Trench Run

Somehow smaller playerbase than kag. That means its dead. Any smaller than kag is dead. Like really really dead and rotting. I mean some people say kag is dead. But i say it isnt. So if the woman who says kag isnt dead says this game is dead. You really know its dead.

I'm sorry, Michal, I love your work but this one just isn't quite doing it for me. So something not particularly well addressed in other reviews is, exactly what IS Trench Run? In short, it's sort of a Smash Bros. take on 2D arena combat games like... well, like Soldat. Except it's kind of pared down. You have two real game modes: free-for-all and team play, supporting up to 4 and 8 players respectively. The twist is that nobody ever dies; although you score "kills" for walloping the hell out of another player, it's more like a game of tag. If you're "killed" you're reduced to crawling and hopping around at a gimped rate, and can't attack. If you can snag a random medkit, you're back in the game but the healthier players can and will swipe these to keep them from you. There are all of two modes available: Free-for-all deathmatch, and team play (4 and 8 players respectively). Free-for-all is simply a series of single-screen arenas that will shuffle when one player is left standing, and the first one to 10 kills wins. Team play features objectives like "reach the other team's end zone" and maybe other stuff I dunno. When starting a game you can pick a class that determines what two things you can do; sniper can disguise as a bush and snipe, demolitions can chuck missiles and set mines disguised as crates, etc. This is all well and good, but... it's where I start to realize that the game is minimalist to a fault. There are two bare-bones game modes. The maximum players in any game is either 4 or 8, even online. The arenas are tiny. You have two action buttons per character. Only the winner gets coins to spend in the lobby, on things like booze, coffee, costumes, and pets which only persist in the lobby where you can't really do anything. On top of all this the game's color palette, which while undoubtedly an accurate recreation of an EGA palette or something, hurts my eyes. It's predominantly sickly tones of yellow, brown, and green. And finally, we're about two days out from the Steam launch and the servers are DEAD. As I type this there are no player-hosted servers, and nobody at all on the US server. There was apparently a record of 31 people playing throughout the entire day. I admire the concept and it's briefly amusing to watch the sprites ragdoll all over the place, but I just don't think it has an ounce of staying power as it is now. It looks like it's maybe still in active development(?), but if that's the case it really should've been listed as Early Access. Please just put Soldat on Steam, already.

I didn't win single match againist bots.. Pros: - its actualy pretty fun! - alot classes you can choose from. - If you win a match you get coins.. you can use them to buy skins on classes and even pets too! - less lag... not like in KAG. I have gaming pc and KAG is lagging for me really alot its unplayable. Cons: - There are no players.. like seriously there is nobody. I really dont know if i recommend this game because there are no players and againist AI its pretty boring but if you have alot friends you can play a local game too.. I want try the Run Game mode soo if you have a mood to play a Trench Run pm me.. shhhhhh... dont tell anyone if you will search for their webpage you can buy it there and if you will use this code: KAGLOVE30 you will have 30% discount.. you will get a steam activation code too... Edit: soo i played run gamemode finaly and i have to say its fun! i love it but it needs more stuff to add.. like the maps they are kinda simple. The maps need some fun! traps or something totaly random !

This game is like Gandhi, [spoiler] Gandhi is dead.[/spoiler]

If you were a fan of King Arthur’s Gold then I have some delightful news to share with you – if you weren’t already aware. Transhuman Design are back with their second Steam game. This time the indie geniuses have put their mind to a multiplayer intended action game that features a sweet singleplayer mode for those who can’t get into a multiplayer game. To date Steamified have featured several multiplayer (including local multiplayer only) games that have been pretty much presumed dead on arrival for a lack of a competent singleplayer mode. I’d like those developers to cast a watchful eye over this game and study it. You can create a game that is fully intended to be played as a multiplayer game – which I believe Trench Run is – and have a successful and well implemented singleplayer mode. It may not save your game entirely but it will give those who gave you their hard earned cash the ability to play your game and not immediately utilize Steam’s refund system. The fact of the matter is that I have yet to get into a local or online multiplayer game of Trench Run. This could have annoyed the hell out of me. I could have screamed blue murder at the developer but they implemented one hell of a singleplayer mode that makes me think that the game is a worthy purchase even if you never end up playing the fully realized multiplayer game. Yes, I’d love to get a game but I haven’t had any luck yet. That’s okay because I play on the Australian servers and usually at weird times. I’m certain that I will get into a game at some point. I can try to play on other servers but as is generally the case with region specific servers I fear that the lag would make the game unplayable for me and that I would be at such a disadvantage as to not make the game a particularly enjoyable experience. This is not on the hands of the developers but a simple reality given the quality of Australia’s Internet and the distance data must travel. The lobby is one of the best for any online game I have ever seen. I love the fact that there is quite a bit to do in this mode while you wait for other players to come on board unless you want to get straight to the action and play the single player mode which is, I believe, the same as games with real players but where you play against bots so that you can get into games quicker. The bots aren’t just a pathetic challenge either as their AI has been programmed very well. Other players, who I hope to play with at some point, have argued that their AI is much better than a lot of the players that they’ve had actual matches with so I have to give kudos to the devs on a job well done. The pixel graphics are fantastic but that was one of the trademarks of King Arthur’s Gold so it is a continuation of what we have come to expect from the devs. I love the choice of music as it really meshes with the gameplay that I have experienced thus far and it makes for a fantastic touch to the lobby. Just as I was about to quit my session another player came on and we were able to have a game with bots. Thanks to ‘Iron Raccoon’. The game was fun and very similar to the normal bot games but Iron Racoon ended up winning the game and doing very well. Unfortunately the game currently lacks achievements and trading cards so I hope that they are added in the future.

