Not a Trolley Problem: Messy morality and addictive progress

There is nothing more likely to drive me to distraction from my actual responsibilities than a good incremental game. I’m not sure what it is about them; maybe it’s the satisfying feeling of constant growth, or maybe it's simply the “number go brrr” effect, as I like to call it. I can happily pour hours of my life into an incremental game without realizing any time has passed at all, and Not a Trolley Problem might be one of my new favorites. 

Not a Trolley Problem is an incremental game based on the philosophical Trolley Problem. If that sounds familiar, I’ve written about another game based on the concept, The Trolley Solution. Essentially, you have a choice between killing five people or killing one person as they’re tied to train tracks. Which choice do you make? 

In the case of Not a Trolley Problem, that choice goes out the window in favor of tying as many people to the tracks as you can in the name of death, profits, and those all-too-important upgrades. 

It’s not like it seems… Maybe

In Not a Trolley Problem, you are a God-like giant floating hand whose only responsibility is to pick up unsuspecting little people and throw them onto the tracks so they can get squished by a little red train, earning you money to spend on upgrades. As you progressively slaughter more little people, you unlock new tasks in the Dilemma Journal, where your answers provide further upgrades depending on whether you kill the one person or the five people.  

The pipeline here is absolute slaughter: money comes in, money gets spent, allowing you to squish more people faster and earn even more money. You can upgrade your God-hand to increase its capacity, unlock additional floating hands that do the work for you, and pack more and more people into the little square where this psychotic little train is located. It is pure chaos, and it is so enjoyable in such a dark way. 

Minimalist graphics help counter the psychopathy

Look, I know how this all sounds. You’re probably backing away ever so slowly, your mouse heading towards the back button like you’re scared I’ll tie you to a track if you move too quickly, but I challenge you to see that money go up and not get a little carried away in the name of completing the upgrade tree.

It helps that the ‘people’ are featureless white blobs that often choose to wander in front of the psycho-train of their own accord, even if you step back and do absolutely nothing. They all seem to have a death wish, along with a staggering lack of appreciation for the nearby danger that makes it almost too easy to speed up the process and earn those upgrades. 

There is, however, a giant white blob person, complete with a hefty HP bar that gradually goes down each time it gets in the way of the little red train. Grinding down this big dude’s health and eventually taking him down will make all of the little people stronger, but it also makes them worth more money, so it balances out in the end.

I wasn’t expecting to find my new incremental obsession while I ate breakfast on a random Tuesday morning, but I’m so glad X decided to introduce me to Not a Trolley Problem. The game is still in development by Neotolis, and I can’t wait to see where they take this absolute gem of an indie incremental. 

If you want to give it a try, there’s a lovely little demo available on Itch.io, which I can confirm has the potential to keep you playing for way longer than you originally intended. You can also wishlist the full game on Steam to be kept up to date as development progresses!