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Trine 2
PC (Steam)
Trine 2: Bring Your Friends
3.5/5 stars
Frozenbyte's second foray into the Trine series certainly left a better taste than the original. This Trine is all around more polished - both in the graphics, story and controls. Once again the biggest strength lies in its multiplayer, so it's recommended to gather a couple friends to make things flow so much more smoothly. Not the longest game (even with DLC) but it is entertaining and quite fun (and only sometimes frustrating).
Presentation: A step up in all departments - characters, levels and and adding more dialogue all serve to make Trine 2 a step up from the original game. Once again you have three characters (wizard, rogue and warrior) who can either be controlled separately or switched between in single player. They are a bit more fleshed out this time around (we even almost get to see the wizard's wife in the goblin-centric DLC) and are given a bit more to say as well. Levels pop - from a living forest to an ice-covered castle - and are varied enough to provide a nice range of colors and effects. The 2.5 platformer also has plenty of elements to utilize - fire-spewing pipes, spiked logs, exploding barrels and falling water are just some of the neat tricks they employ to make the game more dynamic. All in all, for a cross-platform game, it looks pretty darn good.
Story: The original game gave us three stock characters (Rogue Zoya, robust knight Pontius and wizard Amadeus) brought together by an artifact (the Trine, of course) in order to put down an undead army. Thinking they are done the heroes go their own separate ways - only to be brought back together once again when the land comes under attack by mutated plants, while the goblins become restless. The Trine leads them to a queen who needs their help stopping the goblins, while her story also involves a rivalry with her sister (told in part by various poems you find scattered about levels) - that invokes memories of Frozen. The DLC involves the goblins (the title of Goblin Menace pretty much spells it out) - as they kidnap the wife of Amadeus, who seeks his friends help in getting her back. Stories are serviceable if not that original. But they form a cohesive enough narrative for the somewhat short game.
Gameplay: Not too much has changed from the first game. Each of the three characters is given an ability, the knight is the tank, using his sword to kill enemies, his hammer to break down walls and his shield to block projectiles (and glide if you level it up). The rogue has a bow to shoot from afar (with elemental abilities that can be added via leveling up) as well as a grapple that can attack to any wooden surface. The wizard is by far the most useful in multiplayer as he can create boxes and planks that he can levitate (making it easier to get around, collect things and avoid certain death). Leveling him up grants him the ability to create more items. All experience is now shared and you must determine what abilities are best unlocked. There are some new things to unlock, though sticking with the most useful abilities is the way to go.
Save points are spread out evenly in each level - as long as one player is still alive, the two others can be revived with full life. If everyone dies, they will all respawn at the previous save point. There are no longer any pesky magic meters to worry about and hidden treasure now serve to only grant more backstory or concept art. All in all - it seems more streamlined this time around. The levels seem much more balanced this time around though, once again, playing in multiplayer seems like it would be much easier than slugging it out alone (for the wizard's abilities alone). There are some parts that seem like it would be hair-pullingly frustrating on your own - even with a group some areas were difficult (though not to the point of controller-throwing fury).
Replayability: Most of the replay aspect comes from collecting every possible collectible in the game, unlocking all abilities and, if you choose, single player vs. multiplayer experience. That being said, there are no branching paths or diverging stories - so there isn't huge replay value here.
Overall: People who played the original Trine will certainly like this sequel and even if you skipped the first game - this is still worth picking up (especially with a couple of friends around to help).
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Replayability: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 3.5/5
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