"Organ Trail" Review: "Oregon Trail" Meets the Zombie Apocalypse

"Organ Trail" is a Flash game where the classic computer game "Oregon Trail" meets the Zombie Apocalypse. It launched during the last quarter of 2010, and the final release version went live on February 22^nd, 2011, which included a final installment of updates, music, art and a climactic finale. Developed by The Men Who Wear Many Hats, "Organ Trail" is an absolute must-try for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the original "Oregon Trail," or the Zombie Apocalypse theme. It is available on the official website, or in a Facebook app without all the bells and whistles normally employed in social networking applications.

"Organ Trail" Review: Five People in a Station Wagon

While the original "Oregon Trail," which was based on the historical event of the same name, featured a 5-person group of settlers in the 1800, the "Organ Trail" puts those same five survivors in modern times within a world overrun by zombies. Players can name each individual survivor, who is never of a specified gender, before choosing which type of character they want to play. As in the original, the three choices determined your starting money and potential experience. For example, the cop from Kentucky begins with more hours available to collect supplies, whereas the clerk or the lawyer offers a greater challenge but a better final score. Users can view the Survivor Top Ten within the game, which allows them to see their score in relation to all other ranked players.

"Organ Trail" Review: Supplies, Hazards and Zombies

Players spend the allotted amount of hours scavenging for supplies. Gas, food, medical kits, ammunition, spare car parts and money all require hours of scavenging. As with the original "Oregon Trail," players will encounter potential trades along the trip-but most of them won't be the extra fuel, spare battery or bullets desperately needed. Money is always useful along the trip, because at each city the players can outright purchase more supplies.

During the trip, players can "Scavenge for Food," which replaces the option of "Hunt for Food" in the original "Oregon Trail" game. Instead of shoot buffalo and squirrel, the pixilated character gathers shopping carts and bags while shooting green zombies. The shopping cart affords the biggest amount of food, but only 200 ounces can be carried back to the station wagon at a time.

As in the original, the "Organ Trail" version has random hazards which greatly impact the party. These include being bitten by a zombie-after which the afflicted character continuously loses health unless they are killed by the party leader. Yes, "Kill Party Member" is an option at any time during the trip. Storms and other environmental conditions can slow the party down, and players can determine the pace (and food rations) settings for the trip.

Stopping to rest will obviously cost precious hours to tick away, but it will also allow your characters to regenerate health, which is crucial for keeping them alive on the trip. Medical kits are expensive, and you can easily blow through your whole supply of them with just one randomly bitten character. There are rumors of a cure for the zombie infection circulating online, but that's for the players to discover...

"Organ Trail" Review: Final Verdict

For anyone who has played the original "Oregon Trail," this latest version-even with an infusion of zombies-the "Organ Trail" is part nostalgic trek, part clever revision. The game designers did a wonderful job of keeping the elements of the original which have made it a timeless classic; customizable names, amusing random encounters, and an authentic dose of danger. What "Organ Trail" lacks in expensive graphics and superb score, it makes up for them in ingenuity and novelty. Without a doubt, it is a can't-be-missed free browser game worth at least one visit, and I would rate it an unquestionable 4/5 stars.