Every now and then, a game comes along that feels so absurd it almost shouldn’t exist—and yet, you’re glad it does. TROLEU, developed by Andrground and published by CRITICAL REFLEX, is one such title. Released on September 15, 2025, this chaotic first-person action game puts you in the unlikely role of a trolleybus conductor. But this isn’t some slow, simulation-heavy experience. Instead, it’s a bizarre, loud, and often hilarious romp where enforcing travel rules turns into full-blown brawls, fake tickets spark riots, and your fists often do more work than your ticket machine.
Think of it as a mash-up between Papers, Please, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and a fever dream about public transportation. Let’s break down why TROLEU has already gained cult status, flaws and all.
Punching Tickets, Literally
At its core, TROLEU tasks you with one simple responsibility: making sure every passenger aboard your trolleybus has paid their fare. You’ll collect coins, swipe cards, hand out change, and double-check suspicious passes. On paper, it sounds like the everyday monotony of public transport work. But the game’s genius is how it escalates this mundanity into pure chaos.
Not every passenger is honest. Some try to slip by with fake passes, others flat-out refuse to pay, and before you know it, your bus turns into a wrestling ring. Armed with nothing but your fists (and occasionally your authority), you’ll grab, punch, and toss unruly passengers out of your moving trolley. And yes—sometimes you might “accidentally” knock out a sweet old grandma in the process.
The gameplay strikes a balance between menial routine and complete absurdity. One minute you’re calmly processing fares, the next you’re locked in a fistfight with half the bus while your anger meter threatens to summon an inspector.
The Inspector Cometh
If you thought angry passengers were your biggest problem, think again. Periodically, a ticket inspector boards your bus for a surprise check. If they find fare dodgers or counterfeit passes under your watch, you’re the one who suffers the consequences.
This mechanic keeps you on edge at all times. Do you let a few troublemakers slide to avoid a riot? Or do you enforce the rules and risk sparking an all-out brawl? It’s a balancing act that pushes you into tough choices, and much like Papers, Please, it’s often less about doing the “right” thing and more about surviving the madness.
A Symphony of Chaos
One of the standout features players immediately noticed is the soundtrack. The music goes unnecessarily hard, pumping techno beats and chaotic rhythms into every confrontation. It turns otherwise ridiculous encounters—like ejecting a kid out the back of the trolley at terminal velocity—into pulse-pounding highlights.
Visually, the game leans on retro-styled graphics that complement the absurdist tone. NPCs are exaggerated, blocky, and memorable, though there aren’t enough of them yet to avoid repetition. Still, the atmosphere works: this isn’t a photorealistic simulation, it’s a loud, cartoonish playground where logic takes a back seat to comedy.
The Humor Factor
Let’s be clear: TROLEU is not subtle. Its humor is crass, violent, and often unhinged. Steam reviews are already full of players gleefully admitting how much they enjoy dropkicking elderly passengers or sending schoolchildren flying into the inspector’s lap.
Is it offensive? For some, maybe. But the developers clearly designed the game with tongue firmly in cheek. The absurdity is the point—this is a satire of bureaucracy, authority, and everyday public transport frustrations, exaggerated into surreal comedy. If you can embrace the ridiculousness, you’ll be laughing more often than not.
Where TROLEU Trips Up
As fun as it is, TROLEU isn’t without problems. The combat, while entertaining, can sometimes be too chaotic for its own good. Crowded buses often devolve into button-mashing scrambles where it’s nearly impossible to target specific troublemakers. Throwing passengers out, especially when things get packed, is frustratingly imprecise.
Balancing also needs work. Removing passengers can quickly raise the “anger meter,” which escalates tension with inspectors—but it often feels unfair, especially when dealing with multiple offenders at once. A few quality-of-life tweaks could smooth out these rough edges without losing the intended chaos.
And while the retro visuals charm at first, the limited pool of NPC designs starts to feel repetitive after extended play. Some customization for the trolleybus itself or more variety in passengers could go a long way toward keeping things fresh.
Community Love (and Memes)
Despite its flaws, TROLEU has already garnered a passionate fan base. Players are treating it like a mix of meme generator and stress relief. Screenshots and clips of players gleefully uppercutting fare dodgers, fighting off half the bus at once, or surviving the inspector’s wrath are already circulating online.
Reviews range from genuine praise (“Best indie game of 2025!”) to tongue-in-cheek hyperbole (“Unattainable in its greatness, incomprehensible in its bliss. GOTY 2025.”). That blend of sincerity and irony seems fitting for a game as bizarre as this one.
TROLEU: TROLEU is messy, loud, and at times frustrating—but it’s also wildly entertaining. It takes the most mundane job imaginable, cranks up the absurdity, and delivers a unique first-person action experience unlike anything else on Steam right now. Yes, the combat could use polish. Yes, the chaos sometimes tips from funny into frustrating. But if you’re looking for something fresh, hilarious, and unabashedly weird, this game delivers. It’s the kind of indie gem that thrives on its audacity, not perfection. For now, TROLEU stands as a wacky experiment that’s already winning hearts. With continued updates (and maybe a bit more polish), it could evolve into a cult classic of absurdist gaming. – Obsidian