After the release of Trine 3 which is considered a mixed bag it is high time I reviewed the sequel which is better in every which way than its predecessor.

The premise remains the same in the 2nd episode of Frozenbyte's amazing franchise: the mysterious object called Trine binds 3 heroes together who all have different abilities and gameplay style. In terms of story they have switched from skeletons to goblins. Not much of a change but you know it's all about saving the kingdom once more. We have the same 3 characters from the first episode and in terms of timeline we are a couple of years after the events of Trine 1.

What shines in Trine 2 is its graphics. Not that the first one was ugly, quite the contrary! Still, they managed to make the game even more beautiful (the water effect is stunning). In fact, the first game was updated with the sequel's engine and it is now only available in Enhanced Edition version.

Overall, the gameplay remains the same but they have tweaked it a bit here and there. For instance, the wizard cannot conjure floating triangles but can pick up monsters. The heroes all received some new abilities and each now seems to be more useful. And, of course, we have some puzzles that utilise physics and have to be solved accordingly.

The longevity of the game has also increased. Levels are more complex and much bigger. There are tons of collectibles to find - poems in treasure chests and also paintings (no equipment, though). You'll probably not be able to collect them all in one go! And let us not forget about the achievements - there's now a threefold increase.

I believe Trine 2 is an example as to how a sequel should be done. For fans of the first one it is a must and for those hating the 3rd (and preferably last) a revisit has been due for some time. The game also features proper multiplayer i.e. it is not LAN anymore.

Trine 2 is less of a sequel, and more radical cosmetic surgery. Frozenbyte have exploded the formula into a beautiful, rainbow-sodden spectacle. You don't realise how few purple and green crystal-lit caverns there are out there, until you're forced to stop and bask in one.

Trine is a fairytale platforming adventure, based around a magical floating sconce that's bound together the souls of a wizard, a knight and a thief. The story itself is sweet enough – perfectly charming and a shade too earnest – but what really drives you, beyond the irresistible instinct in platformers to travel to the right, is the satisfaction that's gained from solving the inventive physics-based puzzles.

Playing solo, you can swap between characters instantly as you require their different skills. The Wizard can levitate objects, conjure boxes, and eventually planks, allowing him to bridge gaps and create steps. But he's all wizardy and crap in a fight, so tap him out when goblins and bosses appear.

The Thief can fire a grappling hook and swing from wooden surfaces, and her bow makes her the best ranged fighter. Then there's the Warrior, who dishes out the melee damage with his sword, deflects lava with his shield, and smashes delicate stuff from afar with his hammer.

If you've played the first game, you'll be thinking “well, this sounds pretty familiar. Shouldn't you be focusing on the new stuff?” The weakest thing about Trine 2 is how broadly identical it is to the first game. The energy bar has gone, and there's online co-op play, but Trine 2 amounts to a skill reset and a bunch of gorgeous new levels.

The flexibility of the puzzles and the overlapping powers mean that often there's no pure, one-way solution. In particular, the Thief's agility becomes less essential as the Wizard learns to conjure more simultaneous objects. Solo, this doesn't matter. Multiplayer changes the nature of the game.

First off, and this is such a superficial observation that I feel obliged to say it in a stupid way, it's nice to do a solve on a puzzle with a friend. The first Trine had local multiplayer, bizarrely hidden in a sub-sub-menu, but Trine 2 brings it to the main menu, and adds online matchmaking and text chat. It's now easy to drop into a game with strangers or pals.

More fundamentally, dividing the powers between three players, instead of one player swapping between the powers as he sees fit, means that progress that could only previously be made by one character now has to be achievable by all three. Frozenbyte have addressed this in two ways. Firstly, the Wizard can levitate items that he's standing on in multiplayer. But life's too easy with a magic carpet.

A more elegant solution is Unlimited mode. Tucked away in the 'host a game' options, this allows multiples of each class on screen. It's more chaotic, more flexible, and more fun. It solves some huffier moments, like when the Thief realises she's a complete spare wheel. And that moment where the Wizard decides to avoid a boss fight, hanging out by the partner-regenerating checkpoints while an endless stream of Thieves and Knights do the work.

