When I first started dabbling in PC gaming, my options were limited. I was working with a good-not-great HP laptop, and I found a lot of the things I wanted to play just weren’t going to happen. Browsing Steam for great games my PC could handle, I came across a two-pack for $5: Trine and Trine 2. Just from screenshots, the games looked magical, full of color, and well worth $5.

With Trine 4, I tried to enter into the game without the rose-colored glasses that I obtained from playing other great titles in the series. Luckily, Trine 4 holds up, all the while improving the popular Frozenbyte series and its great puzzle-platformer gameplay to something great for everyone.

Welcome Back, Trine Fans – Let’s Start Over

Trine 4 is truly the perfect opportunity for newcomers to the game to dive right in. With no previous knowledge of the story or games that came before it, I imagine Frozenbyte intended this to be sort of a fresh start. Keeping the 3D graphics from Trine 3, but overhauling the controls to keep things much more approachable for newcomers and those who might be used to casual platformers, the game feels great for everyone who might come across it. Still, returning players will be greeted by the same great characters and their entertaining powers, leaving enough remnants of past games to make it feel like a true tetralogy.

A great embedded feature of Trine’s long time 3-character party is multiplayer playability. If you’ve ever tried a puzzle-based game with friends, however, sometimes more is not the merrier. I find that I enjoy playing solo more often than not, but I feel like the experience in Trine 4 lends itself to a great solo experience because you can operate all angles of the puzzle much easier on your own. Flashback to the horrors of Zelda Triforce Heroes, if you played it, and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Except this time, the game stays manageable when you decide to go it alone. With a three hero party with abilities to get you out of any jam, you’re never really alone, are you?

Puzzling Combat Choices, But Great Puzzles as Always

Something that’s great about any modern platformer is the ability to freely move around in the given level. If you see something ahead that looks menacing that you’re not ready for, you can nope your way back the way you came and regroup.

In Trine 4, combat scenarios are instead triggered after you reach a certain point in the level. After this, the screen locks a-la a Super Smash Bros. stage and you’re limited to that area only. In almost every case, I found myself reverting to a button-mashing mindless rage, switching to the Knight, and just beating the attack button like a mad man. Due to the spacial limitations of a combat area, the ranged attacks just don’t feel viable to me, and it seriously deters any sort of creative, enjoyable combat experience.

Luckily, the main focus of the game is still puzzles. They get tough, but not necessarily in the sort of learning curve presentation as one might expect. Some late-game puzzles felt like a breeze, whereas early puzzles gave me a much harder time. That goes for boss fights as well, and it signifies one of my biggest concerns with the game. At no point do you feel anything building to a climax. By the end of the game, the pacing leaves you feeling a bit unsure about whether or not the final boss is really the final boss. Is there more? No, but it certainly feels like there should be.

Shortcomings Aside, Trine is Always a Magical Experience

The music and visuals made Trine games huge hits on PC for a long time. By the time the games came to consoles in the Trine Ultimate Collection, comprised of the first three games, they were well known for being puzzle platformers light on violence and action but full of great experiences. Trine 4 feels less enjoyable than past games but, in a way, it’s not due to the content itself but the order in which it’s presented.

Without a reasonable arch in difficulty or interesting combat scenarios, the game plays a bit too much like a puzzle solver that just so happens to be skinned as an action platformer. It’s not a bad experience, and I’m quite happy to say I enjoyed Trine 4. That being said, it’s not going to be up for any Game of the Year awards and leaves my rose-colored glasses off to the side with no urge to throw them on and compare this experience to any of the first three.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Trine 4 was provided by Modus Games for the purposes of this review.

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Trine 4

$29.99 USD

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Wonderful Visuals and Music
• Same Wonderful Puzzle Based Platforming
• Good for Newcomers and Satisfying for Returning Trine Fans

Cons

• Combat is Limiting in Space and Difficulty
• No Real build Up or Climax in Gameplay
• The Entire Experience Feels a Bit of a Letdown by the End