Atomic checks out this nifty Indy title.
There are so many hundreds of games out there that sometimes it's pretty easy to lose track of what is good and what isn't - but sorting the wheat from the chaff can be tricky.
Luckily that's where we've stepped in, bearing the incredibly difficult task of having to play such an endearing title as Trine; but funnily enough it's got a whole lot more than just that to offer.
Developed by Frozenbyte, a Finnish game developer, Trine (steam page here) is essentially a 3D side-scroller with some pretty nifty goals and a fleshed-out storyline.
Upon installing the game you're treated to some beautiful hand-drawn imagery, complete with suitable voiceover to explain that there was a kingdom minus a king; left without a leader.
You're first dumped into the alluring shoes of a Thief, as you sneak into a roomful of gold past a series of obstables. Controlling with WASD for movement and space for jump, left click is used for a bow and arrow while right click controls a grapple.
Then the Wizard and Knight characters are introduced in a similar fashion, and they all wind up in the golden room at the same time. This room happens to contain the 'Trine', which upon touching it at once their souls are fused which brings into play the mechanic that we surmise lasts until the end - hot-swappable characters.
The demo includes two pretty big levels, with some of the most jaw-droppingly good graphics we've seen for a damn long time from any game - even managing to crush our 4870X2 under Very High settings (1920x1200, 8xAA). Solid gameplay and plenty of well-balanced fun add up to make this one awesome title, so head to the demo page to give it a try - whether or not it's worth the US$29.95 asking price is up to you.
Head into the gallery for some screenshots of the game, as well as a little more description.
Issue: 106 | November, 2009