Trine 2 may retread a lot of old ground, but it's beautiful. It's like Frozenbyte are saying “Oh, did we make Trine? We meant this.” The same moderate puzzling challenge, the same characters, the same charm and some problems fixed.

Keeps the gorgeously detailed worlds and great gameplay that made the first game great and builds worthy additions.
Although I did not get a chance to play the online and local co-op, it is a feature always appreciated.
It is worthy of at least one play through and the achievements (Hard + Hardcore mode does not play around in this game) provide a great subsequent challenge.

This is another begrudging approval. Trine 2 is not a bad game, but it's also not awesome. Most of it is, well, boring. Admittedly, that boringness is nicely polished.

The first Trine had a neat gimmick in the ability to instantly switch between the three character classes, and the fact that you sometimes had to use this to solve puzzles. The problem is that Trine 2 doesn't really build on this in any meaningful way. It's just more of the same. Add to that the fact that the story is even less relevant to our characters this time around (they don't even know the people who the story revolves around) and it's hard to care about anything that happens.

The combat requires no thought and you can generally brute force your way through without any problems. Even the boss fights can be bulldozed through with simple repetition. And once you put enough upgrades into the wizard the same can be said for the puzzles. That means that the early game and first few levels are significantly more challenging because you won't have those abilities yet. But put in a little time and thought and the game becomes a breeze.

It looks very nice - they definitely upped the graphical fidelity this time around. It comes at a cost though. The first Trine ran just fine on my standard work laptop, while Trine 2 gets about one frame a second.

There also seems to be less banter and fewer jokes between the characters this time around. It's still there a little bit, but it's disappointing there's not more because that was largely what made the first game so charming.

If you absolutely loved the first Trine then it's probably worth a quick playthrough of the second. But while there are some nice cosmetics and a few hours of diverting gameplay, the series seems to have misplaced its soul.

7/10

This is a great puzzle/adventure game however I feel that without 2 of my friends to play with I would not enjoy it as much.

I reached what felt like the end of the game and then the game went, "Nah, just kidding," and gave me another 9 hours of gameplay. Awesome...

This is quite possibly the prettiest 2D game (well, 2.5 D) I've ever played and probably the most fun one too. The gameplay from the first game has been expanded upon with new mechanics. Great for all ages.

I guess, if I had to critique, I would say the story could have been better (rather than just serving to get you from one puzzel to the next). Also, I am not sure how much fun this game is if you are playing it alone, since it was designed for co-op. Also, an xbox controller is recommended.

English:
Game is really awesome. We played 3 player coop 4-5 days, 1-1.5 hour a day and have a lot of fun. Main game has language support to my language (Turkish) but DLC doesnt have support. Main story is long and good. DLC has more action and explosion and shorter.

Türkçe:

Oyun gerçekten muazzam 3 kişi 4-5 gün boyunca 1-1.5 saat oynadık çok eğlendik. Ana oyunda türkçe altyazı desteği var fakat ek pakette türkçe altyazı yok içerik ingilizce. Ana oyun gerçekten uzun ve hikaye çok güzel. Ek pakette daha fazla aksiyon var ana hikayeye göre kısa biraz.

10/10

This game is a truly wonderful experience; the fun that can be had while playing with a loved one or a friend makes it a must have. I have some very fond memories of this game and the laughter that it brought to my ex-girlfriend and me while playing. She wasn't a gamer, but this game was an exception for her as she enjoyed the co-op and found it fun. It was a great treat to share a hobby with someone I cared about. For that, I will always be greatful to Trine 2.

For anyone wondering if they should purchase this game or who has someone that they want to spend time with and make memories (or simply have fun) you should immediately purchase this game. The combat is both fun and easy making it easily accessible to all types of gamers and different ages. The characters, the environment, soundtrack, and visuals are endearing and truly magical. There will be plenty of times you will find yourself simply marveling at the world you have entered. To all potential buyers; I hope that you enjoy this game and make plenty of memories that you will cherish. This one purchase that you won't regret and is a good purchase even at full price.

Most amazing and most good-looking platformer i ever play.
You should try it :)

It's fast and fun