The Nogero Trail: the Oregon Trail, backwards

It's 2026. Your one-bedroom in Portland is $3,100 a month and a four-bedroom in Independence, Missouri is $189,000. So you load up the car and drive the trail in reverse: 1,990 miles and 19 stops, from a Fred Meyer parking lot to a house with a basement.

The Nogero Trail is a free comedy game in the style of the 1985 Apple II classic. Pick a profession (Laid-off Tech Worker, Barista with an MFA, Lifestyle Influencer, Substitute Teacher or Retired Californian), buy supplies, manage snacks, fuel, health and vibes, and try to get your party to Missouri alive. Along the way: Multnomah Falls with sold-out permits, river crossings that are now construction zones, a Costco sample raid with a receipt-checker boss, Wyoming wind, and I-70 through Kansas City on a Chiefs gameday.

How to play

Choose from the numbered menus with the number keys, arrows and Enter, or just tap on a phone. Drive day by day, stop to rest, trade on Marketplace, work a gig shift when you're broke, and write the tombstones of anyone who doesn't make it. Try the weekly dare (everyone gets the same starting luck), the Express trip, or the Original Trail, which goes from Missouri to Portland for reasons nobody can explain.

Questions

Is this the Oregon Trail?
No. It's an unaffiliated parody that drives the trail the other way. It uses none of the original's code, art or music, and calls itself something else for exactly that reason.
Is it free?
Yes. No ads, no signup, nothing to install. There's a tip jar if it made you laugh.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. It runs in any modern browser, phone or desktop, with touch controls for the arcade parts.
Do you track me?
No cookies, no analytics scripts, no third-party requests. Your saved trip and high scores stay in your browser.

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