▷Trine 4 review, the prince of nightmares 🥇

The advent of Trine in the market has shaken the indie videogame scenario by offering gamers a fresh and captivating title. Since 2009, Frozenbyte has baked three chapters of the saga going deeper and deeper into the stories of the three heroes of the fantastic realm in which they find themselves. Now, 4 years after the end of the trilogy, the knight Pontius, the magician Amadeus and the thief Zoya, they return to the adventure with Trine 4.

Trine 4 review

In this chapter, the protagonists of the story, separated again, receive an invitation from a powerful sorceress, the master of the council of magic of the astral academy. This she asks for help from our valiant heroes for find Prince Selius, who disappeared two years ago under mysterious circumstances. In addition to being heir to the throne, Selius is also an apprentice wizard still at the dawn of his apprenticeship. Due to his inexperience, the prince caused a serious accident by summoning a frightening shadow who feeds on his own nightmares. The heroes of the Trine are once again called upon to join forces and save the kingdom once again.

The main story is divided into acts and will lead us to the discovery of the young prince's past and why his nightmares are threatening the kingdom. We will deal with ferocious wolves, poisonous spiders and the other horrors and fears that lurk in Selius's mind, all while the riddles and puzzles we've come to love from the series will stand in our way. Our heroes will soon realize that the prince's nightmares aren't the only ones to fear.

Although the plot has never been the strong point of the saga, in Trine 4 we see a marked improvement. The story of this chapter in fact develops the relationships between the various characters and their past, giving us a clearer vision of the protagonists' personalities. The new characters introduced, as well as the enemies or neutral creatures of the fantasy world of Trine, finally enrich the lore of the game increasing the sense of involvement.

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Everything we loved about Trine

Trine 4 has everything we've ever loved about the series. THE puzzle and the intricate levels to be overcome with the use of all three characters at the same time, reappear with the same wit of the previous games. This chapter also boasts new innovative mechanics who manage to give variety to the game by introducing new powers and interesting gameplay variants. We are talking about the possibility of Amadeus to create balls to roll on or to create Zoya's elemental arrows which will modify the elements of the scenario, for example by freezing a certain platform. There is also no shortage of light beams to be directed with it shield of Pontius, doors to be opened with the appropriate keys and even magic portals in the "Portal" style.

This chapter can also be addressed both in single player, alternating the characters with R1, both a multiplayer online o locale to use multiple heroes at the same time. Both modes obviously offer the appropriate pros and cons that can complicate or facilitate the puzzles to be solved. It must be said, however, that, unlike the previous chapters, Trine 4 is characterized by excessive simplicity. This factor can be seen from the beginning of the game where the “difficult” difficulty no longer appears in the hardcore mode. Furthermore, the puzzles are extremely intuitive and very smooth; it will no longer be necessary to spend several minutes on a certain level.

This significantly lowers the degree of challenge that will be missed by longtime players of the series. Equally simple are the battles against the enemies that, except for some interesting clashes with the Boss, are resolved in a flash. Having said that, don't lull yourself too much, finding all the collectibles to finish the game 100% will be a real challenge!

The return of an old flame

To give a hand to a certain flatness of the challenges, we also find the new skill tree of the characters. Unlike the previous chapters, in fact, main skills are unlocked automatically once certain levels have been reached. The skill points that we will get from the potions found around the maps, only serve to enhance the main powers, guaranteeing interesting buffs but not very relevant in terms of gameplay: the game can be easily completed without the latter.

It must be said that the situation, in terms of the difficulty of the fights and puzzles, changes radically when playing in multiplayer up to 4 players. Although the characters are 3, the game gives the possibility to compose the party with more "copies" of the same hero. This provides excellent insights for a more addicting gameplay in the company of friends. The way you solve the puzzles and the number of enemies changes depending on the number of players present.

From a technical point of view, the Prince of Nightmares abandons the clumsy 3D of Trine 3 returning to a 2.5D full of details. The level design in this chapter is indeed spectacular and gives us a world full of colors, interesting characters and enemies and enchanting landscapes. Likewise it stands out the soundtrack which adapts perfectly to the situation: from the natural settings of the woods to the dreamlike ones of the dreams and mind of the Prince.

Trine 4 review: buy it or not?

Definitely Trine 4 is the sequel we expected. After the slip of Trine 3, this chapter goes back to the origins of the series hitting the hearts of the fans. Although the difficulty is no longer what it used to be, it still managed to give us several hours of gameplay in the company of our bizarre heroes.

Whether you're a fan of the saga or new to Trine players, this chapter (like everyone else) is a must-have for platform and puzzle game lovers.