Troll and I

Description

Troll and I follows Otto, a boy forced to flee his village after hunters invade in search of a mythical troll. In the wilderness, Otto encounters the creature they seek, and the two form an unlikely bond. Together, they journey across forests, caves, and ruins, pursued by merciless hunters and other dangers. Its premise is often compared to titles like Papo & Yo and The Last Guardian, though its execution fell short of those inspirations.

The gameplay revolves around cooperation between Otto and the troll. Otto relies on agility, stealth, and crafted weapons, while the troll uses brute strength to crush enemies and clear obstacles. Players can switch between the two characters at will, or play cooperatively in local split‑screen multiplayer. Crafting is a core mechanic: Otto gathers materials to build weapons and tools, while the troll’s abilities provide raw power in combat and traversal. Puzzles often require both characters’ skills, emphasising teamwork.

The game was originally pitched through Square Enix Collective, where community voting showed strong support, but publishing shifted to Maximum Games before release. Despite its ambition, Troll and I received quite an unfavourable response. The game has quite significant technical issues, poor performance, and repetitive design, unfortunate because its concepts of dual‑character cooperation and the Nordic setting were quite promising. It was part of a mid‑2010s wave of indie‑style adventure games that attempted to blend narrative bonding with cooperative mechanics.