Trine

By Travis Mosis
July 08, 2009 11:10 AM PST
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Trine is a high-production benchmark for downloadable games, earning GamePro's praise alongside such games as Super Stardust HD and PixelJunk Monsters. Unfortunately it's a bit overpriced on the PC, so you might want to keep your eyes peeled for the PlayStation 3 version that is $10 cheaper.

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The biggest issue with Trine is the $30 price tag for the PC version. Though the production values are high and the platforming play style is solid, you might want to keep an eye out for the Playstation 3 version that is $10 cheaper. Eager gamers should continue to read this review and weigh all the pros and cons before slapping down $30.

Tolkien, Meet LittleBigPlanet

GamePro previews editor Andy Burt described Trine as Lord of the Rings meets LittleBigPlanet. It's a physics-based side-scrolling platformer where you control three distinct characters -- thief, warrior, and wizard. Each character has a simple set of abilities that help you progress through environmental puzzles like plank jumping, box stacking, and Tarzan rope-swinging situations. The physics are realistic enough to have you believe that wood reacts like it should as do heavy objects made of metal or rock. The physics can be a little finicky at times and unexpectedly lead to some frustrating deaths.

The three characters are what makes Trine an addicting experience. They each play completely unique and you can switch between each character at anytime. Like characters from a Lord of the Rings novel, the thief is your ranged fighter and fastest character. Her weapon is the bow and arrow, which can be upgraded to multishot and fire arrows. She's the only character with a grappling hook that's used to hook and swing from overhanging wooden objects. The warrior is your basic fighter. He carries a sword and shield to combat the undead and is strong enough to lift and throw objects, which you'll find a rather useless skill. The wizard is most unique in that he is a non-combat character that conjures objects into the world to assist in difficult puzzle situations. The wizard can move objects with telekinesis and conjure boxes, planks, and floating platforms.

You'll find the beginning of the game to be quite simple as most puzzles can be traversed with even the warrior. By the end of the game, however, you'll be hard pressed to progress if the wizard is dead. This gets a little frustrating in the later lava levels when you absolutely need the wizard to create a box or floating platform for the thief to swing from.