Trip is a pleasant train ride with normal people, like this rigid child who only speaks in dark symbols

Normal games for normal people, that’s what everyone loves. Cozy experiences where nothing goes wrong and you have absolutely nothing to investigate and no need to worry about otherworldly secrets. It might shock you to learn that we were recently fooled by the “normal” garden simulation Grunn, which wasn’t normal at all. But don’t worry, it won’t happen again. Today we present you the usual and not at all suspicious trip in which players wander from carriage to carriage during a long train journey and have a pleasant conversation with the passengers. How long? Let me look at the schedule here, let’s see… “Forever,” it says. Hmm. Must be a misprint.

Oh, all right, I admit it. “Trip” is actually a fantastic crime thriller that gives you a few surprises quite quickly. Why do all these carriages look so familiar? How did this fitness freak manage to get a treadmill on board? Why is this child staring eerily into the corner and mumbling in an unintelligible language? I don’t know. But I guess if I keep riding in the train cars I’ll find you… oh. Oh no.

You can play for yourself – the game is offering a demo as part of the Steam Next Fest. It’s very short, barely 10 or 15 minutes long, and features some really crunchy retro visuals. Mmmm, shaking. I also like the scenery that takes place outside the train as it gently speeds along. The colorful fish jumping out of the water, a lonely house on the horizon seemingly floating on clouds. It’s like a purgatory, claustrophobic Sludge Life.

It was created by Bastien Mahaut, aka “Bastinus Rex,” who plays a bit of a role in the Haunted PS1 community (that explains the retro look). In the previous game, Hamelin, you play the role of a rat scurrying across the rafters in a reimagining of the Pied Piper’s story. In 10 Hours Below, you scroll through a timeline of footage in which a house is continually inundated by the ocean tide in hopes of spotting aquatic monsters. “Trip” looks a little more light-hearted than these, but still has something spooky about it. You’ll see.