Frozenbyte is happy to announce that the Trine Series 1-3, developed by Frozenbyte and published by GameTrust, is coming out with all three games on one Nintendo Switch game card. Available for pre-order today exclusively at GameStop stores and online.

Combining puzzle, platforming and action gameplay set in a beautiful fantasy world, the three part award-winning series is finally getting a physical release. The game card includes Trine Enchanted Edition, which launched for Nintendo Switch eShop on November the 9th, 2018, Trine 2: Complete Story, coming to Nintendo Switch eShop on February the 18th, 2019, as well as Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power.

The Trine games feature three playable heroes, each with their own skills and playstyle, Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief, who’ve been granted powers by a mysterious artifact called Trine.

The post Trine 2 Coming to Nintendo Switch appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

What do a thief, a knight and a wizard have in common?

They are as one.

In 2009 when the first Trine game released their souls intertwined thanks to a mysterious artifact called the Trine.

When the King of a ruined land dies without leaving a hier the world in which Zoya (Thief), Pontius (the Knight) and Amadeus (the Wizard) all see an opportunity as the world in which they live in plunges in to dark chaos, the undead rise up out of nowhere, seemingly, and the throne is vacant.

Each one of the trio of characters goes straight to the Academy of Magic, but with thier own motive.

Zoya thinking there will be some goodies ripe for plundering, Pontius on a self directed mission to protect the Academy and Amadeus already within the Academy after a sleeping potion backfired is trying to escape.

As all three approach a shrine to the magical treasure that is the Trine their souls become fused together.

The three strangers, who had no intention of being so close with eachother, let alone friends must now work together to undo the magic that binds them together and save what remains of the Kingdom along their adventures.

A 2.5D side scroll, the original Trine exploded with PC gamers due to its richly detailed and ethereal world.

Utilising real-world physics like we had never seen before, each Level consists of puzzles where you will need to use all three characters and their abilities to get through.

Zoya has a bow and arrow and rope with a dagger which will allow her to swing across great caverns, Amadeus can cast spells and produce objects out of thin air, handy if that next platform is just out of reach. Pontius, well he is like a bull in a China shop, but has excellent defense with his shield and a brutal undead slayer with his sword.

Throughout the game you will be changing characters on the fly to progress. If one character is low on health, generally with you being able to switch characters will save you from death. That said, if one or two of your characters dies, there’s a cool off period, or until you find a health potion.

The first Trine title set the developers; Frozenbyte as magical wizards themselves in a game that we all couldn’t get enough of.

So, it wasn’t too long (2012) before we revisted our soul-bonded trio again in Trine 2.

Again the three need to band together in similar gameplay mechanics, retaining that astounding real-world physics which both accented and at times added to the difficulty of gameplay.

In Trine 2 the Kingdom has been restored at the conclusion of the first Trine and there were a few years of peace… until the Goblins arrived. The Trine once again works its magic and throws our band of unlikely heroes in to a world they had not experienced before.

Trine 2 had an RPG element by way of earning skill points where you can upgrade the characters via a skill tree.

Again, Frozenbyte really upped their game with Trine 2.

Then, only a couple of years back (2015) Trine 3: Artifacts of Power was released on PC and console (stereoscopic 3D on PlayStation 4).

Yup, our misfitted trio of Zoya, Pontius and Amadeus return but not so much to a magical realm – instead they are once again bonded together throughout brutal medieval lands.

Each Trine title is narrated as the adventure is played out – this gives us, the enchanted players, more backstory and clues as to what we are meant to do – there are times where a puzzle may not be so obvious.

Trine 3 follows the same mechanics as Trine and Trine 2, but unlike the prior two, Trine 3 was significantly shorter in it’s play through.

The Trine series really made it’s impression on gamers due to it’s art style and the aforementioned environmental real-world physics.

A game that is not only challenging and rewarding to play through, but a beauty and wonder for the visual senses.

