First Look: Oregon Trail for the iPhone

I am always excited when new titles from Gameloft are announced for the iPhone. Their games are generally well designed and are a lot of fun. Today, their first title for 2009, Oregon Trail appeared on the App Store and of course, we have all the juicy details for you! You will have a lot of fun playing the game on your iPhone, but you will also learn a lot about the historical journey. Really, a history lesson has never been this much fun! 

Setting Up

 When you first start, you can choose either Instant Play or New Game. Instant play bypasses all the cool customization and set-up options and hurls you straight into gameplay. Initially, you will only have access to the Easy and Normal difficulty levels, however, after beating them, you will gain access to the Hard. 

You can choose from 3 professions: Banker, Carpenter and Farmer. Of course, I chose the Carpenter because I love building and fixing stuff. When you choose a profession, you are given a quick synopsis as to your budget and the 'fringe benefits' that come with the job. We were a bit disappointed that the only main characters were male, however, we do understand that this best reflects the historical context in which the game is set. Your traveling party consists of 5 people (you, your wife and 3 kids) and you can customize their names and your kid's sex. You must also choose your wagon type: Basic, Prairie Schooner and Conestoga Wagons. Finally, you must choose your month of departure: March, April or May. 

Gameplay

The soundtrack is ridiculously fun and the sound effects are well placed and very effective in enhancing the overall experience. The music changes depending on the time of day, your location or the safety of your party. For example, in the night you will hear the howling of coyotes and while hunting, you will hear fast techno tunes. The game's graphics are off the charts and the menu animations are really great. It is obvious that Gameloft really paid attention to details and the controls and menu system are very effective. With the swipe of a finger you can hide or show menu items, allowing you to have a full view of the screen when they are not needed.

Interspersed throughout the game are cool "Did you Know" and historical facts that many people will enjoy. However, it is the small in-game tasks such as hunting, fishing, fruit picking or repairing your wagon that really makes Oregon Trail so much. As you complete more tasks, you will gain experience tasks and advance in ranks, You will also unlock certain tools that will be accessible via your menus.

Progress Report

During  one hour of playing, my wagon has broken down twice, two of my kids broke their legs, I've been attacked by natives (I've traded supplies for food with them also) and I've gone hunting and fishing twice. After traveling 496 miles over 50 days, my party's health is still in the green and we are ahead of schedule. I am ranked as an Apprentice.  Ahhh...I'm loving it! 

Overall, our first impression of Oregon Trail were very positive. The game is available in the App Store for only $5.99, grab a copy and let us know what you think! In the mean time, check out our gallery of screenshots.

Oregon Trail is Gameloft's first release for 2009 and we are expecting many more hit releases including Let's Golf (next week) and Terminator Salvation (May 22nd).