480th played so far
Genre: Platform/Puzzle
Platform: PC/Playstation 3
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Frozenbyte
Publisher: Nobilis
Trine is a puzzle platformer. The main draw comes from the way three characters interact, each with different abilities and options. Sounds like The Lost Vikings, except, apparently, with less babysitting as you only have one on the screen at a time.
I’ve been looking forward to it, as it caught my attention some time ago and I’d love to see how it plays out in reality.
Our Thoughts
Look, I get frustrated with these games sometimes and need to take a step back occasionally, recover and distract myself before trying again. I had a few moments like that, but in the end persevered enough to make it a nice part through the game.
The game looks gorgeous. This should almost be a given for games of this era, but it feels important to mention because platformers have become rare and most of the ones we see, like VVVVVV, go for retro graphics. The big publishers don’t invest enough to always get the graphics, possibly with the exception of Nintendo’s set of platformers. Main point is, however, the game looks amazing and the different areas really are a treat to see each time.
The interaction between three characters is also quite interesting. Each has their own power, with different solutions to puzzles. The wizard conjures different types of special platforms, as well as telekinesis. The thief uses bow and arrow as a weapon, and a grappling hook to move. The warrior has fighting abilities, while also using his strength. It makes for a nice set of solutions, with most puzzles being solved by any of them (although some have it easier). The real puzzles mostly appear for optional collectibles, where specific gaps needs to be bridged or other special actions need to be taken. Beyond that it’s a necessity because the game has a multiplayer mode, where each controls a character – you need to be able to do it while helping each other!
With that the game was a lot of fun. The real annoyance came in with the enemies. While some are easy enough to defeat, some were incredibly annoying. Archers in places where you can’t hit them back, for example, and infinitely respawning enemies that badly distract from solving puzzles. It’s nice that they’re in, but there are too many – having limits on how often they spawn would have felt better. As having your warrior taken out can be a real hindrance to beating them, the game gets pretty difficult because of them.
Final Thoughts
Trine is a fun and especially pretty game. It has a bunch of decent puzzles and the list of abilities (partially supporting by a leveling system) adds a nice amount of strategy. Frustrating in parts, the game has been worthwhile to play around with.