Trine review
| Game Name: | Trine |
| Platforms: | PS3, 360, PC |
| Publisher(s): | Frozenbyte |
| Developer(s): | Nobolis |
| Release Date: | Now |
| ESRB Rating: | 12+ |
Lush and beautiful environments are continuous in every scene
2D action games have died, a long time ago. They’ve seen some resurgence of late with the new enhanced graphic stylings of 3D animations and character rendering inside the 2D platform. Some have been remakes, some have been new IP entirely. All have been inferior to the past, when compared.
Enter Trine, a wonderfully magical and whimsical tale of a warrior, thief and wizard who, through some magic and witchcraft manage to get inter-twined in a story that will appeal to any Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings fans.
Each character has their own set of unique abilities which are specific to the character, and needed in various instances throughout the game. The wizard can move wooden objects around and spawn a wooden box or platform, the thief can use her bow & arrow to kill enemies while swinging spiderman-style from wooden objects high-up in the game and the warrior, well he beats things up with his sword while protecting himself with his trusty shield. He can also throw large objects.
Each characteristic is needed for the varying and often brilliant puzzles based on a rather fantastic implementation of a physics engine. The story takes the three individuals through a world of magic and wonder where, you, the player, get to switch between each character in-game very easily. This helps you solve puzzles in new and interesting ways using each characters abilities, but also means your experience will be potentially different to other players.
The wizard, for example, is fairly useless at combat, but very handy when stuck with a high ledge to get over and nothing to swing from with the thief’s ability to grapplehook some string high in the ceiling because he can spawn a box to jump on. His ability to control wooden objects (drawbridges, levers, etc.) also help. The warrior’s ability is very clear, he can beat the many, many hordes of skeleton enemies you’ll face. The thief is very acrobatic in her movement but also lethal with her bow & arrow to kill off enemies from a safe distance.
Combat can be handled at distance or CQC style
If one of your characters dies, you can keep playing with the other two characters until you reach a checkpoint or get some health (found throughout from dead skeletons as well as littered around each map portion).
Your enemies, other then fairly fruitless boss battles, are all skeletons who either wield a sword for close-up action or a bow & arrow. Either way, they’re pig easy to kill and really only serve as a distraction during puzzle-solving moments. They also provide a plentiful supply of energy to keep your characters alive as you endlessly fall into various sharp objects around the maps. In fairness, how smart can a skeleton really be?
Multiplayer co-op is also a nice treat, where each player can play each of the roles individually, meaning you can all play the game uniquely to the single player as you figure out puzzles to help each other through the physics-based level progression. Novel without being too crass with deathmatch or capture the flag type moments.
Graphics are absolutely fantastic. It really takes advantage of the new consoles, but also isn’t so hard on you PC gamers who may have slightly out-dated rigs sitting under your desks. The use of lighting and colour is a visual treat and suits the story really well.
The story, incidentally is told through a narrator, who will talk over loading screens as a map shows you where you’re going as well as through moving-still images akin to Japanese manga, but not in a manga style, not at all…
This game is worth every cent. An absolute must-have for everyone who enjoys a bit of side-scrolly action. Not much can be said for the game because it’s so simple and easy to jump in with and a video can really show you more then any picture/text combination can. Basically, go get this game. It’s one of the only games this year that can truly be described as “wonderful”.
Trine is out now on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Love the old platformers, and i was excited to hear that sonic is going back to its roots
looks good. not really my type of game tho
[...] Want to know more about Trine? Check out Kev’s glowing review. [...]