I'm terrible at writing, so I'll just give a pros/cons list. Pros: +4 player local co-op (If you have friends that is) +A lobby area to chill and talk with other players between matches, or maybe play a friendly game of basketball +Class variety. No 2 classes play the same, so you're bound to find your preferred style of play. +Jazzy Soundtrack (yes, I know that's very subjective) +Controller support Cons: -There's no in-game progression. Yes you can buy cosmetic stuff in the lobby, but that's only for the lobby. I know some people out there would probably like some game-changing items to buy. -locked at 30fps (although it doesn't really matter too much) -Possibly low number of players (the steam release hasn't hit full swing as of writing this review) Neutral =A bit of a casual game. This is a great game to play with friends and make new ones, but as far as the competitive scene goes, I don't see it going too far (who knows? I might be wrong)

Okay, so I finally decided to give my thoughts on Trench Run. Here is why this game is not worth it's price tag, and should never be bought for the multiplayer. UPDATE: The game is now half the price that it was when I wrote this review, so maybe take that into account when reading. Additionally, the online servers are officially dead, meaning you can only enjoy this game in Couch Co-Op or P2P Online Multiplayer. [h1]Disappointment[/h1] I really wanted Trench Run to succeed. Honestly. However, it sucks to say that due to awful marketing and general apathy from the developers upon launch, the game died in such a short amount of time, I was not even aware of it. This game probably does not even deserve to be on Steam anymore, as all possibility of it ever being remotely successful (and for the matter, nearly as successful as King Arthurs Gold) has been killed by the developers. On top of that, the game's servers are so barren that the chance of finding a player in any of the 4 avaliable servers in the span of a month is nigh impossible. This game was only and I say [b]ONLY[/b] advertised to players of King Arthurs Gold (and ofcourse players of any other game made by Transhuman Design, but who has any of those?). This means that the already miniscule population of King Arthurs Gold is the only crowd that this game is being propogated to. This is EXTREMELY bad for a game, especially one that relies on a healthy and active community. [h1]Why did it fail?[/h1] The answer is simple: the developers thought the concept of Trench Run was interesting. They decided to work on the game for some years, until they decided to release the game bare, to test the waters. The unfortunate part is, they can't just release a game and expect it to take off. As previously stated, a game will not go anywhere without proper care to marketing. Even games that seemingly had no advertising techniques, such as Undertale, took off due to a cult following and hype. This is not the only reason the game failed though. The game itself is not very unique. Sure, the lobby system is fun to ♥♥♥♥ around in, and multiplayer, Co-Op or PvP can be fun if you have some friends over or something. The issue is, was this game even that much of a challenge? Anyone who has played King Arthurs Gold will immediatly be able to see that almost everything about Trench Run was ripped straight from King Arthurs Gold in some way. The engine itself is identical to KAG (King Arthurs Gold), the artstyle and movement also have no differences what so ever (aside from the artsy pallette). The gameplay itself is all just a rip of TDM from KAG and run mode is the only new tech they probably even added to the game. I could easily see this entire game being a well crafted mod for King Arthurs Gold, which has a healthy modding community. [h1]What is good about the game?[/h1] Well, there is a lot to say about how great this game is. Ofcourse, all of those questions are hypothetical as this game will never reach it's full potential due in part to the previously mentioned. But there is one salvation that may make you want to sink in a few hours (or less) into the game. Single player/local multiplayer. This is one of the modes THD (Transhuman Design) really wanted to sell when describing the game in forum posts. This mode allows you to play with your friends via couch system, or just play by yourself. The game itself can be quite fun (if not redundant, short living, and frusturating) for a few hours when hanging out with friends. The gameplay it self offers a nice silly and action filled game with 4 different classes that have two different functions unique to them. Not sure if those maybe 3-4 hours of enjoyment are worth the price though. [h1]What is bad about the game?