Are you ready to embark on a fairytale story? Well, Trine 2 will certainly take you there. In this sidescrolling action-puzzle-platformer, players are transported to another world full of magic, goblins, giant monsters, and enchanted forests.
Frozenbyte’s sequel starts out by summing up what happened in the first game, which is a nice touch for those who – like me – didn’t play the original. The Trine, which is a mysterious magical artifact, had brought together three heroes; a wizard named Amadeus, a knight called Pontius, and a thief by the name of Zoya. Now the Trine has summoned their help again, but the exact reason why is still unknown.
In single player mode you’re able to freely choose between any of three characters which each have their own special abilities that will be needed in order to complete each level. Amadeus the wizard is able to conjure items such as boxes, as well as levitate inanimate objects. Pontius is the real muscle of the group, brandishing sword and shield and easily cutting down his foes. Then with his hammer he is able to break down walls that block pathways and would otherwise impede progress. Lastly, Zoya has a grappling hook to help her get to those high-up places, as well as a bow with which to kill enemies at a distance.
In co-op gamers can play either locally with a friend or online with up to three other people. Whether playing alone or with others, the gameplay is the same. The Trine will send you on a quest and that has everyone following it. Along the way there are orbs to locate and collect which will give skill points that can be used to level characters. All the characters have their own skill tree that is progressed through, and as you do so characters will be granted new skills.
Each level will require some thinking to be done when obstacles are come across. For example, what do you do when there is a giant sleeping snail blocking your path? (Don’t worry, I’ll let you figure it out on your own.) Then there are also the goblins that will pop out from time to time and attack you.
More than anything else, though, it’s because of the graphics and the music that most will get completely lost in Trine 2. The visuals are so good that some might even think they’re watching a CG movie. The colors are astonishingly bright and vivid, which looks great. Add in a lovely soundtrack that goes perfectly with it and you will truly feel like you are in a fairytale.
After just two levels I was hooked on the game as well as sad that the beta only had two levels. I enjoyed it so much that I might just go get the first one (Trine) to play while I wait for this sequel to come out December 7th, 2011 for PC and December 21st for Xbox 360. The exact PlayStation date has not been set yet, but it will also be some time this month.
