Trench Tales

About

Trench Tales is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Talking Drums and was released on May 6, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Trench Tales is a dark, surreal third-person action game set in a war-torn world blending early 20th-century and fantastical elements. Players explore interconnected zones, engage in deliberate combat using melee, ranged weapons, and abilities, and upgrade gear through scavenging. The game emphasizes environmental storytelling with minimal dialogue, immersing players in a bleak, haunting atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 398 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

optimization9 negative mentions

The game has a unique and intriguing WWI-inspired horror setting that combines dark aesthetics with supernatural elements.
The atmosphere and art style are visually stunning, creating an immersive experience that draws players in.
The developer is highly communicative and responsive to community feedback, showing dedication to improving the game through frequent updates.

The game is currently very rough and unpolished, feeling more like a tech demo than a finished product, with numerous bugs and performance issues.
Gameplay mechanics, including movement and AI behavior, are clunky and need significant refinement to enhance the overall experience.
There is a lack of clear direction and narrative, making it difficult for players to engage with the game and understand their objectives.

gameplay
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
69%
10%
The gameplay of the game is currently criticized for being clunky, buggy, and unpolished, with many mechanics feeling awkward and lacking refinement. While the atmosphere and concept show promise, players report issues such as poor controls, frustrating mechanics, and a lack of clear direction, making the experience feel more like an early tech demo than a finished product. Despite these challenges, there is a sense of potential for improvement as the developers continue to update and refine the game.
- “This is a rich world being actively made, the gameplay is getting increasingly solid with the third-person shooter mechanics I am finding generally enjoyable and the environments are thematic, atmospheric, and immersive.”
- “The core gameplay is engaging, the atmosphere is unique, and you can clearly see the direction the developers are going in.”
- “Even at this early stage, the game has a rock-solid foundation for its gameplay.”
- “And the gameplay was also very boring and unrealistic for a WW1 game. You can go around kicking down a whole house, and most of the other gameplay was just walking. It told me to climb, but every time I hit the button, it just made me do a roll.”
- “Its a buggy mess at the moment, as simple as that. There's a massive delay when you pick up things or kill enemy soldiers. Sometimes you waste ammo due to this because they still return fire despite being already dead. There's no jump key in a map full of rocks, and I was often getting unnecessarily stuck. Soldiers spawn literally next to you, especially during 'hunts.' I encountered invisible soldiers twice, and the performance is quite poor; every time you turn around slightly, you get massive frame drops. This game feels like a very early alpha at the moment.”
- “But for now, the gameplay, shooting mechanics, and hit detection — everything feels so very rough.”
atmosphere
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
35%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive, haunting, and visually stunning qualities, effectively capturing a dark and gritty world reminiscent of a war-torn setting. Many reviewers highlight the strong art direction and sound design, which contribute to a sense of dread and mystery, although some express concerns about the game's early access state and the need for more engaging gameplay elements. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, showcasing significant potential for future development.
- “The atmosphere, art design, and the whole concept of the game are very engaging.”
- “The atmosphere is haunting and the shooting feels amazing when you are able to stay alive long enough.”
- “The atmosphere and art style are the heart of Trench Tales.”
- “Atmosphere has a certain level of dread, filled in with a grim yet gritty world, and it is very pervasive in the environment.”
- “The atmosphere of the game makes me fear long stretches and it feels like you're being watched.”
- “This isn't your typical historical shooter; it layers a distinct gothic atmosphere and an eerie storyline that promises to delve into unsettling territory.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the stunning art style and atmospheric visuals that effectively convey a gritty wartime aesthetic. However, others criticize the graphics for not matching promotional images, experiencing performance issues even on high-end PCs, and lacking essential graphical settings. Overall, while the aesthetic and atmosphere are highlighted as strong points, many users feel the graphics need further refinement and optimization.
- “The visuals—rain-slicked wood, tattered flags, and ominous skies—are breathtaking, blending gritty wartime aesthetics with dark fantasy.”
- “The atmosphere, visuals, movement, and gunplay are all very good.”
- “Its atmosphere and art style are phenomenal, exploration is endlessly fun, and the solo developer’s passion and engagement make it a project worth rallying behind.”
- “The graphics look nothing like the photos; I have a very good PC (Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 5080), yet on max settings, the game didn't even look too good.”
- “I'm not sure if the problem is my monitor or the game, but the graphics are sub-par. The gameplay is confusing with no directions whatsoever and a horrific jumping/climbing mechanic.”
- “The visuals are atmospheric, yet gameplay lacks refinement and clarity, leaving the experience feeling more like a concept than execution.”
story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
80%
6%
The game's story is currently in its early stages, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a coherent narrative and structured quests. While the overarching premise involving two brothers in a haunting WW1 setting shows potential, the execution is marred by bugs, vague objectives, and a lack of engaging storytelling elements. Despite these issues, some reviewers remain hopeful for future updates that could enhance the narrative depth and overall experience.
- “The world-building, lore, and story are still developing, but the foundation is incredibly promising.”
- “This isn't your typical historical shooter; it layers a distinct gothic atmosphere and an eerie storyline that promises to delve into unsettling territory.”
- “The storytelling potential is enormous, and the narrative breadcrumbs you’ve already placed hint at a rich universe waiting to be fully explored.”
- “While fun, the mechanics are clunky and outside of gibberish spoken by enemies and the, I guess currently, non-functional shop, there really isn't much lore to dig into or story bits to find.”
- “I have no idea what this 'story-driven' part of the title is, because it's more open-ended and narratively empty than the odd indie souls-like title.”
