Game review by Jeremy Hardin
Game – Trine 2: Director’s Cut
Version – 3DS eShop – $19.99
Rating – E10+ for Everyone 10+
Obtained – Review Code courtesy of Frozenbyte
Trine 2: Director’s Cut is the most visually appealing game on offer through the Wii U eShop yet – but is it just another pretty face, or does it complete the whole package?
Story and Plot
The story begins with the narrator telling us of 3 heroes, Amadeus (wizard), Pontius (knight), and Zoya (thief, I mean, entrepreneur) who were once led by a mysterious artifact called the Trine on a quest, perhaps you’ve heard the tale?
After the brief introduction, you’re given control of each character individually (just like in the original Trine) by way of a tutorial level. First, you start off with Amadeus as he is awakened by a great noise and a bright light. He ventures out into the woods to investigate the light. Along the way you’ll be introduced to Amadeus’ levitation and conjuring magic. After a brief hike through the woods, you come upon the Trine, which just so happens to teleport Pontius to your location. Surprised by his presence, Pontius explains to Amadeus how he came to arrive in the woods. At this point, you’re taken to Pontius’ tutorial level in the village and the fields where you learn how to use his sword, shield, and hammer. Once you encounter the Trine, your level ends and you then take control of Zoya, high above the city at night as she is out on the prowl looking for some loot to pilfer. As you scamper across the rooftops you’ll learn how to fire arrows and hook onto wooden surfaces with your grappling hook. As expected, shortly into the tutorial level, Zoya sees a mysterious light on top of the old church and goes up to investigate. Once atop the old church, Amadeus and Pontius join Zoya by way of the Trine and the adventure begins.
I don’t want to give too much away pertaining to the story, so I’ll summarize it by saying that you are on a quest to rid a mysterious kingdom of all the evil which has befallen it. Along the way you’ll fight creatures big and small, and solve environmental puzzles in order to progress.
Gameplay and Controls
As previously mentioned, you’ll be fighting waves of enemies, especially a lot of goblins, plus solving environmental puzzles along the way as you fight to rid the lands of the evil infesting it. Players will take control of our the 3 heroes, one at time, with the ability to switch between any of the 3, instantly with the touch of a button as they progress through each chapter of our story. You’ll need to make good use of each of the heroes in order to progress, and thankfully, there are multiple solutions to many of the puzzles. In general though, based upon their specific skills, you’ll most likely be using the same hero for the same kind of puzzles. If there are wood surfaces nearby, you’ll most often use Zoya’s grapple ability to traverse higher or further. There are times though when you can use Amadeus to conjure up some boxes to stand on, which can give you the needed height to reach the next level of ground. Pontius can plow through stone and rubble in a variety of areas. Each hero’s unique abilities can also help you to reach hidden areas, provided you can find them first. As you progress through each level, you’ll find light blue bottles which when collected gain you experience points to spend. The points are shared cumulatively across the 3 heroes, so use them wisely. You can upgrade each hero’s abilities to further aid you on your quest. I think of one of the greatest features of this leveling up system is that you can remove and add your points as needed. So say you want to increase Amadeus’s conjuring skills so he can spawn 3 rather than 2 boxes. Well, eventually down the road, you may decide you want to give Zoya the ability to fire additional arrows, so you can take from Amadeus and give to Zoya, if you so desire. The possibilities are quite flexible, of course, I suggest finding as much XP as you can. There are also chests to unlock which hold concept art and poems. Plus, there are more hidden items to search for.
There is of course the main storyline, but in addition, you’ll also get the Goblin Menace Expansion Pack built-in. This takes places at the end of the main story and involves the wife of Amadeus being kidnapped by goblins and your attempt to rescue her.
Controlling the heroes is really quite easy, switching between heroes is done with the touch of a button. Your primary and secondary attacks are just as simple to execute and for aiming, you have an on-screen reticule which aids your efforts.
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Obviously, there is the single-player campaign, which spans 13 levels, plus there are 7 more in the expansion pack. In addition, there is also the option to play local or online multiplayer games, which does include voice-chat. I only had the chance to try out multiplayer without voice-chat and I can say it was less than stellar, not being able to communicate. However, the option use voice-chat is greatly appreciated and should be used as much as possible.
Graphics and Sound
I hope I made it clear by now, but if not, let me stress it once again. Trine 2: Director’s Cut is the most visually stunning, atmospheric, humorous games on the Wii U eShop. Often times you’ll be so busy concentrating on a puzzle or fighting enemies, you may forgot to appreciate the environment. Do yourself a favor and stop for a minute so you can take in the atmosphere, it is stunning. The various levels, the intricate level design and the atmospheric music and lighting draw you deeper into experience every step of the way.
Final Score: 10 out of 10
Trine 2: Director’s Cut graced the Wii U eShop thanks to Frozenbyte Studios, and it absolutely one of the most visually appealing eShop games to date. Not to mention, it’s filled with puzzles and action plus, it’s a bit of fun to play and the humor complements the gameplay from beginning to end. If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend purchasing Trine 2: Director’s Cut.
+Amazing visuals (stunning!)
+Unlockables
+Multiplayer (Local/Online)
+Voice-Chat
+Excellent physics based puzzles
+Humorous dialogue and interaction between characters
+Extensive amount of content (including bundled DLC)
Intro (1st) Chapter
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