Trago is an interesting game. Mostly because sooner or later we’ve all been in a similar situation to what the game portrays. With some differences, of course, but Brazilian studio SpaceGiraff3 have captured a slice of life with this game. And it feels refreshing.
This is the situation. Just picture it. You finish work, you’re tired and a bit burnt out. And yet you don’t go home, there’s not really much for you there. So what do you do? You head to the bar. And you stay there for a while until you have enough liquid courage to go home. Or until you get quicked out because you’re too drunk. That’s the situation that Trago portrays.
Although the game does it in an interesting way. Trago puts you right in the middle of a mystery that you have to solve. Because if you don’t solve it, you might die.
What’s Your Poison?
Trago takes place over four days. We play as Juca, a young man who walks into the titular bar to drink his sorrows away. There he’ll meet Joana, the bartender, and Carlos, who used to work in the bar.
Trago is an interesting game because of how it’s presented. It could be defined as an interactive fiction game. But it’s up to you to decide whether to explore the story or not. You can do that by talking to whoever is in the bar or by talking to other people on the phone. You can even watch TV. But there’s a catch, some of these actions, phone calls in particular, require you to consume a number of shots.
Drinking requires you to tap letters. They get more complex the more you drink, but there’s another thing you have to consider. If you drink a lot you could get blackout drunk. So drink responsibly. And fast because you only have a limited time to do stuff before the bar closes for the day.
Another One?
Trago is a very short game. It might take you about five minutes to finish the game. But the game is replayable. There are several endings you can get depending on your actions in the game. Depending on what you discover, and what you do, you will have different outcomes. You might die, you might survive, or you might get an ending where everyone is happy. Or are they?
Despite how short it is, there’s a lot of stuff in Trago. Especially in terms of doing things differently to get another ending. There are also some fourth wall breaking moments that might be a bit odd, but they make the experience interesting in the end. You can also unlock different drinks, although that seems to be more of a curiosity.
However, the game still feels a bit rushed in that sense. It tells a short story but there’s not enough buildup in it to properly care about the characters. And some things make little sense.
Last Call!
That’s the main issue with Trago. How abrupt it is. Especially because the game starts you on the final day and then it brings you back to the start. And that beginning is a bit rough because even if it works in terms of the game story it doesn’t really work when you consider the game mechanics. Because you don’t get a tutorial prompt in that scene, you get it on the proper beginning. And it doesn’t make sense.
That’s my main gripe with the game. And the button mashing involved in the drinking minigame. The first time feels funny enough, but the next times it will feel a bit more like an annoyance.
Pros
- Cool story.
- Nice artwork
- Captures perfectly the atmosphere of drinking in a bar to escape from your problems.
Cons
- Not enough buildup in the story.
- The drinking minigame can get cumbersome after the first time.
Conclusion
Trago has its flaws but it’s still an interesting game. It has lovely graphics, a cool aesthetic and the story is explored in an interesting way. If you are into interactive fiction then give Trago a try. Just remember to drink responsibly.
