What does a Wizard, a Warrior, and a Thief... I'm sorry, I meant an entrepreneur,
have in common? They were all in the indie physics puzzle game Trine
released back in 2009. Trine was a physics based co-op platformer that
allowed 2 player to play through the game, solving physics puzzles
along the way while taking on some enemies(mostly trolls). Frozenbyte, the developers of Trine has released a sequel. For Trine
2, Frozenbyte expanded on it quite a bit. The game has more depth in
terms of levelling your character and introduces new physics puzzles and 3 player
co-op(at last!).
The Trine wakes Amadeus from his power nap. Hence, Trine 2 begins.
It's typical fantasy stuff that is more child like(not the darker fantasy stuff)... more whimsical
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| Even the main menu is gorgeous |
Puzzle Platforming Galore
Trine 2, understandably isn't a huge departure from the original Trine. It sticks to the known formula of physics based puzzles interspersed by some combat to change the pace. However, Trine 2 is a lot more polished in the sense that the puzzles a lot more thought out. It won't seem completely impossible to solve. While the platforming elements from the first game were not a fine point of the game, Frozenbyte has reduced the platforming somewhat but it still isn't quite perfect.
There's still some platforming to be had and with the inclusion of devious traps and plants that fire projectile at you, timed platforming can be... precarious to say the least. The issue with the platforming stems from the physics engine behind the game which makes edge detection of your characters model a little dicey. It's not bad... but not perfect and when compared to superior platformers, feels a little off.
Clearly the emphasis is on the physics puzzles which is where Trine 2 really shines
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| Puzzles that use fluid dynamics make a debut in Trine 2 |
The puzzles are never frustratingly difficult but not completely dumbed down and easy. Frozenbyte has struck the right balance in terms of puzzle difficulty. If you are stuck with 3 not so bright co-op friends, then at least the sheer comedic factor of messing up more than makes up for the inability to solve puzzles. The number of times I've had an uncooperative friend just fooling around leading to all sorts of mayhem is numerous. Yet... I've never felt frustrated by it, which is quite an improvement from what I remember of Trine.
If you're not into the the whole co-op experience(why shouldn't you? it's so much fun!), Trine 2 is playable in single player mode. In single player, you can switch to any one of the characters on a fly at any time. I've found that playing Trine 2 in single player s a lot more difficult that if you had 2 co-op partners due to the fact that there can only be one character on the screen at any one time.
In co-op, you could have the wizard getting you out of all manner of tricky puzzles just by merely conjuring a box and carrying you and the other player to the end of the puzzle. Of course that becomes rather boring after a while and certainly isn't the 'proper' way of solving these puzzles. Still, the puzzles in Trine 2 don't necessarily have a single way of solving them due to the nature of physics. This has to be a plus point and a test of creative ingenuity of the player. I quite liked that... even if some of the solutions seem like cheating to some.
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| Amadeus can levitate goblins now! Hehehehe! But watch out for that spider behind... |
Use Amadeus to levitate a goblins and let your friend finish him off... or better still just drop him in the pit of fire or other nasty traps meant for you. Comedic brilliance!
There are three characters to play as in Trine 2. Amadeus the wizard is a conjurer. He is able to conjure crates... sure might not sound like much... but in the world of Trine 2 with its many puzzles, can be a life saver in many occasions. In fact, it is downright vital to have someone who is able to use Amadeus' abilities well. In Trine 2, he can even levitate goblins and other enemies instead of just physics objects... which is rather funny to watch. Use Amadeus to levitate a goblins and let your friend finish him off... or better still just drop him in the pit of fire or other nasty traps meant for you. Comedic brilliance!
Zoya the thief has her grappling hook ability together with her bow. This makes Zoya the best character when in comes to platforming. Unfortunately just like in Trine, Zoya wont be able to grapple onto any ordinary surface. You're limited to particular surfaces that can be grappled onto, stopping her from just running through all the puzzles. With her bow, you'll be able to fire ice or fire arrows and multiple arrows of them once upgraded. Ice arrows in particular are super cool. You can use them to freeze enemies... they aren't dead yet but with the help of the wizard of warrior, they can shatter them for you. Perhaps an extra unnecessary steps to ice a dude(pardon the pun), but very cool.