[/h1] The gameplay in Trench Run can be pretty fun for a little while, until ofcourse you start noticing the horrible flaws. I have played around 3 hours of the game in it's beta state, and around 2 in its released state. In that time, I have soaked out an adequate amount of time out of each class and gamemode. The result? Redundancy. The game is exactly the same everytime. Same 4 maps. Same 5 classes (one of which is exclusive to the elusive [u]"Run"[/u] mode). That is it. There is no other gameplay element at play other than "Shoot/Stab/Blow up the other 3 people and don't get blown up" yet the developers say that this game can be played seriously? I can sum up each class in 10 words or less: [b]Assault[/b]: Left click to shoot, no aiming. Grenades. [b]Demolitions[/b]: Wait a minute, wasn't this the engineer? [b]Commando[/b]: Hold left click + release, die. [b]Sniper[/b]: Right click to hide, click on people. [b]Medic[/b]: Oh sorry, this is only avaliable in [u]"Run"[/u] mode. The classes bring nothing else to the table other than that. The maps get boring and stale fast, as does the redundancy of the gameplay. The only good portion of the gameplay (which hilariously also gets boring fast) is the lobby. Yes, you heard me right, the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ lobby. [h1]The Lobby[/h1] So, when a game decides to focus more so on the literal loading screen of the game more than it does the [b]ACTUAL GAMEPLAY[/b], you know there is a problem. So, what is so great about the lobby? The fact that 90 percent of the entire attention of THD was focused on making that place pimp as ♥♥♥♥. There is a bar, where you can pick your choice of beer or wine, listen to some of the legitamately good music that the band there plays, or hang out in the VIP club which has various bonuses. There is a pet shop where you can buy some neat pets to follow you around the lobby, there is a hat shop to make your character look sweet. Most importantly, though, there is a basketball court where you can play legit games of basketball that are sometimes more engaging than the actual game. The lobby even has a creative way of announcing updates (on the billboard) which are non-existant and queing you for a match (via truck). The problem with all of this? You actually need to play the game to use the lobby. Playing the game provides you with coins, which you need to do ANYTHING in the lobby. Honestly, even if the lobby was technically incomplete (they had many more plans to improve the lobby further), I feel like the coins system is my biggest complaint about it. [h1]Final Verdict and TL;DR[/h1] So? Final thoughts? Should you buy this game, or even follow it at all? I think its plain to say that the answer is NO. The amount of time (and frankly, fun) that you get out of this game is so limited in its current state (which will most likely be its permanent state) that it is not even worth the small price tag. Every function of the game (not even mentioning the amount of bugs in the game) is detrimentally flawed in some way. [b]TL;DR[/b] Trench run should not be purchased and is not worth the money. This is because the community is more than dead (it has transcended dead, somehow) and the gameplay itself is not even all that spectacular. [h1]Similar Game Recommendations[/h1] If you liked the concept of Trench Run, but want a game that is alive, here are some: [b]King Arthurs Gold[/b]: If you are here, you probably know about this game. If not, you have at least seen me refer to it a lot during the review. It is essentially Trench Run with mod support and a semi-active community. [b]Multiplayer Terraria[/b]: Another game you probably know about. Multiplayer servers on Terraria provide plenty of free for all or team PvP fun. [b]Broforce[/b]: A combination of epic pixel graphics, badass gameplay, and sweet campaign that can also be multiplayer make Broforce an awesome counterpart to Trench Run. With that I shall conclude the review. If you fully read up this point, I thank you. This review is probably the one I have spent the most time on.

Fast, accessible and completely hilarious mayhem. You have two game modes to choose from and one of the best online multiplayer lobbies I've ever seen in my life. There is the Skirmish mode, which is a free for all single life per round game mode. First to get eight kills wins the match. Second there is the Run mode, two teams try to reach the opposite side of the map. First team to cross, or eliminate the other team, wins. Match is the best of five rounds. There are simple yet distinct classes to choose from, based on classic shooter archetypes. And the lobby is seriously entertaining too. Hang out and chat at the barrista, play a pick up game of 2D basketball, or pick up a fancy outfit or a pet. Of course you can always spend your hard earned winnings the old fashioned way and get hammered at the bar. The game also boasts crisp and responsive controls and totally over the top physics. Round that out with online and local multiplayer with full bot support so you never have to go without a game. Totally worth the price of entry and then some.

Maybe if it had players, but it doesn't. And the game's forums are plagued with "wait until it comes out on steam, it'll get players then!" sort of posts, which makes it a running problem. It's also an inherently simplistic game, so it won't have staying power.

The developers sent me an E-Mail about this game (since I bought KAG) I expected this to be similar to KAG, but it's very much just a party game, with none of the depth of KAG. It's actually very shallow, and no one seems to play it online. And I honestly feel a bit cheated heh! But I don't mind giving these guys my money, seeing as how they brought me so much joy with KAG. I will however give this a negative review as I didn't find this game very fun at all.