The Trolley Solution Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-04-24
  • Highly praised humor and entertainment
  • Diverse and enjoyable minigames
  • Creative take on the trolley problem
  • Mini-games are frustrating and tedious
  • Gameplay is boring and lacks depth
  • Game is too short
The Trolley Solution header

Emotions

Archetypes

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

Highly praised humor and entertainment: The game is widely appreciated for its humor, creativity, and entertainment value. Players find it genuinely funny, with a variety of scenarios and parodies that provide good laughs and enjoyable experiences.

Diverse and enjoyable minigames: The game offers a variety of minigames that are described as cute, amusing, and fun. These minigames are entertaining and varied, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the game.

Creative take on the trolley problem: The game masterfully handles the trolley problem, introducing various daft and creative variants. It pushes the classic ethical dilemma to its craziest extremes, offering multiple versions and interesting twists.

Simple yet engaging concept: The game's concept is simple yet challenging, with each level bringing surprises and fun narratives. Players find the idea cool and enjoyable, contributing to a positive experience.

Unique and quirky bonus levels: The bonus levels in the game are particularly noteworthy, ranging from a trolley dating sim to a trolley clicker and even an on-rails shooter. These levels offer unique and quirky tasks that add to the game's charm.

Common complaints

Mini-games are frustrating and tedious: Many players find the mini-games in the game to be frustrating, tedious, and not enjoyable. These mini-games often feel clunky, too long, or poorly designed, leading to a negative player experience.

Gameplay is boring and lacks depth: The overall gameplay is described as boring, dull, and lacking in depth. Players feel that the game does not offer satisfying or engaging gameplay, leading to limited replayability.

Game is too short: The game is criticized for being too short, with a playtime of around 1 to 1.5 hours. Players feel that the game does not offer enough content for its price.

Levels are poorly designed: Some levels in the game are criticized for being poorly designed, repetitive, or frustrating, leading to a negative player experience.

Achievements are tedious: The achievements in the game are described as tedious and difficult to obtain, often requiring repetitive gameplay or multiple playthroughs.

Gameplay and performance

Trolley problem central theme: The game heavily features the trolley problem, including various scenarios, mini-games, and comedic references related to this ethical dilemma.

Diverse mini-games included: The game offers a wide range of mini-games, including those based on philosophical themes, time-based challenges, and various tasks.

Decision-based and moral gameplay: Gameplay revolves around decision-making and moral choices, with accessible and instinctive mechanics.

Parody and humor: The game includes themed parodies and humoristic tones, referencing various genres and philosophical themes.

Completion system and unlockables: The game includes a level completion system with requirements for 100% completion and unlockable side levels.

Smooth performance: Many players have reported that the game runs smoothly and is lightweight, indicating good performance on various systems.

Graphical settings limitations: The game lacks anti-aliasing options and does not support borderless windowed mode, which are important graphical settings for many players.

Control scheme issues: Players have reported problems with mouse to touchpad controls and touchscreen controls, suggesting a need for improvement in the control scheme.

FPS limitations: In fullscreen mode, the game is limited to 45 FPS, while in windowed mode, it can hit 144 FPS. This discrepancy might be an issue for some players.

Quick loading times: The game has been praised for its quick loading times, which enhances the overall gaming experience.

Recommendations

Highly recommended game: Several reviews enthusiastically recommend the game, highlighting its positive reception among players.

Recommended for humor and philosophy lovers: The game is often recommended for those who enjoy surreal humor, comedy, and philosophical themes.

Try absurd trolley problems: Some reviews suggest trying out the 'absurd trolley problems' as an alternative or additional experience.

Buy DLC for better value: Purchasing the Deluxe Edition or DLC is recommended for better overall value.

Play with friends: The game is noted to be enjoyable when played with friends, enhancing the overall experience.

Buying context

Community fair range: $5.00 - $8.00.

Game completion: 2.5h.

Story completion: 2.0h.

Session length: 0.3h.

Endgame: 1.5h.

The game is initially fun and engaging, especially with friends, but quickly becomes tedious and repetitive due to lengthy minigames and poor pacing.

Friction: Lengthy and repetitive minigames; Poor pacing; Tedious achievements; Controls.

Player profiles

Completionist Grinder: Grinding through multiple playthroughs and challenging achievements. Motivation: Achieving 100% completion. Stance: sale.

Enthusiastic Advocate: Exploring various genres and appreciating the game's charm. Motivation: Enjoying and promoting unique and high-quality gaming experiences. Stance: buy.

Value-Conscious Player: Waiting for sales and evaluating cost versus content. Motivation: Getting the best value for their money. Stance: sale.

Platform notes

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals several key issues. Localization problems, particularly with the Japanese language support, are significant and impact the user experience negatively. Additionally, the control scheme requires some adjustment, as the default settings are not optimal and users need to switch to touchscreen controls for a better experience. Despite these issues, users find the game fun and playable on the Steam Deck.

Linux and Proton: There is insufficient evidence to determine the compatibility of the game with Linux or Proton.

Extra review signals

Monetization: The game's monetization strategy, particularly regarding its DLC, has received significant criticism. Key issues include locking essential content behind a paywall, the perceived low value and quality of the DLC, and the pricing strategy. These factors contribute to a negative perception of the game's monetization approach.

Other review notes

DLC needed for achievements: Players are frustrated that they need to purchase additional DLC content to unlock all achievements in the game.

Hotfix adjusted scenario lengths: A recent hotfix has shortened some scenarios, which could be seen as a positive or negative change depending on player preferences.

Planning Steam Deck play: Some players are expressing their intention to play the game on the Steam Deck, indicating interest in portable gaming.

Creator interaction on Twitch: Players appreciate or mention interactions with the game's creator during a Twitch stream, highlighting community engagement.