REVIEW: One Way Trip


Title	One Way Trip
Developer	Beret
Publisher	Beret
Release Date	August 30, 2016
Genre	Adventure
Platform	PS4
Age Rating	M for Mature
Official Website

It’s hard to explain what One Way Trip is supposed to be offhand. It’s a story driven game with some “unique” choices in design. Usually, games have strange things scattered throughout in the form of Easter eggs or strange quests, but this game almost seems to thrive off of the weird and unusual. The only question is, is this game weird enough to illicit enjoyment, or is it too strange to even understand?

The art design is as odd as it gets, but it’s also charming in a sense. The characters have this realistic look to them, but the backgrounds all look cartoony. As the plot progresses, the visuals only get stranger, and even much uglier at times. However, ugliness isn’t necessarily a bad thing here. The random ugly textures, combined with the pseudo-realistic art makes the game very interesting to watch and makes you want to continue going just to see how weird it can get. There’s some animation here and there, but it’s always minimalistic and I always found it amusing. Sometimes a character makes a weird face and starts ferociously bobbing up and down, which I couldn’t help but chuckle at whenever it happened.

The music only adds to the unusual feel of the game, as it incorporates a wide variety of styles. Not all of the music is really good or catchy, but it works with what the game is trying to do. The tunes have a very 2000-esque urban vibe, which I haven’t really seen in games like this. It’s a very welcome inclusion and mixes wonderfully with the unusual ambiance of the game.

Now we get to the biggest issue of the game, and it’s a pretty glaring one. The story of One Way Trip is, for lack of a better term, very boring. It’s very simple, you and your older brother, as well as the rest of the world, have become poisoned by a hallucinogen that was found in the drinking water. The writing in this game is very humorous and clever at times, but it’s just bogged down by characters that I didn’t really care for, and a story that dragged on for far too long. The game lasts for about 10 hours, and it really felt like it could’ve been wrapped up in about half the time. No amount of humorous writing could’ve made this game any less of a chore to sit through.

Overall the game has a very unique approach to everything and the writing is very funny at times, but it’s bogged down by a boring and very drawn out story. You get 10+ hours of gameplay for $14.99, but I just can’t in good faith recommend this to everyone. If the price drops a little and you feel like going on a wild trip, or just having some fun playing with a couple of friends, then I’d say go for it, otherwise, you’re not missing anything by not playing this game.