While the Mario family has been resting on the laurels of for the second year and, in principle, intends to remain in this position , a veritable coup and seizure of power is taking place in the platformer genre. The time paradoxes in broke stereotypes, a horde of brought back the joy of creative thinking and friendly gatherings. All that was missing was a little aggression, speed, and complexity. Until these three arrived...Any ruling dynasty has one extremely vulnerable point: heirs. If a worthy successor is not born or found in time, all is lost. Both a small kingdom and a large empire will plunge into anarchy for a short or long time. One state, left without a legitimate ruler, was extremely unlucky. The struggle for the throne lasted for decades, the spilled blood awakened an ancient curse, and the dead left their graves to deal with the living. Those who survived in the new world were no longer concerned with usurping power.
Refugees fled beyond the mountain ranges, the dead began to rule the cursed land, and only the students of the Astral Academy, located on the border of the fallen state, occasionally looked towards the side that promised many interesting and dangerous adventures. The time had come to find the source of all troubles. A trio of heroes sets off: a rogue, a wizard, and a knight.The heroes gathered not of their own free will. Accidentally, during a routine burglary, the Trine artifact binds the destinies of the characters together. As long as at least one is alive, there is a chance for the other two to revive. With such a backup, one can visit forbidden places, especially since an excellent team with a unique arsenal of techniques and skills has been assembled.The wizard knows four spells. The warrior and the rogue each have three or four moves. Is that little? Not at all. The knight defends with a shield and throws heavy stones, crushes attackers and flimsy wooden obstacles, wields both a sword and a hammer. The wizard practices telekinesis with directed object movement, materializes additional cube-platforms and crossbars, including levitating ones that do not require solid support. The rogue fears neither enemies nor distances. Skeletons and bats will be shot with a bow. An ordinary arrow will cut a rope, and a fiery one will blow up another opponent or light a extinguished torch. Pits can be crossed on a rope, provided there is a wooden beam or branch to stick the hook into.The rogue, wizard, and warrior – a traditional composition of role-playing game heroes – will overturn players' perceptions of the classic rules of two-dimensional platformers and action games. Undoubtedly, in the adventures of this trio, one must run, jump, and fight, but the most important thing during a battle, a run, or an acrobatic trick is not to forget to solve a logical riddle. Open locked doors, climb for the next elixir to places where an ordinary plumber wouldn't reach even with a ladder and scuba gear.
Even individually, the heroes' modest abilities impress with their effectiveness, and no obstacle course will stop the explosive “triple” cocktail. Especially since all the characters' skills and abilities are tripled during the playthrough. If they collect 50 green bubbles from fallen enemies or in caches, they will receive ability points, which can, in turn, be spent on training one of the abilities: three arrows are always better than one, a hammer blow with lightning is more effective than a simple sledgehammer poke, and four cubes will help reach any height. Items and amulets found in rare chests are responsible for resistance to fire, injuries, and the ability to breathe underwater. In fact, treasure hunting and collecting green bottles become almost the main task of the player.For these useful trophies, dozens of reanimated skeletons are destroyed at a frantic pace. Players climb to great heights for them, performing incredible acrobatic stunts along the way. The frantic pace is maintained, and brief pauses are only caused by the player's desire to consider available options or examine the scenery.You can rush into battle with a drawn sword, shoot down a crowd of undead with arrows, throw a heavy stone with ordinary or magical force, or create a small but weighty box over the skull of an approaching enemy. Chasms are jumped over on a rope, clinging with a hook to a branch, or crossed on foot, carefully repairing the decking of a destroyed crossing. You can argue with gravity and for a short decisive moment overtake rotating swings, rings, and gears. Or you can cheaply and cheerfully block a disobedient projectile with some device and busily climb the stationary steps.
Despite the two-dimensional format, the spoiled player will not be bothered by the game's appearance. Here, they know about dancing shadows and flickering flames, and guests are surprised not by polished armor, but by water reflections and a charming color palette. The artists' work is simply stunning; some locations live their own lives, only briefly noticing the passing player. Hordes of darkness hold defenses in mines and swamps, in abandoned ruins and old army camps, magical forests and underground caves. All game objects are three-dimensional and obey the laws of physics, but in style and appearance, they do not fall out of the overall picture. Characters are no exception. Heroes jump and drown in water differently, but move with equally smooth grace towards the exit of the location.
Diagnosis
Calling Trine a successor to Lost Vikings is fundamentally wrong. The old men shuffled their feet, rarely engaged in combat, and thoughtfully switched levers to the correct position. The “grandchildren” run, jump, fight, and work with spells at a frantic pace, as if someone is holding an invisible stopwatch. Logical puzzles are neatly clicked, smashed with a sledgehammer, torn to shreds, deceived, and set on fire, and the player is completely unconstrained in the choice of available tools and goes through the game as the master of the situation.Pro:
- An explosive mix of acrobatic stunts, fierce battles, and logical puzzles
- Three unique heroes with different arsenals of abilities
- Stunning background scenery, special effects, and character animation
Contra:
- High price of the PC version for such a miniature project