Customer Reviews

Trine

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

'Trine' is a 3rd person, horizontal platform scroller, which I downloaded through 'Steam'; the cost...$29.99

However, don't let my opening statement regarding 3rd person scroller, put you off; this is an interesting and addictive game. In fact it won the 'Best Downloadable game' by 'Gamespot's' 3E Editor's Choice Awards.

The Game:

Three characters (a wizard, a thief and a knight) are physically joined into one person by a magic object called the 'Trine'. They must travel (all the while using their collective skills of conjuring, jumping, swinging and fighting), an evil-laden labyrinth to escape, and thus return themselves into their individual persons.

Each character has different 'skills'. The wizard...object creation and levitation; the thief...a powerful bow and grappling-hook device; and the knight...a fighters sword and shield AND a hammer. Only one character can be activated at a time so you must determine which 'skills' are needed to accomplish the task/puzzle before you.

As you proceed along you will find 'treasure chests' with upgrades and bonuses; there are also experience points gained while fighting, with which you can upgrade your characters abilities and skills. And this is were the game really becomes interesting, because sometime these chests and bonus vials are just visible at screens edge, so you need to figure out a way to get to these precious objects, in order to obtain the bonuses contained within.

The only annoying thing about this game is the game-save method; games are automatically saved at game-generated checkpoints; if all characters die, you restart back at the last checkpoint reached...and this is OK because this checkpoint is usually not too far back, The problem is if, for some reason, you must exit the game and restart at a later time (without having finished the last level you were on)...because then, you must restart from the very beginning of the level. So a restart at the beginning of the last level is not only quite repetitive but also very irritating, because some of the levels are quite long.

Conclusion:

This is not a particularly long game...maybe 8-10 hours if played continuously, but it is addictive and it's one of those games that just keeps you coming back. It does have some replay value as you'll probably not find all the 'bonuses' on the first time through. Lack of full, anytime game saves is a minus...and thus the loss of 1/2 star. 4 1/2 Stars.

BTW, the ending is quite tricky.

Ray Nicholson

First of all, I would like to mention that I have NEVER before had problems with DRM protected games not working on my PC, or DRM messing up my PC. I am not one of those people who go around writing bad reviews for everything that has DRM on it, this is the first time I even decided to review a game on here.

While I am AGAINST DRM (the idea of it, and the principal) - this is the 1st time I have had a major issue with it. I bought this game (TRINE) at BEST BUY (the store... not online). I physically went down to the store, and purchased the actual game. I did NOT buy the digital download, or order it online.

I have an external USB DVD RAM Drive, and no CD / DVD drives inside my PC. I WAS able to install the game from the DVD, however, my drive was making all kinds of crazy noises (I swear, I thought my drive would take off and fly out of the room under it's own power - it sounded like a freakin' helicopter LOL), and the install went VERY SLOWLY, for a game of this type.

After installing, I tried to play the game and immediately got an error from the SecuROM CD verification check. It told me to insert the ORIGINAL CD, not a backup. Well, I never made a backup, and only used the original. I went to their website and checked for patches. Updating to the latest patch at the time (1.05) did not help either. I tried to register on their forums to get help, but after waiting for hours and hours, I never got the e-mail verification email from them (it's been 24 hours already - at the time of this review).

The publisher's site had some generic (BS / non-helpful) information about the error, and I didn't get anywhere with their "support" either.

So after a lot of frustration I decided finally to return the game the very next day. Unfortunately, no one lets you return "opened software" anymore, but the supervisor at BEST BUY was in a particularly good mood, and decided to let me exchange it for another game of the same price.

There is absolutely NO WARNING on the box WHAT SO EVER That it is protected by SecuROM, nor that even has any DRM on it. For this very reason, I wanted to warn people to be AWARE that if they buy it - they do so at their own risk. The game MAY or MAY NOT WORK... as SecuROM may interfere with certain drives / driver configurations.

