Trapped in the Trine
An undead uprising throws a kingdom into chaos; three unwitting heroes are the only hope to defeat the evil plague and restore the king to his throne; their souls trapped together, they must find a way to work together, and find the three artifacts that can save them from their plight, and it’s on sale?
That’s right folks, Trine used to be one of the more expensive download only titles on the PS3, but this week it has a reduced price tag, so let’s take a look. Now, I happened to snag this little gem a few weeks ago when it was half off the original twenty dollar hit to my wallet. That was lucky for me, but not so lucky for anyone who might’ve missed the sale. Well here is your call to arms: Trine is on sale again, this time going for around $15.00, and I must say, it’s a steal.
You get 15 (14 really, since the first level is just a tutorial) levels of platforming and physics-based puzzle solving. The game revolves around three characters whose souls have all been linked to one physical existence. Switching between the characters is simple and fast, and each has their own specialty, meaning you’ll be switching many, many times over the course of just a single level.
The Knight is a relatively simple character. He donned his armor, sword, and shield so that he may show the king his worth. Using his great strength, and his shield to block attacks and traps, he is the most powerful of the trio. Next we have the Thief. She uses a bow to dispatch enemies, and can use her grappling hook to swing across chasms, assuming there is a wooden surface to attach it to nearby. Finally, there’s the Wizard. He is a student of magic who never learned the fire ball spell, a fairly rudimentary spell. He can summon boxes out of thin air, and levitate certain objects across the levels using his mana.
Throughout the adventure you must use the three characters special skills (they acquire more as you level them up and find chests) to find your way to the end of each level. Strewn about each level are small potion bottles filled with experience – you also gain experience through defeating certain enemies – and this experience is what is used to level up your characters and their skills. This unique approach to leveling up keeps the player well immersed in each level, and requires more than one play through to find each hidden bottle.
Art design is one area where Trine really shines. The levels all give a perfect feel of an undead infested wasteland. No two levels look the same as you traverse through underwater caverns, a dragon’s graveyard filled with giant bones, and a forge near the castle, where you can almost smell the sulfur in the air. Story takes a back seat to the great platforming so to speak, as there is little more than hints at character development. The one bit of storytelling you do get is through the loading screens. At the beginning of each level, the level must load; this is where a narrator comes on and tells you the story of “Our Heroes”. His voice fits perfectly in the medieval setting of the game, and you’ll find that loading screens are far from tedious, more so pleasant, in this game.
As if great platforming, beautiful art design, and voice acting weren’t enough: the game also has an extensive list of obtainable trophies, even including a platinum trophy. Now I don’t know if you’re as much of a trophy whore as I am (I’m two trophies away from my 11th plat) but it never hurts to have that extra incentive.
The game is exclusive to the PSN and PC. (Snag the PC version here.) The PC version is full price, whereas this week it is on sale for 5 bucks off on the PSN. So whether you want to solve puzzles on your computer or your console is your choice, but this is one game you’ll regret picking up when you had the chance.