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| Lots of amazing fantastical levels that look awesome |
Finally we have Pontius, the not so bright but lovable warrior. It should be apparent to you what he's good at. He carries a shield and a sword. Pontius can use his shield to block incoming projectile and enemy attacks. He has a trick up his sleeve though(technically a knight in armour has no sleeves), he can use the shield to carry another person. Aim the shield upwards and get a friend to hop on the shield and voila, you use the shield to give someone a bit of a boost. It makes Pontius a little more helpful in the puzzle sections(this is of course only if played in co-op) and not just someone to lay the smack down in combat situations. He also has a secondary weapon in the form of a hammer. The hammer can be used to knock down certain walls that block your progress. It can be upgraded with the ability to throw the hammer later on.
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| New abilities for the characters in Trine 2 |
Trine 2 has a levelling up mechanic similar to Trine whereby you gain experience points by collecting magical vials strewn around the level. For every 50 of these magic vials you gain a skill point which you can assign to new abilities and better more powerful versions of existing abilities for your characters. Because of the way you gain skill points, Trine 2 doesn't inundate you with a tonne of XP like an RPG and you get to level up only sparingly making your choices very important.
The game doesn't punish you much for death. If you're playing co-op, anyone dead will be revived when a friend reaches any checkpoint. This often encourages the cheating method of solving puzzles I mentioned earlier. Doesn't always work, but works perhaps a bit too often. In single player, when a character dies, you wont be able to use that character until the next checkpoint is reached. If all characters have died you just re spawn at the previous checkpoint.
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| I love the shadow effect when the lighting is in the foreground |
Now with proper 3 player co-op, Trine 2 plays flawlessly. All characters are useful and the puzzles will call for the expertise of each character. Some coordination is required and... well... if your co-op buddies aren't so cooperative, expect to be stuck with constant death from swinging log traps, falling into spiked traps, or other death devices in Trine 2. Yes... you can troll your friends in this game.
Fantastical Graphics
It doesn't take a rocket scientist(or a Quantum Physics Theoretician) to realise that Trine 2 is one helluva pretty game. Environments are rendered with a visual quality rarely seen in 2D platformers or puzzle games. It's almost Pixar'esque in its sheer magnificent portrayal of a fantastical realm. Flowing rivers, lush forests, mysterious caves, majestic castles, to even wooden goblin forts. It's all very magical and stunning... can be distracting at times... oh a pretty bird... look at it flutter off... OH LOOK OUT FOR THAT TRAP!!!
Frozenbyte has incorporated some very smart use of a 3D engine for what is essentially a game set on a 2D plane(you only move from left to right). At some cinematic points, you'll see baddies from the foreground looking on your character as they pounce you in a sneak attack... not so sneaky, but the first time you see one of these you think... that's awesome! Despite looking so fabulous, Trine 2 runs like a charm! No hiccups, no frame rate issues... it just works without a hitch.
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| Trine 2 has some of the best lighting effects I have ever seen in any game |
Conclusion
Trine 2 is a more refined version of Trine. More polish in the puzzles, more variety, prettier, more levels, and for that; is a much longer game. If you liked Trine, you're sure to love Trine 2. It's not a major step forward for a sequel, but Frozenbyte were aware of the issues from the previous game and were hell bent on making sure Trine 2 addressed most of them... and they have succeeded.
Pros:
- Amazing visuals. Environments and cinematic scenes are well rendered and creative.
- Much longer game than Trine
- More puzzle variety
- 3 player co-op finally!
- Did I say this game looks amazing?
Cons:
- Still not awesome as a platformer. Platforming is serviceable.
- Playing Trine 2 alone considerably increases the challenge level of solving the puzzles.
- More of the same Trine... just an incremental improvement. Perhaps the formula is getting a tad bit stale.
Verdict: Now With More Trine And Added Charm! But The Formula Is Getting A Little Tired
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