Since I never got to actually play (and enjoy) the game, I can not give it any stars. I am strictly just telling my (short-lived) experience with the game, and wanted everyone to know: IT COMES WITH SECUROM DRM.

A pity, it looked like it would have been a neat game. I recommend getting the STEAM version, or another digital download version - as those do not have the SecuROM protection.

These are the years of PC gaming that will be known as the Underdog Era: full of indie masterpieces and megapublishers flops. World Of Goo, MOUNT & BLADE, iFLUID,CRAYON PHYSICS, DEFENSE GRID, all released by small independent companies, were rewarded by much better financial returns than overhyped behemoths of the likes of RED ALERT 3, ANNO 1404 and SPORE. It was not unexpected; after all, just like Limited Installations, greed only pays for a limited number of turns.

TRINE is an excellent physics action/arcade game. You control three interchangeable characters (a thief, a wizard and a warrior). Each has his/hers special abilities, from shooting griping hooks to levitating objects and smashing things up. At any point, you can select which one suits you best. Obstacles have to be turned, balanced, jumped over or simply smashed. Enemies have to be wiped out. And vials have to be discovered and collected before reaching the goal.

Between levels there are checkpoints but, annoyingly, no regular saving is possible (hence the star withheld). If a character dies you are only left with the other(s) to finish off the level. If it is impossible without the missing character(s)' abilities you can always revert to the last checkpoint.

The graphics are just beautiful! If you have seen the DIABLO III trailers, they are comparable. PhysX is required however, so nVIDIA gamers rejoice.
The sounds and voices are nicely done and clearly add to the enjoyment of the game.
Overall, I have been playing this gem for almost a week now and apart for the checkpoint saves I can only say good things about it.

TRINE comes with STEAM (in fact it was released first on that platform) and you will need to be online to post accomplishments - but there are neither limits on the number of installations nor any RootKits of the likes of SecuROM.

RECOMMENDED!

The graphics in this game are gorgeous. A bit too glossy, and with over-saturated colours for for my tastes, but still gorgeous. Traversing its levels is like hopping through a sumptuous, lovingly crafted fairy tale land. In terms of gameplay, it's essentially a two-dimensional game, but everything is constructed in three-dimensions which, together with the subtle camera changes that this allows, helps give it a nice richness and depth. I think that's why I was already two-thirds of the way into the game before I realised that I wasn't actually having that much fun.

The premise of the game and the basic mechanics are great. You can switch between three characters who each have different skills, many of which are inherently very fun. For example, the thief can swing around the place with her grappling hook, while with the wizard you can draw a square with your mouse to make a solid block appear out of thin air. The movement mechanics are very good too. Your characters feel fast and responsive, even when swimming underwater, and despite the fact that each of the three moves in almost exactly the same way, the animations are good enough that they each have a personality of their own.

So, the game looks great, the animations are great, and the core mechanics are great. Why then isn't it as much fun as it should be? The answer, in my opnion, is the level design. With all of the emphasis placed on physics and object manipulation in the game, I expected all sorts of interesting puzzles and problem-solving along the way, but these never really came. Sure, there were lots of obstacles to overcome in the game, but most of the time, the way to overcome these was just too obvious. There are usually at least two different ways to get across an obstacle (for example, to get to a higher ledge, you might grapple up there with the thief, or build a stack of blocks to jump from with the wizard), and you're almost always likely to figure out at least one of them without much thought. In the end, you seem to spend most of the game doing the same type of things over and over. Sure, there are a few slightly trickier moments here and there, but very few of them really felt clever, so I rarely had a significant feeling of achievement when I got somewhere.

What does make the game somewhat more difficult is the enemies, though this isn't necessarily a good thing. There are only a few enemy types in the game, and though they're all well animated and pretty dynamic, they get old really quick. The problem is that they keep respawning. It's so unsatisfying to skillfully fight off a horde of skeletons, or to crush one in a meticulously constructed trap, only to have new ones respawn in the same place. It nullifies whatever feeling of achievement you had for destroying the first batch. Pretty soon, rather than feeling challenging or ominous, the enemies just feel pesky and unwanted.

