Two cycles streak across a grid leaving solid walls, survive one move longer than your rival.
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How to play
Each cycle moves constantly and leaves an unbroken wall in its wake. You can never stop, only turn. Crash into a wall, your opponent's trail, or the arena edge and you're out, so the goal is to cut off your rival's space and force them into a wall first.
You're always moving; steer with tight turns to carve up the open area.
Both trails are permanent, the playfield shrinks as the duel goes on.
Outlast your opponent to win the round.
Controls
Desktop: Player 1 uses WASD (with / for a phase assist); Player 2 uses the Arrow keys. Keyboard recommended.
Phone & tablet: keyboard play recommended, fast turns need physical keys.
Game modes
Vs CPU at adjustable difficulty.
2 Players, share a keyboard for a head-to-head duel.
Online, race a remote opponent.
Tips & strategy
Hug your own walls to leave big open regions for yourself and tiny ones for your rival.
Bait your opponent toward the edge, then seal the gap with a sharp turn.
Late in a round, plan a long spiral so you always have one more move than they do.
Origins
Trail Duel revisits the light-cycle duel popularized by an early-80s sci-fi craze, two bikes carve the grid at speed, leaving solid walls of light behind, each trying to box the other in. A test of nerve and split-second turns that became a lasting arcade idea.
About Trail Duel
Trail Duel is an original take on the light-cycle / snake-trail duel genre, free to play in your browser solo or head-to-head.
A free, original browser game on PlayPendium. No download, no install.