Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
Trine 4 is filled with heartwarming moments in a rich puzzle-platforming adventure that feels like returning to an old story told in childhood.
accumulate in a dusty tap house , a group of weary travelers recline as a bard spins a yarn of a chemical group of three heroes and their quest across the land . This fantastic and comfortable setting is the variety of one thatTrinehas created , ever since the first biz released over 10 years ago . They ’re games that echo the stories one might hear in an lodge across from a mystical wood : luminousness , sate with magic and adventure , and of course a happy ending . In a " return to form " in the series , Trine 4 : The Nightmare Princeis both a delightfulTolkien - like adventure and 2.5D puzzle platformer .
The firstTrinegame discharge in 2009 and ( at the meter ) was a PC exclusive . It digest out from the threadbare pack of like game with its beautiful bio - luminescent visuals , rousing soundtrack of flute glass and horns , and fun physics - based mystifier . From the outset , it was never so simple as " flip this switch , pull that lever " and more about using the tool dedicate to you to outmatch a high ledge or bottomless quarry . And as the plot continued , so did the dream of developers Frozenbyte . Trine 3even took a thrust at a fully 3 - five hundred secret plan , and though it did n’t quite hit the grade , it showed fans their dedication to these joyous indie titles .
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Like the secret plan before them , Trine 4 : The Nightmare Princeis a feast for the senses . layer pop with color , the visible radiation of the sun or moon cascade down waterfalls and shining into crystal cavern . Even when there is no puzzle or enemy embarrass one ’s track , you might often find yourself stopping to enjoy the scenery . This is n’t a platformer with any sense of urgency ; even the story itself takes welcome meandering pauses over its 5 Acts . And the story itself is quite elementary : the three heroes of Trine ( a mystical force that binds them together , explaining a key constituent of gameplay - see below ) are tasked with saving young Prince Selius from a illusion that he can not control . It ’s a dainty change of pace from apocalyptic world - terminate stories that takes things to a small scale but still feels epical . Even when the writing veers into overly moralistic or timeworn dominion , its always cherubic .
second like the one show above , where you transfer a spiked yield from a bear ’s claw , only to have help from them throughout the spirit level ( in the form of moving obstruction ) are part of what makesTrine 4a breezy and joyful journey . While the majority of puzzler are solve using one of the three characters powers , the occasional environmental assistance is a young addition to this installment , and it colors the earth perfectly .
Trine 4(and its predecessors ) have always made it so there are multiple ways to solve a puzzle using either Amadeus the Wizard , Pontius the Knight , or Zoya the Thief . They ’re archetypes of medieval / fantastical stories , but their friendly personality and short raillery help to give them new animation . Of course , their powers avail them stand out as well : Amadeus can summon cube ( and later lump and bridge ) to help clear teaser , as well as levitate sure object . Pontius is advantageously used when fight the nightmare as his steel makes straightaway employment of them ; he also can apply his cuticle to airt light and H2O . Zoya ’s bow and arrows are ideal for elemental puzzles and her grappling bait for soar through the atmosphere .
If one is play the secret plan alone , they have the power ( through the aforementioned power of " Trine " ) to swap between any of the three characters at any time . Create a cube as Amadeus , then hook it to a platform as Zoya to give yourself a step up . Or freeze out an enemy with her arrows to later have Pontius thrash them to limbo . If you opt to play in online or lounge multiplayer ( offering up to4 player , a first for the series ) then you ’ll choose one character and stick to them . This does make some puzzles importantly easier to lick , so they ’re often reworked for this experience to bring home the bacon an extra challenge . The residue is n’t perfect , butTrine 4isn’t mean to be the most difficult puzzle platformer , or so it seems .
The balancing of puzzler establish on multiplayer is most easy to " cheese " when you tally in a fourth instrumentalist . As the game only has three playable types , adding a fourth individual means that there will be a transcript of one hero ; climbing a drop-off becomes a mint easier when you have two wizards that can ( when fully upgrade ) make three pulley-block or bridges . The game also provides the option of allow multiple copies of each hero even in the two and three participant modes , but it is advocate you wreak " Classic Mode " for a more traditional and balanced experience .
Trine 4 : The Nightmare Prince’spuzzles on a whole are enjoyable , but never particularly difficult . It often felt as though , even after decease one , that the puzzler was completed wrong , manipulating some of the game ’s physics and more well exploitable powers ( Zoya ’s rope or Amadeus ’s cubes ) to bypass timed closing room access or fields of fire . When this happened , it was dissatisfying , and could lead other players wondering if they were mean to be solved that room or something had been expose . Puzzles should n’t have a clear solution of course , but once it is solve , it should become well-defined . Trine 4’spuzzles do n’t always give the participant that instant of epiphany ; some involve too much trial and error , others involve so many machinist it becomes confusing . But there are plenty of puzzles that blend all the powers the heroes have gained over their journey with the surroundings in singular way , and each one is a joy .
While most of these powers are merely unlocked by playing the biz , some must be bought with point ( gained by attaining a certain amount of the in - biz currentness notice throughout levels ) . These powers are never necessary to beat a puzzle or enemy , so it becomes clear right away that they can break a spate of more difficult sphere . For instance Pontius ' Dream Shield ( a shield he can place in an domain and then leave ) can become magnetised , allowing Amadeus to bind a block to it ; Zoya ’s fairy rope gives her the power to hover objects : one could see how these could be exploitable . No matter how comfortable the puzzles become , the game however , stay on delightful .
Prince Selius has unleash his incubus on the world , triggering the tough dream of other forest ethnic music in the process . But the goal of our bomber is never to defeat him ; they stay vigilant in their quest to pull through him from his own uncontrollable magic . Their hearts are in force , as so is the message ofTrine 4 . " Our human beings is already grievous enough , we have to take care out for each other . " With each team campaign to ride pumpkin through a briar - patch or hook a box to the top a drop-off , here is a biz that brings friends closer instead of ( potentially ) tearing them asunder . The heartwarming moment make off screen hunt down parallel to the adventure and natural process of a full-bodied platforming existence that feels like returning to an old tale told in childhood . For fans of theTrineseries , there ’s nothing better .
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Trine 4 : The Nightmare Princeis available on October 8th on PlayStation 4 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox One , and PC for $ 29.99 . Screen Rant was provided with a digital PS4 copy for the purpose of this review .
