Trine 2

Trine 2 is a puzzle-platforming game about the wizard Amadeus, the knight Pontius, and the thief entrepreneur Zoya, whose souls have been bound together by the Trine, a mysterious artifact. Each of the three characters has their own unique skillset, and you're free to switch characters at any point during the level.

The knight features a sword and shield, and is best for combat and destroying environmental objects. The thief has a bow and hookshot, and so excels at dispatching ranged enemies or covering large gaps. Finally, the wizard can summon and levitate objects, making physics puzzles his area of expertise. The optimal character for each puzzle is often clear, but trying (or being forced to) clear a room with a different character is part of the fun. There are also plenty of areas that force you to use two or all three characters to clear them effectively.

In addition to their base skills, each character has additional abilities that can be unlocked over the course of the game. Getting more tools does make the game easier in one respect, by providing new solutions, but also harder, by offering more options (and hence more wrong answers). Additionally, you can re-spec the characters at any time, so you're free to try out different power-ups at your leisure.

As the name suggests, Trine 2 is the sequel to Trine, and it functions almost identically to its predecessor. If you've played the first Trine, you know what the sequel is like. While the core of the games are the same, Trine 2 features all new levels and new power-ups for the characters.

The level design in Trine 2 is incredibly varied, and presents a consistent challenge despite all the tools handed to to the player. I think it might be even better than Trine, which felt like it relied a bit too much on "get across this incredibly large gap" in the later stages of the game. The base objective of reaching the end of each level is not very difficult, but each level is filled with tons of experience bottles and several secrets, and getting all of those presents the real challenge. Additionally, checkpoints (which fully heal and revive your characters) are relatively common, so failure never erases too much progress.

In fact, the customizable difficulty level of Trine 2 is one of the most interesting features about it, especially since it's a platformer, a genre whose difficulty levers are often difficult to turn. Trine 2 can be played with up to three people, and you can choose options like whether multiple people can be the same characters at the same time, or if the wizard can levitate characters or only objects. Options like this allow you to choose whether you want to float (literally) through the game or push yourself through legitimate physics challenges.

The graphics are fantastic and varied, drawing the player into a mystical world. The game features full 3D graphics, but all the action takes place on a 2D plane. The background is fully realized and extends far off into the distance when outside, and can also provides clues about or play into the current puzzle. The camera is zoomed out enough that we never get a detailed look at any particular model, but everything looks great at the distance we see it. In addition to the quality of the graphics, there's also a huge variety; the game covers a huge swath of locales, from an icescape to a floating city to a monster's belly, and every area of every level is uniquely designed.

The sound design and music are also high quality. The soundtrack heavily features evocative winds and strings, perfectly suited for a magical world with knights, wizards and goblins. The music tends to stay in the background, providing color and atmosphere for the unique worlds the trio of heroes journeys through. The sound effects match what they are supposed to represent, and present valuable feedback in trying to navigate the physics puzzles. For instance, the hookshot makes a different noise if it hits an object it can't latch onto. The sound does its job of providing backdrop and information to the player without being distracting or in the way.

Trine 2 has a story, and... it's quite difficult to follow. The issue is that all we get of the story is a page of text when the level loads, and a few short spoken lines by the characters during the levels. There's no room for exposition or development, or any explanation for why we might end one level in a forest and begin the next one in a volcano. It's a platformer, so the story doesn't actually matter, but it feels like it's a shame for the developers to have clearly tried to put in a story and failed so badly at conveying it.

This is a decent platformer, with a variety of powers, levels, and aesthetics. It's perfectly fine in its own right, but I think the best way to play is with a friend or two, which can reduce the difficulty a fair amount, but also opens up the door to discovering all the silly interactions the game holds.