About a year ago, my fiancé sent me a TikTok clip of a game that was in development called Tall Trails. I thought it was cute, but it was definitely something he watched more than I did. However, Tall Trails is now set for release on August 4, and it has my full attention. 

At first glance, you may think that Tall Trails is a derpy adventure game that is fun, but not very deep. And while that may be true for most people, I happen to think that there’s a deeper meaning to everything Tall Trails has to offer if you look just beneath the surface. 

Adorably simplistic design

In Tall Trails, you play as Alp the golem. He looks like a potato with arms and legs, and he carries a boot with three slots worth of inventory space that can be filled with items that help you leap, fly, or otherwise navigate the terrain around you. 

Just as Alp has a simple design, the world around him does too. Every location is bright and clean, with a lack of detail that’s somehow still inexplicably filled with details that shouldn’t be there, and some surprises along the way. 

On the second island, there’s a giant vintage computer, and it has a floppy disk drive. I’m revealing my age, here, but it has been a very long time since I saw a computer with that glorious little slot included in the tower, and it made me feel weirdly nostalgic. 

If you think the art style of the game itself is simplistic, it has nothing on the various cutscenes and loading screens. The artwork featured on these is like something I would be able to draw on MS Paint, and I do not mean that in any offensive way whatsoever. The simple, child-like art is so unbelievably charming that you can’t help but smile when looking at it, and I think that’s special. 

A deeper meaning

Despite the simplistic design and generally derpy sense of child-like wonder that permeates everything about Tall Trails, there is a much deeper meaning that I can see, but it is potentially due to me being a chronic overthinker. 

Alp has no purpose. Literally. He woke up on the beach of an island one day with no idea what he was supposed to do with his life and nothing to aim for, and that’s a familiar feeling that a lot of people can relate to. Some of us spend our entire lives wondering what we’re supposed to do with it, or whether we’re doing the right thing. 

Finding a purpose in life is important, but I think that Tall Trails teaches us that the journey towards that purpose is just as important as the purpose itself. Through meeting new friends, finding gifts for them, and generally exploring the world around you almost becomes your meaning in life as Alp, and that’s a strong message. 

Playing Tall Trails is like seeing the world through the eyes of my own inner child, before the idea of needing a purpose in life was ever a concern.

Tall Trails has been developed by Brady Soglin is set to release fully on August 4, 2025. If you’re impatient, or just need a touch of whimsy in your day and a reason to feel happiness, you can go and download the demo right now.