Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

Genre: Puzzle-Platformer

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local, Local Wireless, Online)

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Review:

(Note: this game is included in Trine Ultimate Collection, along with Trine: Enchanted Edition, Trine 2: Complete Story, and Trine 3: Artifacts of Power.)

Trine 4 is the latest in the Puzzle-Platformer series and a return to form after the third game brought 3D gameplay with… well, mixed results. Now back in 2D, the series once again shines doing what it does best – superb puzzles and great co-op gameplay.

For those who are new to the series, don’t feel like you have to play the earlier titles (although the Trine Ultimate Collection is a pretty damn good deal if you’re looking to play through the series). The series’ episodic nature means that as soon as you’re introduced to the archetypal wizard, knight, and thief, and shown that the three are old friends and comrades, that’s pretty much all you need to know.

Trine 4 has one other ace up its sleeve to make this game as inviting as possible for series fans and newcomers alike – it is drop-dead gorgeous. Multiple times while playing I felt I had to stop for a moment and just stare at the stunning vistas, amazingly detailed, full of color, with magnificent lighting effects, and all sorts of little things happening in the background, such as a cat scurrying into an alley as I run through the streets of a city at night, or rays of light filtering into a gloomy castle. While this game does have its less-than-ideal moments, such as when the view zooms in close to the characters (they look fine, but not quite as impressive as everything else), overall the effect of this game is just jaw-dropping.

However, this game isn’t just pretty – the gameplay here is phenomenal. All three swappable characters feel great to play and have distinct abilities, with enough tools at their disposal that you often have multiple ways to deal with the obstacles in your way. Many of the game’s puzzles are physics-based, often making solving them a matter of playing around with your characters’ abilities and seeing what works best for you.

These options are multiplied in the game’s multiplayer, and while this game is wonderful in single-player mode, it is in co-op where this game really shines, as the way these abilities interact with one another creates wonderful new possibilities. Additional players (up to four total) play palette-swapped versions of the entire interchangeable trio, so there’s no fighting over who plays which character.

However… a lot of what I just said is true of the earlier Trine games, too. There doesn’t feel like anything especially new, gameplay-wise here, beyond a return to what made the first two games so great, and a refinement of the series formula that includes some of the best features from throughout the series. However, there’s also a return of one of the worst elements of the series – combat. It’s… how do I put this… terrible. With all the thought and care put into this game’s wonderful puzzles, it’s extremely disappointing to see the combat in this game so messy and thoughtless. At this point, I kinda’ hope that when Trine 5 eventually comes around, the folks behind this game just drop the combat altogether, as it isn’t doing the series any favors.

Players considering buying this game as a part of the Trine Ultimate Collection should be aware that the physical version of this collection requires a sizeable download to play the first three Trine games, as well as a download for the added DLC content for Trine 4. Please keep this in mind when deciding which version of the game to get.

Frustrations aside, the combat in Trine 4 is thankfully fairly uncommon, putting the focus on where it should be – on being one of the greatest Puzzle-Platformers ever created. For fans of the genre, for fans of co-op, and for those just wanting to have a gorgeous game that makes the Switch really shine, Trine 4 is a must-have game well worth owning.

tl;dr – Trine 4 returns the series to its classic 2D Puzzle-Platformer gameplay, and it is in absolutely fine form here, with jaw-droppingly gorgeous graphics, superb puzzles, and some of the best Co-Op you’re going to find in any game anywhere, with a focus on using the unique abilities of its three protagonists to get past puzzles and obstacles. It’s unfortunate that the combat is sub-standard, because otherwise everything about this game is an absolute triumph.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Multiplayer – The Trine series has always had strong Co-Op play, but I truly feel that the latest installment of the franchise really outdid itself this year, giving the game’s puzzles a more sandboxy feel and giving players all sorts of ways to combine characters’ abilities to find unique solutions to problems. On a platform that already has a plethora of great Co-Op experiences, Trine 4 still manages to stand out as an absolutely fantastic game for those looking to share their experience with others.

Best Graphical Style – Right from the start, this game’s visuals are stunningly gorgeous, and this is thanks largely to some really good world design and use of color that fills the screen with stunning detail that your eyes just want to soak in. Every screenshot of this game feels like a work of art, and it looks even better in motion, with little details strewn about that make this game truly feel like the magical adventure it really is.

Runner-Up: Best Graphics, Best Puzzle Game, Game of the Year

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