Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power (PC) Second Opinion Review

Upon starting Trine 3, control is taken of the knight Pontius, who is hunting a sheep thief in front of a setting (or perhaps rising) sun. The beautiful vistas in the background are surpassed only by the magnificent music that plays throughout the level. The voice actors give life to each of the three protagonists and draw in anyone who may be playing, or even watching the action unfold. The striking visual and audio delights are as captivating in this third entry as they were back when the Trine series was first introduced in 2009. Starting with praise of the game's appearance and sound shouldn't be taken as a slight on the actual gameplay, but praise for just how magical an atmosphere they create.

Soon after finishing the first level, Zoya is introduced, or reintroduced, to the world. Since the last game, she has learned to attach her grappling hook to various points, which creates new puzzles that involve manipulating the environment in new ways, such as pulling platforms out and tying them down so that she can use them to avoid danger. Taking the series into 3D has let the developers add new depth to old abilities, like Zoya using her grappling hook to move through levels, which is now very reminiscent of swinging through New York as Spider-Man.

The new camera angle is arguably best shown when Amadeus, the wizard, is introduced and it is necessary to move up a flowing stream of water to progress. Boxes must be placed carefully at various points to create a path to safety. Sadly, while this shows off the new camera angle, it also highlights the limitations it has brought about. Previously, boxes would be created by drawing them with the mouse or analogue stick, but now they are conjured with the press of a button. This isn't a huge step back, but it does cause the game to lose one of the series' unique points that made it more engaging.

Collectibles have always filled the levels in the Trine series and they return once again in the form of hundreds of Trineangles. Some are obvious and easy to obtain, while others are cleverly tucked away and require creative use of some, or all, of the three heroes and their abilities. At this point, one of the game's larger shortcomings is made very apparent, as these collectibles would usually be used to earn experience and upgrade abilities in each character's skill tree. Not only are these trees missing, later stages are locked behind collecting Trineangles, turning what was once an optional extra for fans who wanted a greater challenge to a mandatory task for anyone looking to finish the game.

As an unfortunate consequence of losing skill trees, the gameplay itself has lost some of its more interesting features. No longer does combat involve freezing enemies with ice arrows, shocking them with the Storm Hammer or trapping foes in cages. This leaves the action very lacking because it quickly becomes repetitive, as each character executes the same moves with no chance of developing any new techniques. On its own, this is bad, but, when compared to the richness of the previous titles, it is a true shame to see.

To make matters worse, Trine 3 is clearly unfinished, as it ends very abruptly, leaving its audience yearning for more. This is usually an effective way to lead into a sequel, but it doesn't feel like a cliff-hanger ending - rather, a story that was cut short. The developers have since explained that the full tale is about three times as long, and budget constraints led to the game shipping without a satisfactory conclusion. The story itself is told very well through the narrator and the characters' voices, and it keeps the player's attention through its content and execution. Sadly, this isn't enough to hide the disappointment of gearing up for a journey that goes practically nowhere.