Trine

Trine is a independent game that was developed by Frozenbyte. Do not get this mixed up with the Frostbyte engine that the Battlefield games use. There is not a whole lot to this game but that does not keep it from being innovative and fun to play. The game is a simple side scroller where you control three characters but not all at the same time, however you can switch between them on the fly and if you are quick enough can save yourself from death. There is treasure and some skeletons and a kingdom that is left in ruins after a great disaster.

The game starts out explaining what is going on with the world and why the main characters are all worried. It starts out with the Thief who is trying to take advantage of the chaos and steal some treasure that has been lost for some time. Next the wizard while fleeing comes across the shrine where he sees the Thief standing still and as he lays his hand on the treasure he becomes bound. Lastly the knight who is gung ho looking for something to slay or someone to save, finds his way to the treasure keep and sees both the Thief and the Wizard there. He thinks they are stealing so he grabs a hold of the object and this is where the game starts out. The first few sections were to get you used to using all the characters and what they can do. With each character having its special moves. So becoming bound to the ancient artifact, the trine, the three heroes are off to save the land and protect what is left of it.

The way that the game play works is you can switch between any of the three characters at any time you choose. This allows for a lot of ways you can go about solving a problem. With each character specializing in a field that will help you reach the end goal. The thief has the ability to shoot a bow and can swing using a grapple hook. This can allow for easy mobility for getting through a level. There is the Wizard who can lift boxes and can make certain items appear in the world such as his own boxes or even planks. These are great for making bridges or ramps to get to areas that you could normally not swing or jump to. The Knight has a sword that you can use to cut down your enemies and a shield to defend from their ruthless attacks. It can also be used to protect yourself from falling debris and projectiles. He later gets an ability to lift and throw boxes which is great to use if the wizard is low on energy or you don't want to take the time to have the wizard lift an item over a large space. There is also a co-op feature that allows you to play with a friend and it can be fun standing on a box while your friend can lift you up to a higher spot.

This game will be enjoyed by anyone who is looking for something to play completely casual. It can be easily picked back up and played with great enjoyment. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a game to play while waiting for another AAA game to come out. It is also great time waster if you just want to burn a quick half hour. I do not think that someone who is looking for a game that will last them a long time will be completely satisfied because it is pretty short and meant to be played pretty casually.

This game is available for Mac, PC, and the Playstation Network. I enjoyed it a whole lot and it is only $20 and there is even a free demo available on steam. So I would recommend checking it out if you are even a little bit interested. I had a lot of fun playing this game, and with all the ways you can handle a situation makes for a lot of replay ability. The problems I had with it were a couple minor bugs where you could get stuck in a corner but the checkpoints are pretty evenly spaced so nothing will set you to far back. Another thing is that you cannot save mid level as far as I am aware. For example if you are playing a level and you have to leave or your computer crashes you will have to start that level over from the start. This is not a big issue because the levels are not particularly large and if you know what to do will make it go by quick.