Trine (PC Game) [İnceleme/Video]
[video=Trine Gameplay Trailer #2, April 2009 (PSN, PC)]6357[/video]
Developed by FrozenByte studios, Trine is a multi-character, 2D side-scrolling, physics based, puzzle platformer, with Role playing elements. Try to say that two times fast. Or three, even. The game is called Trine, after all…
The first impressions of Trine are highlighted by the elaborately detailed fantasy setting. Initially, you play as a Thief, swinging and grappling her way through a series of two dimensional jumping/platforming puzzles. Eventually you come across the big treasure, but unbeknownst to you, it’s a trap.
You are then switched to another fantasy trope, the Wizard, to do a bit of… uh… well… wizarding. Admittedly, he’s not your typical wizard — no fireballs here! However, he can make make mechanical boxes materialize out of thin air and move things with his mind. All of these abilities tremendously aid in navigating the increasingly difficult two dimensional maze, because lord knows, without fireballs, he needs all the help he can get. Then, he too sees the neat-o artifact, and let’s be honest, it becomes even more appealing with a strange girl touching it. After touching the object, the wizard finds himself suffering from the same fate as the Thief, he too is trapped.
Finally, a very stereotypical, not-so-smart Fighter joins the constricted duo, but not before fighting a few skeletons along the way. There seems to be quite an infestation of the living dead that has taken a firm grip on the fantasy Kingdom. Amazing, the setting seems to lack anything else, beyond our three heroes, trapped by a magic crystal called the Trine.
Once all three of the protagonists have been trapped, they are simultaneously released, but bound together in a single form, through some strange, mystical power. Each unique character has an ability that aids in traversing the maze of dungeons, castles, and arcane libraries that make up the world of Trine. As the player, you switch between these characters on the fly, so you can jump, fight and uh… magic your way through a lush series of levels, loosely stitched together by a threadbare plot.
The writing and voice acting are passable, but not the primary focus of the game. Instead, the focus is on an intriguing mix of seemingly unrelated environmental elements, merged together to create a puzzle-based action game. None of these concepts are tremendously new, but they work fairly well together, with one fairly major caveat: The Controls.
As odd as it may sound, the default controls for the PC version of Trine are similar to what you might find in a traditional first person shooter. Specifically, that means, it uses WASD for movement (W is jump in this case) and the mouse for aiming. Now, I’ve played many 2D platformers on my PC and they typically use the arrow keys for movement, and the remaining buttons at left on the keyboard for attacks and special moves. This combination just felt awkward.
That’s when I berated myself, and said, “Joe, you already have an Xbox 360 controller plugged into your system!” I grabbed it and wouldn’t you know it? It worked like a dream! On the one hand, using the controller allowed me enjoy this reasonably fun game, while on the other, it reminded me that in this modern world of gaming, those of us on the PC are treated like second-class citizens.
A bit of online research reveals that the game was originally supposed to be released on the PlayStation Network at the same time as it was on PC, but nagging bugs have repeatedly kept it from passing through Sony’s approval process. It is currently available on the European PSN now, and should be available very soon (if not already) in the US.
Unfortunately, I’m not reviewing the console version of the game, I’m reviewing the PC version. I think that it is a great game — if you have a controller. I wouldn’t, however, go out and buy a controller, specifically for this game. If you happen to just have a spare on one on hand though, I would highly recommend downloading the demo of Trine and giving it a go. If you don’t have a controller, you could try it too, but I think you’ll find it unsatisfyingly hard to manage.