optimization
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
68%
24%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including frame drops and bugs that hinder gameplay. Many users describe it as feeling unpolished and in an early alpha state, with problems such as delayed actions, erratic enemy behavior, and poor controller support. While some players have noted improvements in performance over time, the consensus is that the game requires extensive optimization before it can be considered playable or worth its current price.
- “It's only been three weeks since the last review and the game is currently optimized to such an extent that the idiots in the triple A industry should take an example. I have 120 fps on high settings on a 4060 card with 8GB RAM, which is about 50 more than the last time I played. Good job.”
- “This is early development, with everything that comes with it: performance hiccups, ergonomics, combat physics… all this aside, the project is very promising.”
- “Definitely in the optimization department, I have a pretty beefy PC and I'm averaging 40 frames on high, which isn't half bad to be honest.”
- “It's a buggy mess at the moment. There's a massive delay when you pick up things or kill enemy soldiers, and sometimes you waste ammo because they still return fire despite being dead. The performance is quite poor; every time you turn around slightly, you get massive frame drops. It feels like a very early alpha at the moment, and the developer should definitely hire some personnel to help with development.”
- “In its current state, it is buggy and performance-heavy. The controls are very janky for controller support, and the AI is brain-dead. You spawn with limited ammo, and it could be better optimized for all platforms. I would wait a good while until this is updated a lot more to consider early access.”
- “The performance is not there, and the UI feels horrible to use. Optimization is lacking in places, with collision bugs and unintelligent opponents. Overall, the game is not in a very playable state.”
stability
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is currently a significant concern, with numerous players reporting a wide range of bugs and glitches, including input responsiveness issues, character and enemy behavior anomalies, and performance drops. Many reviewers describe the experience as feeling more like an early alpha than a polished early access title, suggesting that substantial development and optimization are needed before it can be considered playable. While some players express optimism for the game's potential, the consensus is that it requires considerable work to address its stability issues.
- “Cool idea but I've lost input responsiveness within the first 3 minutes and then several times within the first hour. Found a lot of other unfixable glitches, including x-ray enemies getting stuck in terrain or out of playable area; this feels more like pre-alpha than early access post-beta sellable title; definitely an uninstall till next update; needs lots of work before it can be anyhow engaging without the need to restart every 2 minutes.”
- “Its a buggy mess at the moment, as simple as that. It's roughly in the state of what Forever Winter was before getting the first few patches. There's a massive delay when you pick up things or kill enemy soldiers; sometimes you waste ammo due to this because they still return fire despite being already dead. There are also invisible soldiers, and the performance is quite poor with massive frame drops. It feels like a very early alpha at the moment.”
- “In its current state, it is buggy and performance heavy. I've been optimistically following this game for a while and was really disappointed when the reviews came out for early access launch confirming the game was a buggy mess.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some players find it immersive and energizing, others are frustrated by the repetitive 45-second loop and describe it as unexciting. Overall, the soundtrack contributes to the game's atmosphere, but many feel it lacks variety and polish, reflecting the game's early development stage.
- “The combat feels great, the atmosphere and ambiance is immaculate, the soundtrack is amazing.”
- “I love World War 1 stuff. After playing a little bit of the early access, I love the outfits of both the player and the enemy soldiers. The music, sounds, and the world make this feel grim and dark.”
- “Music is immersive and energizes me to play the game.”
- “There's only 1 music track, and I'm only an hour into this and I'm already annoyed by the 45-second loop.”
- “Placeholder assets, unexciting music, proof of concept missions, and a lack of explanation of the game mechanics.”
- “Interaction, voice acting, sound effects, music, models, graphics, optimization—none of it is complete.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and unexpected moments, such as amusing body movement bugs and ragdoll physics that can lead to funny situations. While some players may find these glitches frustrating, many appreciate them for adding a charming and humorous element to the gameplay.
- “There's also a few body movement bugs which are funny sometimes.”
- “I will say that your character, when falling or rolling into things, can ragdoll, and while it could be annoying to some, I find it funny as hell and charming.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is praised for its appealing design and integration within urban environments, with reviewers expressing strong appreciation and minimal criticism regarding this aspect.
- “Overall character design is very cool; I don't have much criticism for it. I like it.”
- “Love the character design and urban environments.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the game has good replay value, primarily due to its solid gear customization through scavenging. However, they suggest that an increase in cosmetic options, such as weapon skins and character outfits, could enhance the personal experience and further boost replayability.
- “Replay value: yes.”
- “While the current gear customization through scavenging is solid, an overabundance of cosmetic options—weapon skins, character outfits, or even environmental flair—would make the experience even more personal and replayable.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express confusion regarding the emotional impact of enemy interactions, noting that many foes do not engage unless provoked, which diminishes the tension and emotional stakes of encounters. This ambiguity can lead to a less immersive experience, as the lack of clear hostility affects the player's emotional engagement with the game.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to issues with hit registration, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “This coupled with hit registration makes it a bit tedious to play at the moment.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate a strong negative sentiment towards the game's monetization practices, with users suggesting that it prioritizes profit over player experience, likening it to money laundering.
- “Those guys reek of monetization and money laundering.”