For now, Trine: Enchanted Edition is available with the rest of the trilogy set to release soon for Nintendo Switch (Trine 2 and Trine: Artifacts of Power).

Being on a portable platform there has been no noticeable compromise. Frozenbyte wielded their own magic to bring us the delight that is Trine on to one small cartridge.

Trine: Enchanted Edition is MUST for any Switch owner. Do not overlook this one.

It is not so much a quick play game, as Levels can be frustratingly challenging at times – but there are over 60+ hours of play time to be had with all three and Levels have differing lengths of play-through time. There is also multi / co-op player where friends can drop in and out of the adventures. Being on Switch, each player can partake with one of the Joy-Cons.

Trine has always been a game that keeps on giving and I’m hoping that Frozenbyte release a fourth (hopefully with a more indepth skill tree mechanic).

Fuse your soul with your Switch and take on Trine: Enchanted Edition for the first time, or pick it up all over again, releasing the magic to save the land and yourselves, wherever you are.

The post Trine: Enchanted Edition (Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Frozenbyte has announced to us that Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power will be officially releasing for the PlayStation 4. Exact release date and pricing details for the PS4 version will be announced later but the game is expected to release by the end of 2015.

“We’re happy to confirm the PS4 version of Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power. It’s been a rollercoaster of a year but closing it with the PS4 release gives me great satisfaction,” said Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen.

The PS4 version is the latest version of the game and includes the recently-released “The Quest for Cake” Level. The game features local co-op and runs at Full HD 1080p 60 fps, and has support for Stereoscopic 3D.

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power is a 3D platforming game set in a beautiful fantasy world of vivid colors, and is also a mixture of puzzles, adventure and action. You’re playing with three distinct characters, a Wizard specialised in conjuring boxes and levitation, a stout-hearted Knight with powerful fighting abilities, and an elusive Thief, great at fighting from afar with her bow and at overcoming obstacles with her grappling hook. Each character will help you in different ways on your puzzle- and action-packed journey.

The story starts off with the Heroes growing tired of their duties. They try to return their extraordinary gifts to the Artifact called Trine, and so they meddle with powers beyond their understanding: Trine shatters and a heartless ancient sorcerer escapes. With only a broken artifact to guide them, the heroes must try and repair the damage they’ve caused… or the damage that might yet be done.

You can read our review of Trine 3: Artifacts of Power for PC HERE.

The post Trine 3 on PlayStation 4! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A fat Knight, a mostly incompetent wizard, and an improbably proportioned female Rogue walk into a 3 dimensional Bar.

Because, well, now they can.

In Trine 3, our trio of Heroes have returned for another round of co-operative mystical puzzle solving and this time, they have a whole new mathematical plan to explore. As a fan of earlier entries to the series, I was eager to jump into the familiar worlds’ new found depth. Seconds after starting the game I was struck by what Trine has always done inarguably well, which is to have a gorgeous and cohesive visual style.

Trine gives players a sense of story book magic come to life, which is a joy to experience with every screen. To players new to the series, think of Lionhead studios at their best,  Fable and Black and White, characters that are cartoonish yet still lush with vitality and locations that glow with imagination match with music which mirrors this playful fantasy style.

Exploring the game with new levels of freedom was fantastic to play initially, feeling like such a natural progression for the series. Motion through this rich world is intuitive and welcoming; jumping, grappling, casting and clashing are all responsive enough to make the platforming elements a pleasure, and the game world is all the more absorbing for our newfound ability to move deeper, instead of always just further along.

However this sensation will last right up until you run into a few of the games camera blocks.

The transition into full 3D has not come off without a hitch for Frozenbyte, the openness of space is a double edged sword for the player, as it has suddenly become a lot easier for frustrating death because of a camera failing to track your character behind an obstacle or a poorly defined world edge. While it’s working, the game is pure light hearted fun, but can easily slip into frustration as it falls over its own feet.

