Game Reviews | Game Previews

Summary

I really liked the game, but I felt like there was nothing to show off to my friends.
Trine 1 and 2 both have amazing graphics and visuals. I love the colors and the lighting effects.
I did two play-throughs of Trine 1. Solo and Co-op. I highly enjoyed both.
When I played Trine 2, I had a different feeling though. I was bored very quickly. Though the game was great to look at, it wasn't as exciting or innovative as the first. Well, there is nothing new in the game play to make this title a must-buy after playing the first.
I barely made it through my solo play-through and I only did because I was hoping there was something more, but there wasn't. I didn't even want to do co-op but I played through the first 2 chapters and we all just got bored and moved on to something else.
Some of the controls and movement (such as jumping) felt a little clunky too.
Still a good game, but there wasn't enough new things to keep me interested for long. I can honestly say I enjoyed the 1st one more than this one, though these visuals and scenes of T2 are very nice!

Summary

It is not often you see games come out that are so visually stunning and unique in it's graphical style in the game industry today. Each new area you explore will leave you in awe.

The puzzles are quite challenging in places and if playing with a friend can be funny as well (Like that time where you by accident hit your friend over the head with a conjured box, pushing them off to some horrible death).

The Beautiful surroundings, amazing music and sounds suck you right into the fairytale world, The immersion you end up feeling will leave you wondering how it suddenly turned dark outside.

I've felt excitement and wonder like I haven't done in a long time whilst playing this game. If it was up to me this game would be awarded with many awards.

They truly brought this fairytale world alive. 10/10

Summary

I know the word 'dazzling' has been used countless times to describe a game's visuals, but never has there been a more appropriate use of the word than in the case of Trine 2, and even then it's an understatement. The visuals in this little gem are completely jaw-dropping. More often than not, you'll stop in your tracks to admire the richly-detailed, creatively designed, pseudo 3D environments in all their colourful, eye-candy glory. If you've never been one to appreciate a quality painting in a museum, brace yourself, because the experience is coming to your home in the form of Trine 2, and you *will* appreciate it.

The three playable characters complement each other superbly. Each are distinct in their look, personality and ability, but each melds with the environmental backdrops so effortlessly that it's difficult to decide which one is better suited. The characters are sown together through narration that is used both during the game and in between worlds, with an open story book transcribing what you are hearing.

Although there's some satisfying combat to be had in Trine 2, the brunt of the game lies in its physics-based puzzles - an ironic idea considering that laws of physics are usually meaningless in a fantasy world of this kind. Rocks will swing from ropes next to a ledge too high up to jump to, causing you to think how to best use your character's abilities to your advantage to progress to the next section. Streams of water will run down an angled tree log hanging overhead. Finding a way to tilt the log will cause the "powerful" water (as Amadeus liked to call it) to run down the other side of the log and fall on young plants and vegetation. The result is a highly charming animation of fantasy-world-style flowers sprouting to their fullest height, creating a platform upon which you can use to progress, as well as causing your eyes to bulge from your head.

Accompanying the game's gorgeous presentation is a soundtrack that is as appealing on its own as the visuals. Although the music complements the game's visual style, gameplay and setting, you can easily from time to time forget about the rest of the experience and tune your focus to the music only. A boppy, almost upbeat soundtrack that I could easily listen to on my mp3 player on the way to work. No joke. Its mood-lifting effect is that good.

Summary

Trine 2 has amazing graphics and immersion. It is truly a joy for the eyes to be playing. The mechanics are very similar to the first game, and the characters are the same. What dissapointed me about the game was the random puzzle solving. Many time, me and my two friends (player coop) solved puzzles in a non satisfying way. One of us happened to manage it, and continued and spawned us in. It didn't feel satisfying, which to be honest is a major game breaker.

Non the less I had fun playing this game, but maybe not as fun as others claim.

Also, I didn't really like playing the rogue. I didn't get the feeling of helping out my friends. Playing the rogue feels helpless, except for in battles. It doesn't really contribute to the puzzle solving. I never got the feeling like "Oh, this puzzle is with me in mind" when playing the rogue.

What I like the most with Trine 2 is the challenge. It can be hard sometimes, which I like!

Summary

Trine 2 is the amazing sequel from 2009 almost unnoticed Trine. With great physic puzzles and suberb visuals Trine took the gaming world by surprise. Add to this neat great songs composed by finnish Ary Pulkkinen and you got one of the best games from that year.


Now Trine returns with all the visuals we learned to love and that we hoped we should see one more time. Graphically the game is a marvel. I played it with ultra settings and 1920x something resolution. Simpy breathtaking. Every object, every environement is so full of detail that you can stay a bit and enjoy the scenario. It really looked alive. Thats why i think modern games are compared in some cases with art.


The characters are the same and you start the game with the Trine forcing a meeting with them once more. So you play with each one of the three for a bit before gaining dominion of them for good. One interesting thing is that at occasions the characters interact with the narrator of the game, providing a good balance, breaking down the monotony of the monologue that took place at the beggining of each chapter and creating a sense that they are too participating the story being told. Voice acting is at its best here.


Some well deserved changes come as well. For example, the mage is not more restrained with mana. In Trine one you only had some certain amount of tries attempting to figure out the puzzles before the mana ran out and the mage character being useles. With lead to kill all the others and restart from previous save. Not more anymore. The mage is free to perform and create as many cubes and planks as he wish.


Not changes are for the best though. In the first installement you found out several trinkets that helped your progression making you stronger, able to breath underwater and so on. In Trine 2 these RPGs elements are gone, and were replaced by rimes and paintings you should collect in order to unlock them. The chests are still present in the game, but they only gave you these collecting rimes and paintings (which are are useless in helping you to progress the game. They are good only to help you to discover some clues to what happened in the main plot of the trama). This of course restrain some gamers to find them, because they dont provide any helpfull power.


Other aspect of the game that deserved to be best worked is the little variety of the mosters you face. Of course this is in truth a puzzle game, but since it enables battles too, you could expect a little bit more of variety regarding mosters. By my calculations you will only face 6 or 7 kind of mosters and the rest is a variety of the same. While this not (for me) endangers the game to become boring, it really would become great the possibility to slay more monsters.


The development tree of the protagonists is better as well. In the first place you dont need to put your skill points in a straight path to clear the other. Since you have, lets say 2 skill points you can choose the next weapon without having to pass for the first weapon that demanded the one skill point.
And if you feel you screwed up for good your tree you can always choose to clear the tree and relocate the skill points as you see fit.


The graphics are the best part of Trine 2. You will see giant frogs, growing trees, lushy beaches, frozen lands and will battle giant trolls. And for that you will have a nice array of options that are all magnificent rendered.

Music is compelling and you will be push forward by its sound.


Trine 2 is another major game from Frozenbyte, in a year that would become known from spetacular puzzle games (Portal, Catherine and so on). So being rewarded with a high score and being nominee for the best puzzle game of the year for Gamespot is not a small feat.


Dont be afraid to buy this game, is garantee high fun and the puzzles are a joy to resolve amidst gorgeous graphics and great soundtrack.