GamesRelay

Name: Trine

Trine makes a big impact when you first see it. Not necessarily because of its colourful, vibrant aesthetic, which is eye-catching in itself, but because of the physics. Gameplay is the pillar that all games lean on, and the in-game physics are the basis of what Trine's gameplay embodies.

In a fantasy kingdom, the land has been overtaken by the skeletal forces of evil. Amidst the incoming army of the dead, a thief, a sorcerer and a knight all bumble into the castle's treasure room and lay their hands on an ancient artifact called the Trine. Now only images of themselves, they must travel across the countryside, finding a way to free themselves while also dealing with the crisis afflicting the kingdom. The story begins on a Discworld-like tone, comically portraying their characters based on their stereotypical roles. What begins as a humorous tale continues as a more simple one. Aside from quick snippets of dialogue between the characters at the beginning or end of a level, most of the story is told by a narrator over loading screens.

At its heart, Trine is a 2D platformer. Going from left to right, you have to jump across and avoid obstacles, the basic template is there. However, thanks to the power of the Trine, you are able to select between the three characters at will. The Knight is best suited for combat, charging into the enemy ranks with sword and shield. He is also able to pick up small objects and kick them with lethal force. Speaking of lethal forces, it appears he is also quite heavy, capable of crushing enemies if he falls on them fast enough. The Thief is a more acrobatic sort, able to fire a grapple at wooden surfaces for swinging across wide gaps or ascending to high platforms, and is also equipped with the very essential bow and arrows. The safest way of taking out enemies is from afar, particularly skeletons with bows and arrows of their own. The Wizard plays possibly the most important role. He is able to summon different platforms, such as boxes and planks, which can be lifted and placed at will. This can open up many different avenues for problem solving, of which there are many to each situation.

This is all beneficial to the open-ended level design. Even though you have these three characters with varied abilities, many different situations have multiple solutions. For example, if you wanted to get over a high ledge, you could create a staircase of boxes as the Wizard and climb your way up, or you could use the Thief's grappling hook to snag onto a ledge and reel yourself up to a position to jump onto it. This had to be the case for many reasons, as, if one of your characters died and was unusable; chances were that another character could continue on to the next character-healing checkpoint.

Yet this level design also fits into the co-operative component of the game. Up to three players can take part in local multiplayer where a whole new dimension is added to the same single player levels. Instead of only worrying about the progression of yourself, every character must navigate the litany of obstacles. Just because you could get up that high ledge by grappling up as the Thief it doesn't mean another player controlling the Knight can hop his way up. Playing the game cooperatively is like playing it afresh – the old rules don't matter, and you have a new set to adapt to.

The difficulty is quite punishing, while there is a very manageable easy mode, even normal can seem a bit on the hard side. Considering there is another difficulty level above this, masochists will have a great time inching their way through. That said, the potential frustration of the tough parts is tempered somewhat by the nature of the checkpoints. They heal most of your health and energy as you pass through them, and are very liberally scattered across all fifteen levels.

Like in so many games with complex physics engines, strange things can happen as you wander through the environment. Sometimes it feels as though you're cheating, as you take advantage of an object to take you through a puzzle that, it seems, shouldn't be solved that way in ordinary circumstances. Enemies, when killed, can ragdoll peculiarly, rocketing skyward and getting stuck in ceiling beams. The final two abilities that the Knight and the Wizard acquire can unbalance the game, in many regards, with the Knight becoming a nigh-unstoppable powerhouse and the Wizard creating a platform that he can control, taking him up the most difficult routes with ease. These imperfections are only mild blemishes however, acting only to darken an otherwise picturesque canvas.

With Trine being priced quite high for a downloadable release, it proves the point that the longevity of a title shouldn't be constrained by its distribution method. For all intents and purposes, this is a full retail release, taking you upwards of seven or eight hours to complete. If replayed on higher difficulties, cooperatively, or attempting to find all the collectables in each area, the lifetime of the game is multiplied greatly. The presentation is beauteous, with vibrant jungles and ruins sparkling with colour. It is an aural feast, with a glorious soundtrack that complements the game wondrously. It is complete and satisfying, merging great gameplay with an artist's touch. It is games like Trine that the downloadable market was born to spread.