Trawl
Trawl is a first person experiential game of discovery and creativity. First you must figure out how to operate the various parts of the boat, manipulating the wheel, throttle and the net. Then, trawl the sea to recover discover what secrets are hidden in its depths and record your findings on your typewriter.
Developer
Publisher
Release
May 13, 2016
10 years and 82 days ago
Steam Reviews
Mixed38 reviews65.8%
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Game contextLatest: IGF Team
| ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan. | Status | Notes Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes |
|---|---|---|
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer. | ||
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher. | House of Wire is listed as a separate small publisher for this title. | |
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released. | House of Wire is listed as a separate publisher for this release. |
Media
7 itemsAbout the Game
Trawl is a first person experiential game of discovery and creativity.
First you must figure out how to operate the various parts of the boat, manipulating the wheel, throttle and the net. Then, trawl the sea to discover what secrets are hidden in its depths and record your findings on your typewriter. The sea has many stories to tell, and will reward multiple voyages.
Trawl is not a 'gameplay' heavy game in the traditional sense. Trawl takes places entirely on a small trawling vessel, and you are encouraged to engage with the low-key, though detailed ritual of operating the mechanics of the ship, while soaking in the atmosphere. If you so choose, Trawl can be seen as a sort of writing prompt, with you playing the role of sea-bound detective. How you choose to interpret and record the results are up to you.
It is difficult to say definitively how long each playthrough is, as this depends entirely on how much you engage with the game and decide to write in your in-game journal. If you speed-run the game it could be over in less than 10 minutes, though if that is how you intend to play then this game may not be your cup of tea. Most of our players enjoy returning to sea again and again to see what new secrets they'll uncover and then writing journal entries to share with their friends.
If you choose to record your findings on the typewriter, Trawl will save a text file in your Documents/Trawl/ folder.
First you must figure out how to operate the various parts of the boat, manipulating the wheel, throttle and the net. Then, trawl the sea to discover what secrets are hidden in its depths and record your findings on your typewriter. The sea has many stories to tell, and will reward multiple voyages.
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Trawl is not a 'gameplay' heavy game in the traditional sense. Trawl takes places entirely on a small trawling vessel, and you are encouraged to engage with the low-key, though detailed ritual of operating the mechanics of the ship, while soaking in the atmosphere. If you so choose, Trawl can be seen as a sort of writing prompt, with you playing the role of sea-bound detective. How you choose to interpret and record the results are up to you.
It is difficult to say definitively how long each playthrough is, as this depends entirely on how much you engage with the game and decide to write in your in-game journal. If you speed-run the game it could be over in less than 10 minutes, though if that is how you intend to play then this game may not be your cup of tea. Most of our players enjoy returning to sea again and again to see what new secrets they'll uncover and then writing journal entries to share with their friends.
If you choose to record your findings on the typewriter, Trawl will save a text file in your Documents/Trawl/ folder.
