Trine is a sidescroller with multiple levels filled with undead enemies, puzzles, and painful hazards. Players must successfully navigate each level and avoid danger by playing as three separate characters that have been cursed to reside in the same body, switching between them to use their specific skills and abilities. The characters are the Knight, the Thief, and the Mage. Each is suited to different tasks in the party, and have special abilities that allow for effective strategies against enemies and some obstacles. The game also sports an interactive physics-based system that adds an extra element to puzzles.
The character classes are split as follows: The Knight is used for melee combat with a sword, and carries a shield that can easily deflect most other attacks. The Knight can also gain special abilities, such as a special hammer made by the thunder god. The Thief uses long-range attacks with her bow, which can upgrade to shoot two or three arrows at a time, as well as a powerful fire arrow. Finally, the Mage is the least useful when it comes to combat, but that’s only because of his special abilities to conjure up certain objects and platforms. The Mage can start by conjuring a box that can stick onto spikes, or add a little weight to something like a button. The Mage can then learn to make planks, and a special object that can float in the air until someone steps on it, and then it slowly lowers to the ground.
Controls for each character are fairly self-explanatory, except for the Mage. In Trine, the ability to conjure objects and planks is based on holding down the magic casting button, and then drawing a shape in the air with the right analog stick. A square creates a box, a line creates a plank, and a triangle creates a floating platform. The controls are initially confusing to get used to, and the Mage doesn’t really have the time to be conjuring spells while there’s a fight going on. There’s also the option to draw shapes using the Dualshock 4’s touchpad, but it’s a little overly sensitive, so most players will likely opt to use the thumbstick instead.
The story itself is a standard quest to defeat evil in place of the heroes of old, who have long since passed away. They search for artifacts that are meant to help the land and its people thrive, but are instead being used to create deadly skeletal creatures, and oppress the peasants at the same time.
Single player mode allows players to simply switch between each character with the push of a button. Multiplayer, on the other hand, allows up to three players, one for each character to play at the same time. This requires a good bit of coordination, and is available for local and online players alike.
The game offers 16 long levels, each more difficult than the last. There are also three modes of difficulty, not including a Hardcore mode that can be added on. The Hardcore mode adds challenges by restricting the checkpoint healing use to one time, and making the enemies a bit stronger.
Trine: Enchanted Edition is a lot of fun, and offers a diverse set of puzzles and abilities. Being able to choose between building paths to avoid obstacles or using a grappling hook to swing over traps makes the game versatile, and accommodating of different playstyles. The physics-based environment then encourages players to experiment and have fun understanding what can be affected and how.
The game’s innovative mechanics factor into the way the game itself is played. Each character is unique, suited to a variety of scenarios. In Multiplayer, there’s the added effect that players will need to watch out for one another, since anyone controlling the Mage will be unable to fight back, and the Thief may get cornered easily.
For $14.99, Trine: Enchanted Edition is well worth the price, offering hours of gameplay and something fun to do when friends come over, or alternatively with friends online. The added challenges from the selected difficulty setting are not small, and require players to pay attention to their health and mana while avoiding as much damage as possible. All in all, the Enchanted Edition is a great console port, and a fun game to have in your library.
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