and writing fantastical stories about them on your old typewriter, then stuffing the stories in a bottle and tossing it into the water. You can link the items if you want, or do a separate write up for each, the game does not care either way. Figuring out where to trawl is as simple as dropping the net, firing up the engine, and steering until whatever's in the radio say hi. Not joking about the radio, it's one of the spookiest things I've encountered in any horror game. This is an older Unity title so expect the odd glitch upon clicking and grabbing things to turn or steer them, just let go and the item should reset. The visuals in Trawl are great if a bit dated, the audio is fine apart from the radio which I really love but also hate lol. Achievement hunters, you'll finish this in under 20 minutes depending on what stories you come up with. I love this game. I really shouldn't with how short it is but I do. Note there is a selection of items you can pull from the depths but it is limited, in my original half hour I saw repeats so replayability is somewhat low. Suggesting a buy at full price is...probably not something I'd say to go for, but if it ever goes on sale again definitely grab this.

It's a writing prompt game. Expect and be ready for that, and you'll likely have a very good experience. Or more accurately, you may have a real writing experience. Feeling good about your writing can be hard. Trawl puts you in an imagined space where distractions have been reduced. It calms you and then gives you a focus for your thoughts. It is minimalist because it needs to leave room for you.

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/9686972/]Follow "[b]First Person Exploration and Puzzle Games[/b]" for more games like this![/url][/quote] Is this game a joke? It's complete garbage. You throw a net into the water, and after a while you catch random things. The game claims there's a story, but as far as I could tell there isn't. You can type a note on a typewriter and throw it into the sea, which brings you back to the main menu. I couldn't even figure out how to navigate the menu, neither the mouse nor keyboard works (you have to hit 'enter' to start the game) That's literally it. I would not recommend this game for free. Look elsewhere.

This game should be called "Trolling" because without some sort of point I feel trolled for paying for and playing this.....

Experimental Art is certainly not for everyone, especially if it presents itself in form of a "videogame" (maybe calling it "interactive art" would be more fitting). For me it is always refreshing and inspiring to see such lovely little experiments. This is no exception. It's thoughtful and can indeed be an inspiring ground for creative writing. Recommended for those interested in the subject.