I think it's telling that even though I finished this game very recently, I can't say which was my favourite level. In fact, I honestly can't remember any of the levels properly; they all somewhat bleed into one another because they all felt kind of the same.

I seem to be in the minority, as everyone else seems to rave about this game, and not just on Amazon. But I wonder how many of the reviewers were so charmed by the game's excellent visuals and impressive production values that they never fully noticed its mediocre level design and repetitive gameplay. I don't think that Trine will remain in people's minds for years like so many other platform games of the past have. But if they can make a sequel with more diverse level design that takes its audience a little more seriously, then maybe they will have a classic on their hands after all.

I'm giving this 4 stars, but only just, and probably only because it's an indie production. It's still worth a play though, especially as it's not very expensive.

Trine starts with the three adventurers, the knight, the thief and the wizard, stumbling upon an ancient artifact called the Trine which fuses all three souls into one body which can change into any of the three characters. Shortly afterwards, an undead army attacks the kingdom. The trio must work together through various environments to stop the undead as well as determine how to counteract the effects of the Trine.

This game is alot of fun and you can't just hack and slash your way through a level. Some parts require some thought.

The wizard is my favorite charater, although without a normal attack, he can create boxes and platforms and levitate them. He can use them as weapons though, like creating a box and dropping it on a skeleton's head.

The thief is an archer and can grapple on wood and swing across gaps that the wizard or knight couldn't get across. As she (yes it is a girl) levels up she can fire more arrows and even fire arrows.

The knight is your brute force. He is the best fighter and in the beginning starts with a sword and shield (which when fully upgraded turns into a flaming sword, really cool! =] ) and then towards the end gets a hammer.

Multiplayer is deffinately the best thing about this game although they messed up by not putting LAN or even internet multiplayer into the game. Multiplayer is on one computer. You can play together easily if you have xbox 360 controller for windows. I have been playing with my uncle so he is on the computer and I am using my xbox controller.

Some level are quite long and it takes about (it depends on how thorough you are being) 20 to 30 mins to get through a level. 15 levels in all so about a 6 to 7 hour game. But has great replayability.

I have really enjoyed this game and would deffinately recommend it. If you are looking at this buy it! :)

I'm an avid player of RPGs, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this game. Took a chance; low price and decent reviews. I wasn't disappointed.

While not really an RPG, it is truly a puzzle game set in a fantasy environment, which I must say is absolutely gorgeous. The physics effects are incredible and would love to see them in more games of other styles I play.

Straight forward install. No issue with the DRM, despite it being SecureROM as one reviewer stated. Don't have a real problem with that, since even with that DRM, you bought it, it's yours. Works across XP and Vista platforms fine (on my rigs anyway!)

If you like side scroller adventure games with a seriously advanced "Pitfall" twist, this is your game.

The strategy is well thought out. You essentially have three classes of characters melded into one, which you can on the fly toggle between depending on the situation. Regardless of the situation, each can with varying effectiveness get you out of a situation, some better than others, but you are never "stuck" should one or both of the other classes die during the play - just have to use your wits to figure out the next move/advance with what you have left. Quite challenging at times.

Not a "five star" - few games are, but certainly a very good game!

I got this game on a good discount for only $5, so you'll have to bear that in mind; my review would be a lot lower if I'd paid full price. The first thing you'll notice about this game is that it's got a really nice graphics. The game backgrounds look beautiful; while the knight and the wizard looked really good, the thief, who has bare skin showing, looked a little ragged even at the highest resolution.

The game is essentially a collection of physics puzzles that you have to solve while enemies attack you. Sometimes there'll be no enemies, sometimes a few, sometimes a seemingly endless wave of responding enemies. The enemies are one of the weak points of the game. There are literally a few character models. You got the skeleton, the skeleton with a shield, the skeleton with a different shield, the skeleton with the sword, the skeleton with a sword and armor, the archer, the archer with armor, some bats, a fire breathing skeleton, and like to boss characters and then the final boss. It was kind of disappointing, but the real draw is mostly the puzzles.

