TrikyTrail Uses Augmented Reality to Teach Geography in a Fun Way

Learn geography while playing a game that transcends language and age barriers, in this new game on Kickstarter.

TrikyTrail is a card game that puts forging bonds with globetrotters at the same level as winning the game!

Gameplay

The beauty in TrikyTrail is twofold: the game’s rules are simple to teach and learn, with an ultimate goal of eliminating obstacles in communication to teach one another about cultures from all over the world by incorporating other games into the design.

TrikyTrail is a game for 2-10 players, with mechanics that will feel familiar to long-time gamers and newcomers alike. Each player begins with a hand of 7 cards, with the rest of the deck operating as the draw pile. The top card will be turned over, and play begins with the first player playing a card that matches the number or icon from the top left corner of the overturned card. Play continues until someone has played all the cards from their hand.

There are variable joker cards, allowing players to reverse turn order, skip a player or a turn, force someone to draw two cards, or answer various trivia questions about the location on the card’s face to avoid drawing cards (or forcing someone to draw cards by stumping them).

There are four separate decks, each focusing on a specific geographic location (Africa, America, Asia, and Europe & Oceania), as well as a bonus deck that provides additional information based on the 50 states of the United States and the 13 provinces of Canada.

The familiarity inherent in the game allows TrikyTrail to be a truly universal game. Relying more on symbology and iconography, TrikyTrail allows players of any skill level to jump in and enjoy the quick action without worrying about misunderstanding a card or having to scour pages of rulebook to find an inconclusive answer.

TrikyTrail is also utilitarian by its design. Not only is it a game onto itself, but the card design accommodates standard, French Tarot, and Neapolitans card styles – this, once more, buoys TrikyTrail’s underlying message of tearing down barriers to allow for anyone to play the game starting as young as 7 years old.

Review

TrikyTrail is light and easy, meant more to open up communication than as a competitive card game that may cause friction. The design makes it great for helping young children enter the board and card gaming hobby, as well as allowing travelers to make new friends at hostels and hotels while interacting with a bit of cultural learning.

The inclusion of a QR code that links to the TrikyTrail website is also a clever means of adding more information and tips about the locations included on the cards, as well as providing additional language support. The focused decks on regions is also a boon, allowing players to choose to play a particular deck to learn specifics about Africa, Asia, Europe & Oceania, or the Americas.

However, this focus on learning does have a downside. TrikyTrail markets itself as a game for players as young as seven years old. This can be a challenge for youngsters just learning basic geography when the trivia portion of TrikyTrail comes into play. This is lessened as children get more exposure to the icons, flags, and information on each card, but it may feel limiting to a child that is more eager to be competitive than to learn.

The real beauty of TrikyTrail is the multifaceted and multi-purposeful design. The game does accomplish its goal of being a universal game, allowing players from all corners of the globe to interact in a friendly, light game that both educates and provides a lightly competitive experience. If you're looking to boost your geography skills, be sure to check out TrikyTrail on Kickstarter.

Pros: Easy to learn and fast to play, great card design

Cons: Trivia aspect can be difficult for young children

Disclosure: this preview is based on our evaluation of an unpublished prototype of the game, which is subject to change prior to publication. While a modest payment was received to expedite the review process, our thoughts and opinions expressed here are honest and accurate.