Trine 2: Complete Story (PlayStation 4) Review

This game is absolutely gorgeous. As soon as the title screen loads up to reveal an enclosed area to jump around in before choosing to start the game proper, Trine 2: Complete Story's visuals will trigger some sort of exclamation along the lines of "Wow, this looks beautiful!" Now presented in 1080p on the PlayStation 4, it is a total delight to play such a lovely-looking game, and at 60 frames per second to boot. In the transition to Sony's new console, Frozenbyte has really ensured it got the maximum it could in terms of both resolution and frame-rate for this re-release, and the result does not go unnoticed in the slightest.

Like a fairy-tale brought to life, Trine 2 tells a fantasy story, narrated between chapters, as three very distinct and likeable characters are bound together by the mysterious Trine artefact, leading them on a quest to restore peace. The land is vividly borne into existence through the magnificent art style and all manner of lovely visual effects and colours, as backgrounds stretch far back to reveal castles in the distance; foregrounds detail the intricacies of trees and overgrown plant life; and glistening, trickling streams of rivers flow around the lush forests. It is through the numerous chapters (of which there are a total of 20, including all of the added content), that the Wizard, the Thief and the Knight must jump and swing through woodlands of giant, bouncy mushrooms, deserts of blistering heat, and damp and murky swamps.

Switching between each of the Three Heroes at any time, each character must be used almost as much as the other, making use of the unique abilities they have to get through each level and to reach certain areas to find hidden secrets or collect experience orbs. The Wizard is one of the most talented of the group, as he can conjure up boxes and planks out of thin air, and move objects at will through the power of his magic. By utilising the experience points collected and learning new abilities, he can eventually create up to a maximum of four objects on-screen and put them to inventive use. For example, is a platform too high to reach? Then draw up a couple of boxes and stack them on top of each other. Is a gap too far to cross? Make some planks and see if a makeshift bridge can be built. The drawback of the Wizard is that he lacks any main form of attacking his goblin foes, but that is where the other two characters step in.

The Thief can attack with her bow and arrows, but her most helpful and recognisable ability is being able to grapple onto wooden areas and swing across large gaps or pull herself up to high places. The Knight is more of a brute strength kind of guy, where his sword and hammer are stronger than the Thief's arrows, and he even has the option of using his shield to protect himself. Many more helpful and rather outrageous upgrades can be purchased over time.

Trine 2 makes it a necessity to mess with the physics of the game. There are many puzzles, big and small, that need to be solved in order to progress, and, oftentimes, the Wizard and his special powers are needed to create objects and strategically place them as required. Working with the slightly floaty physics of the characters and various items as they jump and drop in the air, a number of solutions can exist to bypass many given situations, and this actually becomes even more apparent when playing in multiplayer.

Through the co-operative multiplayer mode, which can be played locally and online, up to three players can tackle the game and work together in harmony to get through each stage, combining their efforts and helping each other across pits and defeating enemies. What's quite amusing is seeing how other players solve certain instances of puzzles; whereas some areas may have been figured out one way in the single-player mode, playing online can reveal new tricks and ideas that others use to get by. It really opens up the possibilities and shows just what can be done with the physics of the game.

Playing the game alone, Trine 2 can be a rather relaxing and laid back experience, thanks in part to its fantasy nature and enchanting music. Battles with enemies crop up in certain situations, but they will last only a brief amount of time until it's back to platforming and puzzle solving again. The overall quest is not an overly difficult one; it is very much more of a game that asks players to find ways to get through it using varying methods instead of throwing hordes of overwhelmingly tough enemies at the Three Heroes. With the checkpoints dotted generously throughout, there is very rarely any case of frustration. Once the Goblin Menace expansion story kicks into play after completing the first quest, though, that's when things noticeably get a little more trying in terms of the puzzles. It is good to put the thinking cap on at this point, as the game doesn't present too many tricky situations prior to that. That said, if the combat challenge is found to be a bit lacking, there are settings for upping the difficulty and limiting the return of characters at checkpoints when they lose all of their health.