The puzzles are actually pretty fun to deal with. You go to get your characters from one side of the map to the other and you can use their special powers to do it. For example the Wizard has no real attack but he can form bridges and form boxes and things to get you to locations it could reach otherwise. He does have one form of attack though I should mention; if an enemy is dumb enough to stand still, say an archer, then he can form a box directly over their head and squash them. I didn't get to use that power very often but it was still fun when I could. Mostly though, he's just used to be able to get your other characters to where they need to be. The knight is basically used to attack or sometimes break objects. The thief is by far the best character in my opinion; she has a ranged attack with her bow, a grappling hook that can swing around (including off of the platform the wizard can create, which is very cool), and she seems to be able to jump better than the other characters.

I initially mentioned that I would've rated this game a lot lower if I had to pay full price for it. This game is short, very short. I think it took me about seven hours to complete it, but a large portion of that was restarting the game because I bought a new video card I wanted to see what it looked like a better resolution. Realistically you'll probably only get about 5 to 6 hours max. You can replay the game, but there's really not that much to replay. By the time he finished the game you seen most of the physics puzzles a couple times already. Still, this is a fun game nonetheless.

Start off by saying I purchased this game for 20$ bucks about a month ago so when my friends and i came back from school for spring break we had a co-op game to play.

Visuals: Timeless
Trine is like those old nintendo games that you can play years and decades after they were made and not be deterred by the graphics. Although the characters and environment are very much distinguishable i wouldn't say the graphics fall under realism, but more under exaggerated and beautiful art. The colors and backdrop are stunning. The lighting is cool and dark. Overall the graphics in this game set it apart from others and insure it is a completely unique experience. I would say that the visuals alone are worth the pricetag. I have a 24 inch 1900*1200 samsung tv/monitor and i would use this game over bioshock or dragon age because the colors make make really beautiful backgrounds.

Story: Didn't really pay attention to the story. It was enjoyable and i like the narrations between level but the story wasn't the selling point for me.

Gameplay:
Single Player:
I first started playing the game in single player because i couldn't wait for my friends. First of all i used my xbox360 controller which the game easily recognized and already had the buttons mapped out(huge convenience)! In single player you can use all three characters but don't have to. You switch between them with the press of a button and when you are a certain characters the others are not visible. The game i think is meant so that each character is dependent on the other however i found that there were only two specific points in the game when i could not be and was not the rogue.

Rogue: The rogue was a very enjoyable class. While all the characters are essentially the same speed and agility as each other, the rogue has a grappling hook the enables it to go anywhere. Using the momentum of a swing you can launch yourself great distances and even kill enemies. Also you are equiped with a bow and arrow that upgrades over time. This bow is sufficient enough to kill all enemies which renders the knight nearly useless. The rogue was my favorite class and what made the game good because it was really addictive to swing around levels on my hook and rope.

Knight: THe knight was the second most enjoyable class. Both the knight and the wizard are completely dependent on each other. THe knight needs the wizard to make platforms and bridges but is needed to guard the wizard. He has a few weapons and abilities that make him a force against the enemies and he is comic in his own right.

Wizard: My least favorite but needed in multiplayer, the wizard had no attack. Sure he can levitate objects into enemies but suffers from a lack of attack that would make his class more enjoyable. You are not going to levitate a box into a swarm of bats afterall.

Multiplayer: Multiplayer was enjoyable because the game became more difficult in that if a knight or wizard died they needed to be revived for the other to continue. In multiplayer all three characters are on screen at once> all on one screen that moves with the group and not one player. Multiplayer uses the same levels story and enemies. Nothing is different in multiplayer other than there being multiple characters on screen. I bought the pc game and it was not difficult to hook up 3 xbox controllers or 2 and a keyboard to my computer. You just need enought usb ports.