The story of the Trine 3 isn’t spectacular, which in a way is a blessing because we definitely are not given time to fully explore it. The campaign mode is modest in length at best, which wouldn’t be such an issue if we weren’t given so little else to do, except finish the main story.

Each Level is littered with Trineangles (we will forgive the pun), glowing objects which act as the games score system / currency, and are used to unlock each new chapter. Between Levels, we are taken to an (admittedly lovely) woodcut world map, which a miniature version of one of our characters will run between.

This would seem to be the natural point for the game to allow us to engage in character building / spending our in game currency, engaging in the world beyond the rigid parameters of completing the story, unfortunately this is not what we are allowed to do.

In fact in Trine 3 we have no character skill trees whatsoever, which is a departure from previous titles. Our ingame currency is used only to unlock the next mission. While Trine has never lent heavily on traditional RPG roots, abandoning them completely gives the player very little to differentiate between characters, except for the most superficial of abilities.

This sensation bleeds into the multiplayer, which like the solo experience, is as fun as ever to start out, but too often highlights the awkwardness of clashing mechanics.

It is an unfortunate reality of the gaming world; that sometimes we really don’t want to see what is behind the curtain.

Gaming essentially relies on a tacit understanding between player and developer, that we won’t try climb over that ridge, or try and open that door that we can’t interact with, or attempt to swim too far into the open sea, because to do so would break our immersion.

However it is always frustrating to be invited to explore new found depths in a game, only to find yourself frustrated once you do so. Trine 3 is a beautiful world that we are tantalised with and begged to explore, yet once we do so, are occasionally left wishing it had been left to our imagination.

Trine 3 often exemplifies what is best about this whimsical, puzzle solving series but in attempting to move forward as a series, has run into some definite teething problems. Its world is larger and more vibrant than ever. But the magic, alas, fades faster.

The post Trine 3: Artifacts of Power Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Finnish game developer Frozenbyte is proud to announce that the puzzle-centric platformer, Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power has been officially released, and the Windows version is now available for purchase on Steam, GOG, and Humble.

“We are excited! We have taken the Trine series to a new level with the move to fully playable 3D world and we can’t wait to hear the feedback from players and the media,” said Lauri Hyvärinen, CEO of Frozenbyte, and continues: “We hope our ideas and art inspire and resonate with players in the same way they have with us. Welcome to a new beautiful journey in the Trine series!”

Experience a fairytale world of breathtaking sceneries and face a myriad of physics-based puzzles, wonderful contraptions, dangerous foes and enchanting creatures.

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power is a platforming game of action, puzzles and adventure, and the sequel to the award winning Trine and Trine 2. Reunite with the familiar heroes – Pontius the Knight, Amadeus the Wizard and Zoya the Thief in an all-new adventure, now for the first time in full 3D!

Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief have slowly come to the conclusion that having their lives commandeered by a powerful magical artifact is not a desirable state of existence on a permanent basis.

The heroes try to return their extraordinary gifts to the Artifact called Trine, and so they meddle with powers beyond their understanding: Trine shatters, and a heartless ancient sorcerer escapes. With only a broken artifact to guide them, the heroes must try and repair the damage they’ve caused… or the damage that might yet be done.

Adventure through breathtakingly beautiful landscapes in an enchanting fairytale world, and for the first time ever explore the Trine world in a full 3D setting, allowing you to go check out all the nooks and crannies that have been so alluring in the past.

Playable in single-player or in co-up with up to three players, both locally or online. Any mix is possible (for example 2 local, 1 online) and you can switch from single player to multiplayer and vice versa.

Prep yourself for the ultimate test with the Lost Pages, which feature the most incredible contraptions, character-driven design, and ridiculous puzzles. Are you skilled enough to unlock all the Lost Pages?

The post TRINE 3: THE ARTIFACTS OF POWER RELEASED FOR PC appeared first on Shane the Gamer.