Combat/Rpg elements: I lumped these together because both were pretty bland but the game wasn't really meant for those things anyway. There are very few different types of enemies and each one only really differs visually(the combat strategy is the same). The term rpg is really loose. It just suggests that there is a progression in your characters abilities. You chose between three exclusive upgrades per charcter per level and collect experience by killing enemies and reaching challanging locations.

Levels: All the 15 levels vary in length(most are longer than expected) but don't vary in visual appeal. Most of the levels are not very vertical and if they are they aren't horizontal. Also this isn't a very puzzling platformer that would stretch your mental abilities. Also the levels are very consitent, you shouldn't find yourself truly stuck at any point. I would compare the levels to super mario world on snes. There are some water parts too, which may drive you crazy. The levels are all very different and not obstacle feels repetitive.

Difficulty: For experienced platformers this game is not difficult. It is not nearly as difficult as the unforgiving oldschool games that drove you crazy. Even on the hardest setting the game does not present many challanges and as far as i could tell didn't offer more enemies. If you are looking for a laid back adventure this will work for you.

Length: The game was relatively short. I would say that for the first time it might take 8 hours to beat and for a veteran it could be done in less than an hour and a half. That being said, i find that good platformers have addicting replay value where you can zone out and play the game over and over. Thats exaclty what i did. All told i may have played close to 25 hrs playing this game in two months.

Value: I spent $[...] bucks on it and i think it is worth just that. There are not many current platforming games out there, a genre i have always loved. This is a great platforming game. Also it is difficult to find a good co-op game that lets you play the story on the same screen. Also the game is beautiful and addictive. Thats why i think it is worth its cost. Sure it may not be as long as a dragon age or as good and interesting as a bioshock or hl2, but it really was never meant to compare to those games. Its different and on its own level(one that i don't mind jumping to.)

Overall i would recommend this game to people because it is a unique and enjoyable experience.Don't spend more than $[...] becuase you may feel you didn't get enough game as this one can be beat within a night. Again if i was creating the list of the top ten greatest games i would be oblidged to choose others that did a little more. But i don't have any buyers remorse with trine becuase i understood exactly what it was, and that is waht i was looking for. This game is also attractive not only becuase the amazing backdrops but becuase you can use a contoller seemlessly allowing your computer to take on a system feel. If you still find yourself playing donkey kong country and those other great platformers choose trine for an updated current feel.

I wish more games had this kind of art direction! Without looking like a kiddie game, this one offers a colorful, lushly detailed world to "escape" to, for those who are tired of dreary, post-apocalyptic war or space environments. The puzzles are not overly difficult and checkpoints are generously placed, thereby avoiding any controllers thrown in frustration. It was still challenging enough to be fun, especially if you're someone who likes to collect all the items. My only gripe is that it was a little on the short side (8 hrs). I highly recommend it, though.

The side-scrolling platformer is far from dead with this great game!

The story is narrated during loading screens, which don't take more than a minute to load, at the longest. And while the story isn't terribly complex, the world is brought to life in sharp, vivid colors and beautiful 3D rendering. Though the entire game is played in two dimensions, the environments appear layered, and in a few levels some of the (abundant) traps actually appear to swing "towards" and "away from" the screen.

The gameplay is complex, though not frustratingly so. To attempt to simply jump through these levels will quickly result in failure. You have three separate characters, each with their own abilities, and they work VERY well together. As you progress, you will unlock items (some general use, some character-specific) and new skills for your characters. In terms of pacing, the game does an excellent job of introducing new abilities just as you get into an area where you need them, and building on that later in the game.

The combat is not deep. It is pretty button-mashy, although the knight's shield will save you from certain death. It can even be used to block the fireballs from certain traps. The thief has her arrows, which can be upgraded to shoot a fire arrow, or multiple arrows (with abilities and items maxed out, 5 I think). Even the wizard (despite lacking a fireball spell) is able to crush enemies with his planks and boxes that he can conjure.

My wife and I both greatly enjoyed this game. It's a short, sweet platformer with plenty of character, eye candy, gameplay affecting physics, and charm. Pick this up as a treat for the whole family.